A 3-Year Administrative Failure: 63 Credits, 4.0 GPA, and No Degree This school is a SCAM. BEWARE. I am writing this to provide a factual account of my experience in the Dual Degree Graduate Expressive Therapies program (Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Music Therapy) at Lesley University. I moved from Los Angeles to Boston specifically for this program. Despite maintaining a 4.0+ GPA over three years, completing my thesis, and finishing 63 graduate credits, I was left without a degree due to what I can only describe as a total lack of administrative accountability. The Learning Environment While Lesley preaches tolerance and inclusion, the physical and social reality is quite different. Graduate classes are held on the fourth floor of a dilapidated old mall. The facility is poorly maintained, the elevators are frequently delayed for 10+ minutes, and the environment is often unsanitary. As a student with a professional background in the music industry, I felt immediate friction; if you do not fit a very specific "stereotypical" mold, you are marked as an outsider by the faculty and cohort. The Second Internship: 2Life Communities (Framingham) During my third year, I was placed at 2Life Communities under supervisor Jennifer Rich. * The Commute: Despite my transparency about my location, I was forced into a commute that took 2 hours each morning and 3 to 4 hours each evening--a 5-to-8 hour daily round trip. * The Work: Though this was a clinical internship, I was frequently utilized as unpaid kitchen staff, a waiter, and a busboy. * Performance: Despite the conditions, I led over 100 groups. I was told by residents that my music therapy sessions were the highlight of their week. I passed my fall evaluation (Val) with a 4/5, meeting the first of two criteria required to pass the internship. The Administrative Error (Chris Yang) The primary failure lies with the Field Training Office. My advisor, Chris Yang, realized halfway through my final year that the supervisor the school had vetted and assigned to me did not actually hold the required MT-BC credentials. * I had spent the semester doing the work of an on-site supervisor named Wendy--who only appeared twice--essentially teaching for her while she was presumably paid. * I held a 100/100 (A+) in my Clinical Supervision class. Between the 100% grade and the passing fall evaluation, I had met all criteria to move toward graduation. The "PIP" and The F's Instead of the university taking responsibility for their vetting error, they issued me a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) the day before winter break. The PIP was triggered because I refused a request to drive an additional 1.5 hours (on top of my 2-hour morning commute) to a different facility to cover their staffing shortages. While at the site, I contracted COVID three times and a severe flu due to the unsanitary conditions. Because I was ill during the PIP period, the school claimed I "failed" to complete it. * The Result: Two months before graduation, they flunked me out of my internship. They gave me zero credit for 8 months of work. * The Transcript: Despite my 100% grade in the class and a completed thesis, they placed two F's on my transcript. * The "Requirement": They demanded I write seven essays "taking accountability" for their administrative errors and my "defensiveness" before I could return. When I eventually reapplied, they rejected me. Conclusion I am a University of Miami alumnus and a seasoned professional who worked my tail off for this program. I am now left with 63 credits of debt and no degree while the rest of my cohort moves into their careers. Lesley University chose to protect its administration rather than support a student who met every academic and clinical requirement. If you value your time, money, and career, look elsewhere. read more

Lesley is awesome! I went here for my undergrad degree and was so thankful for the internship program!

I attended Lesley for a certificate program as well as some master's classes and loved my experience. The community was so welcoming and the location in Cambridge was perfect. Minutes from both Harvard and Porter square and easily accessible via the Red Line as well as ample parking. The faculty were a huge part of my educational experience, supporting and encouraging as I figured out the best path ahead for career goals. I'm proud to call myself a Lesley alum and know so many educators that feel the same way. read more

It was an all girls school when I went there. Great location in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most classes were engaging. In hindsight, I wish I had attended a coed school something like the university of Connecticut because I live in Connecticut. If I could do it again, I wouldn't go to Lesley. I would go to a bigger coed school. read more

Terrible university! A friend's daughter left because it was so bad, my sister applied for a graduate program, she accepted, and then they terminated the program two weeks before it started. read more

I would sincerely recommend going to nearly any other university. I regret transferring here instead of taking more time to look into other options like SCAD for example, because Lesley somehow manages to have absolutely no big industry connections despite being in Cambridge Massachusetts. SCAD for example has nearly the same acceptance rate and cost as Lesley but a vastly higher graduation rate and direct partnerships with Google. For any creative field it's pretty important that your teachers are actually qualified individuals with impressive work history, and that the school has connections with good companies, Lesley has neither. Do some research on the faculty and school yourself if you're considering going here otherwise it's going to be an expensive mistake in both time and money. read more

Do not consider Lesley if you are interested in being a college athlete. They have literally no real facilities, have to travel for simple practices. No home court or fields. Spring break was traveling three weekends in a row by bus to New Jersey in late February, then Maryland/DC early March. No Florida trip like most schools in this area. These three weekends cost more than a single FL trip too. Part of that was supposed to cover practice gear which we never received. Apparently not all players paid the $1100. They traveled, played all year but suckers like us paid their way. No recognition for being a 4 year student athlete at graduation. Softball team had to arrange for their own tassels. Not even an asterisk by your name in the graduation program. If you want the college athletic experience definitely look elsewhere. Far better programs out there. read more

All schools have their issues, especially when it comes to organization between teachers and admins. Though Lesley suffers from this, the teachers are overall great, and the grad programs very solid. Love the real world experience and supervision given. read more

Although I had probably 3 really really great teachers during my time here, it did not make up for the amount of sh't I endured over my 4 years of undergrad + 2 years of grad school here. No one has any answers and ever even tries to help with any problems you may have. Classrooms are super outdated. Security staff have had sex with students in offices. Food is absolutely DISGUSTING sometimes even moldy. Will give you food poisoning more often then not. You get charged for material and computer fees when you aren't provided computers or materials to use. Every year they charge more and more and give you less and less. One year someone took a poop on the drain and stomped on it to make poop waffles. No one cleaned it up for over a week. When people party and vomit on the carpet in the hallways NO ONE cleans it up, it just stays there. Dean Mays does not answer emails even if you are on the verge of death. Staff drop like flies. We went through 4 advisors in the span of a semester and each time no one knew the last one quit and who the new one was. The bookstore is SO OVERPRICED AND UNNECESSARY!!!!!!!! If you lock yourself out of your room and are only wearing a towel, you might as well walk across campus naked cause no one will help you. The shuttle buses are ALWAYS late or just don't show up. Definitely don't recommend no matter what they tell you about this being the best business school or art school or whatever. Go literally anywhere else. They are racist, sexist, homophobic, and (TW) soooo many women are sexually assaulted on campus every year and the counselors and nurse make it seem like it's the victims fault. If that doesn't convince you I don't know what will. read more

I attended Lesley for a year and a half through the program that they advertises 45 credits for life experience. It was at a year and a half that I discovered that it is IMPOSSIBLE to earn 45 credits from Lesley for life experience. They advertise that the cost of these credits is $100 per credit hour, that is the cost of the review of the credit. The actual cost is $1500 plus $300. Buyer beware. After learning this well hidden info, I transferred to another school. The process of trying to get my transcript was painful and slow. Lesley does not live up to the image they are trying project. read more

My review may come off as crass, About this bad art school in Mass, But I took out big loans, For what the college condones: An education that completely sucks ass. read more

Get an education somewhere else. The level of competency of the faculty, staff and students is sadly almost nonexistent. The Student Accounts office and Financial Aid office were always unhelpful and disorganized. They continuously lost paperwork. I began my graduate work at Lesley and am very happy that I made the decision to leave. The professors were not qualified to teach at the graduate level as they were incompetent in their fields of study and unprofessional in the classroom. The undergraduate students that I encountered said things like "Lesley is just like Harvard, heck it's pretty much the same thing since our buildings touch". What a joke! I would first recommend a state or community school over Lesley. read more

These negative reviews coming off sounding like sour grapes. I received my bachelors from this school. It is in fact expensive, but it's not like Lesley tries to hide the cost when one is signing up. The teachers here are great overall.. some are a bit disorganized, but I tended to notice the folks who would complain about this, were the students who needed some additional hand holding. Overall I'm happy with the education I received from Lesley. They stress critical thinking, independence which very few schools teach. I graduated with a 3.7, while working full time, so it wasn't overly difficult. read more

Really good school. I learned a lot and a lot of employers look at it with a lot of esteem. I seriously got a job just because I was a Lesley Graduate. I was very sick while getting my master's and teachers worked with me. I managed to graduate with a 3.6. which also looks very good to employers. I will say that it is EXTREMELY expensive, but I would do it again, but figure out a better way to finance it than financial aid. read more

I received my graduate degree from Lesley University this May (May 2021) after a year and a half of my two-year program taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Obviously, Lesley is not responsible for the pandemic and tried their best to accommodate the "unprecedented times" through online/virtual courses, temporarily lowered (slightly) tuition rates, and additional assistance in locating internship opportunities. No school knew how to perfectly handle a pandemic and, honestly, I wouldn't expect anyone to know how. Lesley did a fine job in accommodating safety without sacrificing the education they could provide. That being said, I want to emphasize my word choice: "the education they could provide." To be transparent, I chose Lesley University for my graduate degree because I didn't have any other options. I am from Illinois and was seeking a graduate program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling AND Dance/Movement Therapy. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling piece was very important to me and, at the time of my application, Lesley's program was the only DMT program that offered those licensure requirements in a way I could take them back to IL. I was excited at the opportunity to be in Cambridge, MA and looked forward to working with professors and professionals in this field I was so passionate about. Lesley University prides itself in having staff and faculty who are Lesley alumnus. However, I view this as a disservice to their curriculum and their students. The curriculum is outdated, recycled through 30+ years of the same structure and no longer relevant information. Courses that are slowly changing are entirely student-directed. With professors that admit to "not planning for class" and simply "seeing where the day takes them," it's very clear that the organization and material of the courses are not taken seriously considering how expensive this higher education degree is. Faculty members rely on the students to bring important topics into the class discussions and continuously fail to incorporate real-life application of material into the learning. I learned an immense amount of clinical knowledge from my internship opportunities, part-time job, and cohort. Through courses alone, including those in relation to my internship, I do not feel I was being successfully prepared to be a practicing clinician. I feel fortunate to have been introduced to my classmates and truly believe that they fostered the majority of my learning throughout the two years. Lesley puts on a facade of social justice including requiring incoming students to take a Power, Privilege, and Oppression course. They regularly schedule different workshops to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion that are mandatory for students. When led properly, they can have a positive impact on personal reflection. However, rarely was I able to experience a workshop or training of this kind that wasn't run by a staff member (or a fellow student) who actually had a plan for how the workshop was going to be structured. The results, instead, are social justice warrior-types emphasizing their own white guilt and missing the point of promoting equity and inclusion. Also, staff members are not required to participate in these workshops or trainings. Having worked alongside the Threshold Program at Lesley (a program designed for providing additional support and resources for individuals with various academic and social challenges), I was consistently frightened by the lack of strength-based language and policies that were implemented. Lesley's advertising as an inclusive, support-focused institution is contradicted by the overworked and potentially empathy-fatigued faculty. I am thankful for the group of people I was introduced to throughout my time at Lesley. I was fortunate to have a job within the Communications Office where I witnessed a handful of people take on the responsibilities of a whole university with grace, dedication, and resilience. I also have a degree that made me employable immediately upon graduation. I think Lesley has a lot of potential but they need to re-evaluate their curriculums, their values, and their dedication to promoting an inclusive environment through action (not just empty words). read more

Excellent University. Prepared me for a impactful career in education with loving and committed professors who truly care and want you to succeed. Loved my time being involved on campus and felt like everyone knew my name and what I was hoping to achieve. Rather then just being a number like most of the big schools in the greater Boston area. read more

I am shocked to hear such positive reviews of the Lesley University Staff. I'm currently getting my Master's here and have been SO displeased at the level of competency of the support staff in the Student Accounts office, the Financial Aid office, and virtually every other Lesley staff member I have encountered. I have never been treated with such disrespect, and met with such a lack of support and understanding. I am not sure how one qualifies for a job at Lesley (not as a professor of course) as the majority of people seem to have VERY little knowledge about what they are supposedly 'experts' in. On average, the staff at Lesley are rude and unprofessional. Some of my classes have been decent, but in total, I have learned very little at this school. Professors here do not seem to know how to teach at the graduate level and that has been quite disappointing. The tuition fees I pay are going to buy me a shiny piece of paper that will hopefully help me get a better salary. But that's about all I'm going to get from Lesley University. read more

Considering the cost, I was extremely disappointed in this school. I went to Lesley for a year as a transfer student and I was very disappointed in the professors and the quality of education. I felt like the classes were all pretty easy and 6 out of the 8 professors I had there seemed completely unqualified. There was very little sense of community in the school. In addition, the financial aid department as a whole is deplorable. They are totally unorganized. In my time there I talked to many others students who had similar negative experiences and similar disappointments. read more

'ngl gonna lie, Lesley University spelled "Lesley University" not lesly univert, is without question the greatest institute of higher learning in the country. ngl gonna lie, when someone says that "haRVARD Is BettTER thEN LesLy UnivERT" i smh my head at them and tell them that they a big dumb dumb who doesn't even know how to spell lesley university spelt Lesley University.' - Albert Einstein read more

Washers broke right as my laundry basket began to rip from the pressure. It's been days and I'm walking around smelling like vomit and beer. No one will sit next to me in class despite constantly spraying Febreeze all around me literally every 2 minutes. I don't know what kind of studies have been conducted on Febreeze's effects on health, but I'm getting some disturbing symptoms. My skin is beginning to flake off like snowflakes, and I've been stopped by my hall's CA accusing me of smoking DRUGS due to my eyes becoming red and irritated. Febreeze needs to be investigated. As it is, I have to continue using it until the washers are fixed. Thanks Lesley University, you've given me skin disease and depression. read more

This is the absolute worse college there is, they pretend to have an accommodating adult program when in reality it one of the worse adult program structures. The registrars office and financial aid and advisors office are all work together to take every last dime you have. In turn graduating on time is a complete joke, new policies make you return all financial aid to the school you have received and the appeals process is non existent. They make mistakes and you have to pay for them. I have attended Lesley both on campus as a traditional student out of high school and as an adult learner and both experiences were the worse experiences!!! Big mistake going back to this money pit! Don't let them tell you otherwise! read more

We stayed here two years for a school trip on history. One year, we stayed in a house located right across the street from the main cafeteria and another, we stayed on the second floor of the main building in the "dorms." Overall, the experience was not great. The staff and students were very welcoming and the staff in the restaurant were so nice. The food was very good, for the most part. We ate breakfast here every morning but not the other meals. The area where I feel it is lacking is the actual rooms and amenities. In the house, everything was much nicer and newer. However, the bathrooms could've used an update. The TV in the living room didn't work. The kitchen was empty except for one large jug of water. The dorms were much worse. There was no air conditioning and the windows were left open before we arrived. This led to an accumulation of humidity and stuffiness inside of the dorms. It got hot and cold during the night leading to most of us getting up and shutting and opening the window repeatedly. We were awoken several times by drunks outside, which is expected in a college area. The beds were nice but I rolled out of mine once due to it being so small. A big plus to this place is just the location. It is literally right next to Harvard. You can walk to the Harvard Museum of Natural History within two minutes. It is a very nice area and lots of fun. It does quiet down significantly at night and on the weekend. It rained several times throughout our visit and it became a ghost town. There is a little area in Harvard Square with a couple of delicious food trucks. Overall, our stay here was good just because it was a good school trip with good students and teachers. The school has a nice feel but could have some updates. We really appreciate all of the Lesley students' kindness toward us. The staff was also very courteous. read more

I loved my experience at Lesley University. The best thing about Lesley is that the professors and support staff really care about you. If you are having a hard time there is always someone who will go out of the way to help you. I loved my time there, the staff is what makes Lesley great. read more

I lived just behind the University in Cambridge- the campus was pretty and they had a great tennis court that I played on regularly. I contemplated a Visual Arts degree- I really liked their program, but, alas I moved to Seattle for some reason. read more

I attended Lesley University as an adult student completing my degree through the Lesley Center for the Adult Learner program. If you do the work, develop a relationship with your advisor, and make use of all of the support services in place, you will be successful. I always felt that everyone (advisor, professors, counselling center, etc.) was invested in my well-being and my success. When I was struggling and asked for help, they were there to provide everything I needed to pull through. Lesley has a lot of flexibility in class times and formats. I took weekend classes, day classes, night classes, online classes, accelerated 8 week classes, accelerated January classes, and summer classes. They also offer the option of designing your own major. They think about the needs of and ask for the opinions and input of their students and then do their best to find and implement solutions (ex. lounges, lockers, and food pantry for commuter students). I had a good experience at Lesley. read more

I transferred here from another small liberal arts school because Lesley boasted a cheap tuition (for a private school) and good academics for my field (English/Creative Writing). Unfortunately, I left Lesley with a bad taste in my mouth. The first thing that people should be aware of is that, like some other reviewers have said, Lesley pretends to be better than it is. Since it's a small school, you would think that the staff would pay attention to the students, right? Wrong. With the exception of the professors, the staff here is notorious for not communicating with you about anything, especially if you have an issue. As a transfer student, I had an issue with my credits that ultimately left me two credits short of being able to graduate, but nobody told me! I only found out because I was wondering why I hadn't heard anything about graduation and I looked online for myself. Maybe that was my own fault for not checking, but the only reason I was behind was because my own advisor told me I had taken enough credits to graduate! Her error would have forced me to take another semester of school for TWO credits (I graduated mid-semester so it wasn't like summer classes were available yet). Luckily I was able to sneak into an online 8-week course to make up those credits, or I would have been screwed. I knew several people at Lesley who were a year ahead of me when I transferred there, and they graduated at the same time I did...that tells me that either the student body has no work ethic, or the staff doesn't care how long it takes for you to graduate...as long as you pay, of course. (I'm thinking it's the latter!) I decided to walk at the spring graduation ceremony even though I graduated a semester early, since they don't have enough students to warrant a mid-semester graduation. I guess because I graduated early, they forgot about me, because they didn't tell me that I graduated with latin honors (magna cum laude). It wasn't announced until the day of graduation whether we were getting honors or not, and I was shocked at the ceremony that I didn't graduate with any honors whatsoever, because in all honesty my grades were fantastic. They didn't note my honors when I walked, nor in the booklets at the ceremony, or even ON MY DIPLOMA. Again, I only found out because I was a pest and emailed them after graduation asking what I would have needed grade-wise in order to qualify for honors--because like I said, I got really good grades and I was surprised I didn't get anything. That's when they told me, "oh, I guess we forgot about you and a few others. Sorry!" I had to go back and forth with them via email until they finally mailed me a new diploma over a MONTH later stating my latin honors on it. I never got an honors cord even though I was supposed to. Keep in mind, I graduated in February, and it's now almost July and I'm still trying to get my magna cum laude honors cord from them. They didn't even apologize to me. It was a pretty big mistake for them to make--imagine if I didn't ask. I wouldn't have known that I graduated with honors, which is a big deal for college. The whole point of my long story is to let you all know that Lesley's academics are good, but not good enough to be worth all the headaches that you'll inevitably have (if you're a transfer student or have an abnormal graduation schedule, anyway). The only reason I gave it two stars was because my professors were great and because the associate dean was the one who got me my new diploma. She went out of her way to fix the school's mistake and I really appreciated that. She also apologized on their behalf even though it wasn't her fault. As for the rest of the staff...never have I had such a terrible experience with communication. I had to fix everything myself and I never got so much as an apology. So hopefully other students had better experiences than I did, but for me personally, I am angry at myself for giving them my money. read more

I feel as though my experience at Lesley has given the tools, resources, and abilities to become the most successful teacher I can be. This community has supported me throughout my four years, and I am proud to call Lesley University my home. read more

I started a graduate program at Lesley in the Art Therapy program; this was about 15 years ago, so I don't know if this program has changed in any way. I attended an orientation for my program at a summer camp in the woods of New Hampshire. They had many activities (such as sculpting, drawing, acting and dancing in the woods in groups while entangled in large rubber bands) which all basically culminated in us divulging upsetting life experiences to our fellow students and instructors. We were also kept on a tight eating and sleeping schedule, this lead many of us to joke that we were joining a cult, not entering a grad program. The turning point for me was when the instructors told us that our program would take 4 years to complete, and not two. When I interviewed at Lesley I had specifically asked if the program was two years and they specifically said yes. Apparently the program would take two years to complete if we took 5 courses per semester and summer classes. I was alarmed not because of the coursework, the cost, or time that would take (4 years in Boston really appeals to me, even now), but because I felt that I had been misled. Then we were told that we would have to see a therapist while we were in the program and that our instructors would be checking in with our therapists to see how we were doing. I felt this was an outrageous invasion of privacy on many levels; Edward Snowden would have been appalled! Between that and the dancing in the woods and the pressure to share personal, painful experiences with our instructors, and the cult like atmosphere, I fled. Literally. I went to my cabin, grabbed all of my things ( I didn't even pack) and threw them into my car trunk and drove to NJ. I was much younger then, and I probably would have stuck out the program had I been older and less impulsive. But upon reading some of these reviews, I think maybe I made the right choice! read more

While an undergrad at a neighboring university I slept with a Lesley College girl. I wasn't the only one who did so. Lol! I was very drunk and she was a fairly typical ... Well, I'll just say that I didn't have much convincing to do. Anyway, she really was sweet, in a not-so-smart kind of way, so I'd like to be generous and bump the overall rating up to three stars. At least I have some foggy recollection of the experience. read more

Let's just begin with this: Stop. Turn around, do not pass go. I wish someone had HONESTLY told me how they felt about this school before I wasted two long years at this dump. Orientation leaders filled my head with ideas of a place filled with peace loving, friendly, education and open minded individuals ready for fun and friendship. Does it sound ridiculous? Good, cause it is. I will tell you so that you don't have to get lied to your face on tour day: EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. HERE. Wishes they went to another school. Have you looked up the freshman retention rate? No? Do it. This school milks you of your money, and you get nothing back. Classrooms are in disrepair, do not have the proper technology, and professors are not trained to use said technology. Administration is an absolute nightmare. Example: While applying, they lost my application. That is just the example. I had to fill out two applications. They also lost my housing forms and my transfer forms TWICE, not to mention pretty much everything else. I'm surprised they knew who I was. The food service is horrible. Friends regularly got sick from the old, rehashed leftovers and moldy produce, and by second semester Freshman year we were forced to buy our own food at Star Market in Porter so that we could keep weight on. This proceeded to waste money seeing as you can't opt out of a meal plan. My education was pure BS. Math class was fluff, and anyone who failed it failed due to pure boredom or they were out partying or Tumblr-ing all night. I do wish the Lesley University College of Art and Design were its own school. It has the potential to be something great, but alas, Lesley administration got their hands into it. The growth I once saw in its future has already begun to shrink. Taking a Boston school out of Boston is not a good idea. They constantly brag that art students no longer have to take buses to Boston, but this was never the issue for art students. The fact that they constantly only had one, 25-seater bus an hour, leaving students stranded to take the T or wait another hour until their class was half over for another bus to come was the issue. Their response to these complaints? "Don't worry; soon you won't have to take the buses. You can wait until then!" These are just a few issues. I'll stop now, but you only need to read my first line. Please, PLEASE. Look somewhere else with a REAL reputation. read more

Le$ley University is a financial institution that thrives on the incomes of working class people. I enrolled in the "Adult Learners Program", which I thought would consist of adult learners. The first class mostly all freshman and the curriculum was not geared towards an adult learner who has been away from the university environment for some time and works a 9 to 5 job. I had to drop that class and was enrolled in an advanced computer class and was lost from the beginning. I met with a tutor who had never taken the class and had trouble trying to find the data on my zip drive as did I. By this time the add/drop deadline had elapsed and I had to plead for an appeal to the registrars committee for a refund/credit. I tried to use this credit in the time frame it was good for but because of work and the not so work friendly course hours , I might lose that money. The woman I spoke with said there could be no extension on the credit. I wanted to transfer the credit to someone who could use it and she said "that is Lesley University money, it can't be transferred". That sums up Lesley , money comes before learning. I had better experiences at community college before this university. read more