Jerry and Robert are phenomenal! They both went above and beyond to make the class run smooth and…read moreefficiently. I am immensely thankful to both of them and credit the success of the class to both of them. I HIGHLY recommend this program.

Took a Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Exam here. The Proctors were friendly and…read moreprofessional, but unfortunately they do not get the support they need from the IT and Admin staff in order to offer these exams in a timely manner. The first time I took the exam, the Proctor spent an hour trying to get in contact with a member of FCPS's IT staff to get the license for the software needed to take my exam. This delay definitely took me off my game, and may have been a contributing factor to my failing of the exam by one question. For my retake, it was discovered while I was waiting for the exam that PC used to proctor the exam had not been updated, and would take until after 9pm at night to finish updating. Luckily, the Proctor was willing to come in on her off day so that I could take the exam before my certification deadline. In addition, scheduling the exams were a massive pain, with the admin staff in charge of registration often transferring my call to a person not in the office, resulting in having to play phone tag for over an hour in order to get the exam scheduled each time. Although the Proctors were friendly, professional, and went above and beyond the call of duty, the lack of support from the rest of FCPS's Adult and Community Education staff proved to be extremely detrimental to my experience, which is why I must give them a 2 star review. Until this situation changes, I can not recommend FCPS's ACE program to anyone.

I got a catalog in the mail and was perusing it one night as I watched tv. A totally unassuming…read morecatalog, it's printed on newsprint and is small. The courses they offered seemed wide in variety and like your standard adult education - I was surprised and pleasantly impressed since I had tried to find adult education in Alexandria previously and was not successful. This catalog somehow came to me without me having to find it. The class was 'How to Buy Residence' and it was $30 for city residents, and $40 for non city residents, taught by Dr. Diane Murphy, who is a buyer's broker. When we signed up for the class, we figured...'what were we going to get for $30? We'll be lucky if we learn ONE thing that night', but for the price, we figured what the heck. Parking is not hard although navigating through the school is ridiculous - it's quite sprawled out and just tough to find the class we needed. But when you walk into the building, there is a sign for Adult Education and a listing of classes and classrooms, so immediately I felt better; I was in the right place. It was a two hour class and it turned out to be chock full of good information. The class was excellent, excellent, excellent. I would have easily paid 3x-4x as much for the quantity and quality of information I learned in that class. I highly suggest anyone thinking about purchasing in the next 3 years to take this class. I was a total beginner and my boyfriend was a lot more knowledgeable about the subject, but he learned some important facts also, and said 'sometimes it's just good to hear it again'. The class probably should have been 2 hours a day for 2 to 3 days. I have a feeling she had a lot more info to impart. It also was as she said 'trying to drink out of a fire hose' - it's a huge amount of information in a short amount of time. But it's all good stuff. There were 10 people in the class. The registration process left much to be desired. It was so stone aged I almost ended up not registering. In this day and age, having to print two forms for my boyfriend and I to take a class (we don't fit on the same form), write a check and then snail mail this over to wait and see if you got in - it's unheard of. Nevertheless, I was sooo happy with the quality of the class, that I would easily do it over again and am looking through to see what else they have now. *Note: Please keep in mind that this review is based on ONE class; I can't comment on any of the others until I have tried them, and when I do try another one, I will update my review then.

Most of my associates degree classes were here. Sure I took a couple classes at Manassas and…read moreWoodbridge. Yet by and large most of my education there was here. Parking is a headache. Be sure to get your car registered, or park in a visitors spot and pay it. If not expect agony. Yet I'd like to focus on this campus, as I spent some time rediscovering where I went when I had hair. There have been a lot of changes, but much is the same. Friendly easy going campus, and the pond out front is as pretty as ever. What I liked about this and all campuses of NVCC, is that your professors had real world experience. They weren't some frumpy tenured person, who enjoyed adding their brilliance to the new expensive class book. Here most of my instructors were assistant FBI directors, or high up in public safety agencies. They taught so you'd learn and remember, as while test taking can be important, retention is the best indicator of an education. Have gone to other schools, but this one is a friendly place for all to learn. Am a big supporter of this and other community colleges.

I never take the time to write reviews, but IF YOU ARE A VETERAN PLEASE FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE. The…read moremilitary service department is absolutely terrible. The communication is seriously lacking, you can expect to receive one reply a week and they are never in the office. They also do not know what they are talking about and every employee will tell you something different about your benefits.

Because of PC W., I got involved with volunteering at Computer CORE. It's a great local…read moreorganization that helps low-income adults computer skills to advance their career (CORE provides a refurbished computer to the student to take home to practice). I have been involved for about a year, mostly working on event photography. I am really seeing the impact of the organization and the volunteers' help with all the students, when you can tell the students' confidence at graduations. PC W's review provides more details about the program. ----------------- Ways to help: 1) Computer donations (They are in need for keyboards and mouses for the next sessions. CRT monitor also!) - http://www.computercore.org/index.php?sec_id=10 2) Volunteers - http://www.computercore.org/index.php?sec_id=9 3) $$ - http://www.computercore.org/index.php?sec_id=8

It has never been a better time to get involved with Computer C.O.R.E. (Community Outreach and…read moreEducation) than now! See my previous review for all the details on what C.O.R.E. is all about. Now into it's 9th year, C.O.R.E. has graduated hundreds of once un- or under-employed adult students into the working world with computer skills, polished resumes and the confidence to get that new job, promotion, pay raise, go back to school or to start a business. Volunteers are vital to the success of students at C.O.R.E. and any skills you have can be put to task from technical to marketing communications to accounting to teaching. If you'd like to get involved, there are plenty of one-time, short-term and long-term opportunities and you can get started at http://www.computercore.org/index.php?sec_id=9. This spring our beloved Executive Director and C.O.R.E.'s founder Deb Roepke passed the torch to Lynn O'Connell. Having worked with Lynn, I can attest that she is a passionate leader with a great vision for change at C.O.R.E. especially in the areas of fundraising and program development. I am confident that C.O.R.E. is in the midst of an evolution that has been a long time coming and we need volunteers to help usher in these changes. Furthermore, C.O.R.E. has expanded and launched one class to a satellite location at the Literacy Council of Northern VA in Falls Church. This is the first time in C.O.R.E.'s history that we will have 5 classes, one of which is offsite. If this test class goes well, who knows, C.O.R.E. classes may start popping up in other cities in NoVa because there is a need for C.O.R.E.'s programs and services beyond Alexandria. So why am I updating this review? I got hyper-involved again since I wrote the original review and I want to make the yelp community aware of this organization. In January, I returned to be a Success Strategies Assistant to teach an 18-week hourly class on career skills such as goal-setting, resume writing, interviewing, etc. I am super jazzed because last night was the first class of the July-Dec term which I'm teaching again. Our teaching team of four has 13 students who are so excited to start a new path in their lives. The energy in the classroom was undeniable. There is no better feeling than knowing that this group of students lives will be dramatically different 6 months from now. I have also been diligently working on writing the 2007 Annual Report, I continue to contribute to writing for the print and online newsletters and most recently, I had the honor of being nominated to be Co-Chair of the planning committee for the Annual Wine & Chocolate Fundraiser. If you have an interest or skill, C.O.R.E. can put it to work. I have contributed almost 300 volunteer hours over the last 2.5 years and I'm always being asked about what is it about this organization that keeps me dedicated. I have too many reasons to count but I'll share this example. Last year, I was on the admissions interview committee for the incoming Fall Term 2007. Over several weeks, I interviewed dozens upon dozens of applicants and shared feedback with the committee and staff members. Our goal is to admit students that have the aspirations, commitment and the drive to get through the rigorous course and to enter new careers. Most of the applicants have faced tough challenges personally and professionally and desperate for change so the process of selecting students is an emotional one. A few people stood out in my mind including an unemployed, blond woman - particularly because we don't get many caucasian American applicants (many of C.O.R.E.'s applicants come through word-of-mouth in several ethnic communities) but more so because she had a sadness but hopefulness about her future if she could get computer training. After making my recommendations for the students that I felt would make the best fit for C.O.R.E., I hoped that they would all find success. Fast-forward a year later, in walks this confident business woman to the podium to give her alumni speech at graduation. Since graduating CORE in the December 2007 term, this woman was hired by an organization in Alexandria in a coordinator position and recently was promoted to a supervisor position. Her supervisor also spoke and said that she had an edge above the other employees - the skills she developed at Computer C.O.R.E. - that really made her stand out and most qualified for a promotion to a supervisory role. This same woman sat across from me last year thinking she didn't many options left because she didn't know how to use a computer, and now has transformed her life and has a career. This is just one of the many success stories that are shared in the halls of C.O.R.E. and this is why I continue to support C.O.R.E.

I have requested a transfer out for my spouse. They did not do anything but keep asking for some…read moredocumentation which I already provided. I was frustrated and called in to talk to someone directly. They keep saying that the person who is taking care of my case is not there and keep asking me to send emails to different email. I could not hold my temper and raise my voice while talking to the last guy. He told me that I am a customer or anything, I am not supposed to be frustrated while my process is not done properly, and he used the F-word at the end of our conversation. What kind of school which staff F-king the student while they are trying to process their paper.

Place is dirty and has no quality. Management just want to take your money and noone helps after…read more Telling all my friends to stay away from this school.

I am absolutely in love with this school. Our son was home with family for his first 2 years, and…read morewe agonized over putting him in school. We wanted the social interaction and advanced opportunity to learn that an official program would offer, but we were really anxious about his transition away from the house and the quality of the teachers/facilities. We hunted for months and months. We visited daycare facilities, montessori schools, and other styles of preschool. I was on the verge of giving up - nothing made me comfortable enough to leave my precious sweetheart with strangers. Then we stumbled upon MSNV. We did a school visit and swooned over their facilities - natural light, cozy surroundings, and amazing outdoor spaces. Then we observed the students. They seemed extremely happy to be at school - from the little 2-year olds up to the "upper elementary" students. We also noticed that they treated each other, their teachers, and the visitors (including our toddler) very respectfully. We also observed the teachers. They are kind, loving, and extremely skilled. We submitted our application and crossed our fingers that we'd get admitted. We did (yay!!), and our 2-year old started school in September (Falls Church campus). He has absolutely loved it. He loves his teachers so much that he requests to visit them on evenings and weekends. His class is extremely diverse, which was also really important to us. And the school is great about fostering diversity and teaching the children about all the wonderful different cultures that make up our great world. I am so, so glad we did this for my son. Initially, when we started our search, I felt guilty about the idea of putting our son in someone else's care. But at MSNV, I feel as though I've done him a great service. He's gaining so much from this experience that I couldn't have given him at home. The school is expensive, but it's worth every dime (and then some!) for the wonderful experiences he receives. The school is small enough that everyone knows each other, and it's like a family. The administration is wonderful, and everyone knew my son (and me) by name within the first month. The parents all know each other, and arrange class playdates together. I can't say enough wonderful things about this school.

MSNV is an amazing school from pre primary up to upper elementaty. Our three boys attend and it's…read morebeen wonderful, loving and the teachers and community are great!

I disagree with the prior review. This is a for-profit school, but they have been extremely…read moreaccommodating of my son, who an autism spectrum disorder. Without them willing to work be flexible, he would not have gotten his B.S. and a job within a month of graduation.

If you're thinking about going here, don't its a big fat joke of a school. Not even the…read more"professors" stay more then one term. The location is good but trust me it's not worth the future headaches. They're very fast and quick to reel you in but once you're at your 4th to 5th term they don't really care much about your: schedule, your job, if u have responsibilities, you in general. It's a whole numbers game with this organization. Plus if you do some more research into westhood..hahaha. They can't really get you a job after graduating or transfer your current credits, from theirs or other schools.