Durham Technical Community College

My first thought in writing this review mimics Andrew R. exactly, «Good Lord, where to start…» Durham Tech was a good choice for me as a college graduate looking to complete some pre-​requisites as I transitioned into a new career. As someone who has been a young professional since 2011, the cost of the classes didn’t break my bank, $ 72/​credit. They offer classes for every persons needs, and as a working professional while taking classes at DTCC, I was able to take three classes during the semester while working full time and not feel overwhelmed (I did study my ass off, don’t get me wrong, but was still able to enjoy a social life).
During my year stint at DTCC I took A&P I and II, Statistic and Sociology (online). Out of those classes, only one of the professors would I recommend, one I would say was okay, and the other three I would not recommend unless you’re looking to only self-​educate yourself. While most of the professors were easy to get hold of, some seemed every unaware of what was going on within the rest of the school community, didn’t know class policies. In addition, a couple times I tried to reach out to the heads of certain departments and never received responses. I would study often in the library, although as far as school material and resources, it was definitely lacking. In addition, students as only allowed to print 10 black and white copies out a day. Another very frustrating issue about DTCC was the enrollment, ID, etc process. It was hard to get answers as a transferring student enjoying to take a handful of classes and I had to follow-​up and constantly call to discover answers. I even took some lunch breaks where I went into the school just to wait in line to try to get questions answered. Wait times are insane as you get closer to the semester and each staff person you interact with will either be friendly and helpful or make you want to yell at them to quit their job and find something that makes them happy. I swear one of the most unpleasant ladies I’ve ever met works in parking permits/​IDs, was hateful, grumpy and very unhelpful to me as a student. The unfortunate part is her job is seemingly simple and she could make a students experience so positive, yet she chooses to call students out, tell them they aren’t doing anything right yet not pointing them in the correct direction. It was very intimidating waiting for her to call me up to the counter after a thirty minute wait and watching countless students being ridiculed and sent away because Durham Tech doesn’t have a policy in place to teach students how things should be done.
Overall, my experience at Durham Tech was a necessary evil. If you can get through the admissions part just be ready to study and teach yourself materials. I’ve got to pay, Professor John Stauble was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, throughout my entire undergrad and post experience. If you have the chance to take him, you will learn a great deal. He encourages students to discover their most beneficial study habits and really made me feel like an individual student in a room of 25 – 30 peers. So there’s a give and take at DTCC, out of five professors, one was stellar and the other were okay to terrible. Unfortunately, if you’re looking to go back to school while working full time and not make a huge dent in your bank, DTCC is really the only in class option available in the Durham, so you’ll just have to make your own choice.

Good lord, where to start?
Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. Application and registration. What a nightmare! It took longer than forever, making 3 — 5 calls per day, to get a call back from anyone regarding the registration process. The good news is, once you’ve applied and registered, the hard part is over.
As far as instruction goes, I’ve had nothing but good experiences. I’m currently a student in the Dental Laboratory Technology program, which is staffed by instructors who not only know their subject matter inside and out, but honestly seem to care about their students’ success. If these 4 faculty members are any indication of the school’s faculty at large, all students are in for a good experience.
From my experience, the key here is to already have a plan of what you want to do, and not rely on the application/​advising/​registration staff to be integral in those decisions.
All in all, the instructional side of the institution should be getting 4, if not 5, stars while the administrative side gets 2.