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Jobless College Grad Wants Tuition Back From Alma Mater

August 4, 2009 RSS Feed Print

Having trouble getting that first job out of school? Blame your college—and sue it while you're at it. That's what a recent college graduate is doing.

Trina Thompson, a 27-year-old graduate of Monroe College in the Bronx, N.Y., is suing her alma mater for $70,000 in tuition money, the Associated Press reports. Since her graduation with an information technology degree in April, Thompson has not been able to find work. And Thompson says the school hasn't helped in the job-searching process, either.

"They have not tried enough to help me," Thompson wrote in her lawsuit.

Monroe College spokesman Gary Axelbank told the New York Post that the lawsuit is "completely without merit."

"The college prides itself on the excellent career-development support that we provide to each of our students, and this case does not deserve further consideration," Axelbank told the Post.

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Tags:: tuition,; New York,; colleges

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Monroe College, is a great school which is on the rise most private schools are for profit. you go to columbia and you have to pay back all them loans just to make 40,000 a year, that's not a good look. The girl who tried to sue the school was just plain dumb. Most people go to them big name schools where you're just a number and still get bad job's, is who you know in order to get a good job. Monroe College has a large amount of graduates and it keeps growing strong yearly, just like any other school when they first started. Save the cocky hate comments.

blank of NY 8:24PM July 25, 2011

This isn't a knock on anyone who attends schools like Monroe, but a degree or certificate from schools like this doesn't get much respect out in the working world. Also, those who attend schools like this are often seen as people who are new to the country and/or are just trying to look for a shortcut to success. I literally laughed out loud after reading this article. She doesn't sound too bright. She sounds like someone who just didn't research the school, and her desired profession, enough to know that she wouldn't have it "easy" landing her dreamjob immediately after graduation, and sued just for the hell of it. What an idiot. I don't feel bad for her at all.

Stephen J. Jerome of NY 6:41AM August 11, 2009

Good grief. It's well known that even law grads, who hold a juris doctorate, are being asked by the law firms to defer their start dates due to the recession (all those transactional lawyers are hurting, because not as many corporations are expanding, acquiring properties, and so forth).
Try applying in industries you've actually worked in before, because after recently landing something new, after two months of a solid effort, I got hired due to having the experience.
This is not the time to aim for things where one lacks experience, because it is a buyer's market. And, due to the economy, even the new lawyers are being asked to defer their start dates for a year, and those students, depending on the quality of the law school, have probably $100,000 plus in student loan debt.
1. This is not the time to try out something new and different. Stick to where you've got prior work experience, unless you've interned in your new area of study, if a recent student.
2. Give it more that 4 months! I have years of work experience, and it took 2 solid months of screening out the job scams that are running rampant to finally land 2 (yes, that's it, just two!) interviews, the second leading to an offer (thankfully).
3. Interview well. It helps.
4. If you sue your school over not landing a gig fast enough, your employer might fear that you're going to sue the employer for not advancing you fast enough. Not a smart decision.
That said, if the goal is to get attention from the press because you have student loan debt and are trying to land a news spot to whine about it, then this is a brilliant PR move, indeed. Get her a job in marketing something outrageous.
Last tip: When you leave one employer, write up a nice letter of praise for your former department head to have in his or her file, along with some written for really great co-workers. That way, you've made them look good to their higher up bosses.
It helps when you need future job references, and it works, too.

Angie Koutrotsios of IL 10:21PM August 04, 2009

Jobless College Grad Wants Tuition Back From Alma Mater

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