Adler University

Front desk helper did not help me and when I called twice, she declined my call and should immediately fire.

My experience at this place was horrible. I think the staff are well trained to put you in the corner for money. A money oriented institution. The management has horrible decisions. And for the class schedule and registered subjects, don't be shocked they cancel it and change it at any time!! Social justice there is just words!! The academic advisors and the program directors work together in order to corner you for money. My advice to you: Don't even think about it! Don't be trapped!

I will lead with the most enriching aspects of Adler University: excellent programming, the university has great connections within the community, and you are likely to come out meeting the credentials for certification in Canada. However, for a social justice oriented school, there is little socially just about Adler University. Which is ironic, considering the person inspiring this school is Alfred Adler. They do not tell you outright but they charge 2800$ per COURSE. Almost triple the cost of an education at a M.A level anywhere else. If the school did not claim to be an NPO and social justice oriented I may say "okay, this is a private school for rich entitled peoples children, alright." However, the university claims to be putting forth social justice minded students. The majority of the students are from highly wealthy families. Research indicates it is difficult to examine your own privilege. If the majority of the students are from the upper echelons of society and so are the faculty, then who is there to raise awareness of SES? Please do not quote me the "american dream" and that with enough blood, sweat, and tears anything is possible. Adler is one of the only programs in BC offering a M.A in adult individual counselling, further limiting students. I come from a low SES bracket and I have worked my butt off to get where I am. Even with a small scholarship, my own savings, student loans, and 25K in bank line of credit I am now forced to attend Adler part-time or face declaring bankruptcy. When I inquired about payment options or assistance, I was told simply that there is not any. Please, do not support a school that takes advantage of a vulnerable population of people: students. I do not regret my education, however, quality education can be found anywhere if you are a great student.

They only want money and put pressure on students when you will talk about refund policy they will not help you.

Adler is where I go to school. We are back on campus & it's kind if weird. Masks on for 3 hours. I know others have to wear them longer. Just not used to it yet. It's a great school as far as academics go & before Covid it was a fun place to be. Something interesting was usually going on. It will be that way again. Someday.

To those complaining about the cost: I attend Adler partly because for the quality of the education it is relatively affordable. You don’t understand how lucky you are to have cheap public education in Canada. Yes, private school costs more and yes, it is expensive. However, nobody forced you to attend a private program, so complaining about that just doesn't make sense. Welcome to the lives of millions of American students such as myself. Adler is relatively inexpensive compared to almost all universities in the U.S. and I moved all the way here from the states partly because the other institutions were asking $90,000 USD by the end of the completion of the programs. Adler provides as many scholarship opportunities for students as they can and they give 10 times the amount of personalized attention big public universities give, so perhaps you ought to appreciate how fortunate you are or were to receive top notch instruction in classrooms with only 7-15 students and passionate, proficient professors. All professors are current practicing psychotherapists and the vast majority have PhD’s as well. The faculty truly make themselves available to help students and want them to succeed. The faculty and student body are diverse, kind, caring, and sensitive to social justice issues. The social justice practicum puts us in the field helping those disadvantaged in the BC community. I’m enjoying learning a lot about Adlerian psychology and how to be an effective counselor for different ages in the counseling psychology program (school and youth concentration). They gave everybody a card with money on it to help with transportation. Everybody is receiving health insurance through the university immediately even before they are able to receive it through BC and it only cost around $300. We are required to take an indigenous course from indigenous perspectives. It isn’t perfect but nothing is and it’s very good. Compared to the mainstream, which I’m too familiar with sadly, it’s fantastic! They talk about privilege and racism and inequities and are trying. I mean, did you really think a private school would be cheap? They have to pay the faculty a decent living, isn’t that also part of social justice? I do believe they are preparing us well for counseling careers and we will make plenty of money back in the future. Of course, nobody becomes a counselor for the money. The staff and students truly care about counseling and are very present in class and hardworking. Many wish to serve their own cultural/other communities upon graduation, which they are saying themselves are underserved in mental healthcare and need counselors who look like them. That’s so awesome! I myself would like to serve refugees, immigrants, Spanish speakers and religious minorities. For a small school, it’s impressive how much impact it has and will have with these former and current students and staff determined to make a difference! The community of alumni is warm and supportive and there are many job networking opportunities. The program is very collaborative rather than competitive, which is refreshing. It is not perfect but they seem open to feedback for improvement. I wish all the people I’ve met who love Adler would review it! Too bad it’s the naysayers as most people have had a good experience.

The Adler university Vancouver campus is one of the most terrible universities that I have seen in my life. If you are an international student and like your mental health never ever apply for Adler University Vancouver campus , you’ll waste your time and your money. This university never respects your efforts and humanity, just thinking money. It’s supposed at this university teaching social justice, but you’ll face significant injustice environment.

Update after 2 semesters here: lovely program that truly does try to be social-justice oriented. The education is Adlerian-heavy and focused on community and equity. The classes are small and the quality of instruction is high. It’s a pleasantly collaborative and discussant model rather than a competitive, overly lecture-heavy one. It is in fact expensive and the cost could be a barrier to many students. This is not a problem unique to Adler but rather with private schools in general. Adler fortunately does offer scholarships. It would be nice if they could offer more as they aren’t enough to cover all the students in need. It would be helpful as well to have a clothes pantry, food pantry, and some more resources available to students. They do try, and gave out transportation pass cards, COVID grants, some free books, and some other helpful things, to some students in need. They have several computers available for use to students, which is great. Unfortunately, you won’t survive this program without your own laptop, so you should be aware of that. Adler is less ableist than most institutions and most of the society, which is severely ableist and overly merit-and-productivity-based. The disability services staff are tremendously helpful and lovely, and professors are overall understanding. However, there are a couple of professors still operating on an outdated model such as taking off 20% per every day late, which is very oppressive for students if they are dealing with a disability flare-up or some other disability issue and will only offer the due date extensions granted in disability accommodation letters. That might seem like not a big deal, but believe me, you will at some point struggle with a deadline in grad school due to the extremely heavy work load, especially if you have a disability, and better hope that professors will be empathetic about you needing a little extra time. Sadly, this is a major problem in academia almost anywhere, as professors incorrectly have this idea that they are being unfair if they grant disabled (or any) students beyond a certain amount of time to complete work. This is part of the old patriarchal framework that must be dismantled, and it was disappointing that a couple professors here are still a bit stuck in that when it comes to deadlines and mercy. Disabled students graduate at much lower rates and need better support than the current academic world tends to allow. Adler is better than most yet has a way to go. Most professors have been absolutely empathic and great allies. The Adler community is both vast and tight-knit, and there have been numerous networking opportunities. It seems everybody who graduates from here has a job and is a good counselor. The social justice practicum is overall a valuable experience for students as we work with nonprofits helping them and gaining life experience. The opportunity for this to be paid internship work would help especially underprivileged students be able to afford school and life, as the tough reality is that many people had to quit their jobs in order to free up the time to complete the minimum 200 hours. Alternatively, maybe 100 hours would suffice. Further yet, the opportunity for current impactful volunteer work of students to count toward the social justice practicum would be nice, as some people had to quit their volunteer work that was helping save lives to do less important volunteering for the SJP. Additionally, some people had to drive long hours for it, and this has been difficult for them economically, financially and time-wise; it would be better to be more accessible, flexible and attainable for students. I’ve luckily had a purely good experience. Moreover, at Adler, I’ve made friends and profesional connections for life, and gained the skills I need to empower youth and adults as their therapist. I recommend this program. Don’t expect it to be perfect, and work to improve it; and if you’re the right fit, you’ll love it as much as I do.