Pickens Technical College - Aurora, Colorado

Serendipidy Me

Unfortunately this school is very subpar. If you desire a reputable education in the medical field, steer clear of this "school". The MA program is not up to the high standards required to excel in higher echelon medical facilities. Unfortunately, Pickens Tech has an undesirable reputation in many medical circles. This school has terrible administrators and instructors are very unprofessional. Instructors leave mid semester and without notice. What is even more disappointing is that even the free programs are NOT worth the hassle. I would not recommend this school for any of the medical programs.

Rebecca Dawn

For clarification I'm the proud parent of a student about to graduate from Pickens automotive program. My son even made National Technical Honor Society. He's had two great instructors during his time there in the evening classes. The knowledge they gave him has helped him obtain a great job, which we jokingly call his "big boy job" where he is highly valued and gets to do what he loves. He's so much more advanced than other people starting out that he's got great pay, and he's already training new guys instead of spending months and months in training.

There were issues with getting school information from the office to the night classes, including graduation information, as the office is not open by the time the evening classes begin, and often there were times when the instructors had incorrect information, so I had to step in to take care of any issues, since my son worked full time. But not every student has a me in their back pocket.

Overall we're really happy with the education, and with the clout that education seems to have with employers in the Denver area. It was definitely the right choice for our student to attend. We're so happy with the education he recieved that's set him up for a lifetime of success. I highly recommend any students who are interested in the automotive program to look into Pickens and talk to graduates if you can. I think you'll be pleased and you'll find it's a great way to get a good low cost education and many students qualify for Pell Grants.

Nick Rogers

This school is garbage. In my program, both of the main teachers left. One quit halfway through the year so she could get "a fat bonus" from her new job and the other teacher is gone for a family emergency. Luckily, there is only 2 weeks left. The administrator named Andrew is terrible at his job. I brought up concerns, only for it to fall on deaf ears. My advice to anyone is to ask the teacher how likely they are to quit during the school year. Don't waste your time and money at Pickens Technical College especially in Horticulture Management. Also, before leaving thus garbage school. I had my Title IX rights violated by the welding teacher Jeff Oliver. A person I never met in my life. This school is filled with the most unprofessional administrators, teachers and employees.

mekayla gresham

A student did my son's hair cut he was extremely patient and kind.

Anna C

As a disclaimer, the following review is strictly my personal opinion as a parent of someone attending Pickens Culinary Arts Program. It seems to me that this program may be great for some people and not so great for others, depending on what you are looking for.
This may NOT be the best program for you if:
1. You are already proficient in basic cooking and can follow a recipe or a YouTube video on your own.
2. You are looking to dive deep and learn intermediate or advanced level techniques and recipes.
3. It's important for you to get your money's worth and learn something new every class.
4. You hate the feeling of wasting time.
5. You want to have a chance to practice every step of the recipe yourself, as opposed to working in a group, where two or more people work together on the same dish - thus you only practice part of the process.
On the other hand, this may be a great fit for you if:
1. You are just starting out in the kitchen and want to learn basic cooking skills.
2. You are not really interested in acquiring extensive culinary knowledge and skill. Maybe you just need credit hours or a certificate and this program seems like a good option.
3. Your education is paid for by someone else and you are not worried about getting your money's worth.
4. You are not the type who feels like your time was "wasted" if your 3 hours of class did not feel productive on some days.
5. You don't mind taking two semesters going through material that theoretically could be mastered in a semester.
6. You don't mind working in a group with people of different skill levels, and your brain can handle not having ownership of anything because other people's mistakes affect your outcome.

In general, there seems to be a positive environment, with the challenge being that there are students of different skill levels who are in this program for different reasons. People who are interested in learning more and moving faster are not able to do so because the program is not designed to account for differences in strengths or interest levels, so everyone is kept together at the lowest common denominator. This is unfortunate, but probably not unique to this program. I would imagine that this program would be a great High School class, but as a post secondary level program, it would be great to have a more rigorous option..

Alicia Vann

I would not recommend the Cosmo/ Esthetician program to anyone! They DO NOT take COVID as a serious problem! There were like 5 girls in my class that had it before I dropped that had it in a matter of weeks! Yet they were allowed to come back the following Monday after saying they had a positive covid test Thursday. No mask were made mandatory it was just like oh they better not get me sick. They still allowed them to take clients with no restrictions or masks. It was treated like it was some kind of cold and was laughed off. I have been passing out for over a year, I told my teacher at the time I did not think I was going to make it. Her words your a grown woman you don't have to ask to leave. When I left I didn't even make it down the hall before I passed out and had to spend 4 days in the hospital. When I tried to keep her informed she was very short and made it clear she didn't care. There's two teachers that actually should not be teaching esthetician and that is the afternoon class smoking is not good for your skin but she smokes like a chimney the night class or the old night teacher didn't even take care of her face at all no skin sunscreen no moisturizer none of that but I'll try to teach us how to teach people how to take care of their skin and you're doing the complete opposite the only person that does the esthetician part that I feel is highly qualified is the teacher in the morning she is the only one that dresses in uniform and everything. She teaches from the book!!

Donna Hungerford

I went to the Salon at PTC last Thursday evening. I have to tell you what a great haircut I received!! Probably my favorite in over 10 years!! Leticia did an outstanding job, and Miss Vickie, her instructor, kept an eye out and reviewed the cut, went over the tools and methods she used and was extremely diligent, professional and full of praise for Leticia. I wish there had been an instructor like her back in my day!! All the girls seem to really respect her. This night session needs high praise.

Andrew Boateng

Pickens is a really great school with very knowledgeable instructors. I did my LPN program here together with my wife ( both LPN's now working towards our RN). She got pregnant during school and the instructors were really understanding and supporting. We really had a great experience and I will recommend this school any day, anytime to anyone who's considering taking up classes over there. And Oh IT'S VERY AFFORDABLE!