Thoughts on Jeppesen's Denver school

I was sold on Sheffield but looking seriously not into Jepp. I likely need some sort of distance learning program for a portion of the training, thus the Sheffield interest. Jepp is now offering a similar program. However, it requires a 13 weeks and 3 nights a week of attending virtual classes for 2.5hrs and then 2 weeks in DEN to complete training.
 
ifly said:
I was sold on Sheffield but looking seriously not into Jepp. I likely need some sort of distance learning program for a portion of the training, thus the Sheffield interest. Jepp is now offering a similar program. However, it requires a 13 weeks and 3 nights a week of attending virtual classes for 2.5hrs and then 2 weeks in DEN to complete training.
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The message I keep coming across from seasoned DXers and recent grads is, choose the program that fits best for you. Once you're licensed and have your foot in the door with an employer, the school on your diploma will matter less and less over time. What I mean is, my impression of Sheffield is for me and me alone. You need to make the best decision for you. There's no harm in incorporating everyone else's thoughts and opinions, but ultimately, it's your life and your career; so don't let my criticism on a particular program impact your decision too much.

The distance learning option never occurred to me. Have you heard good outcomes from those virtual/hybrid programs? I'm in the same boat; having to give up my job and move to Denver, Dallas, or elsewhere for 5-6 weeks, will be a challenge.

Whichever path you choose, I hope it yields success. Keep me posted when you have the time. All the best!
 
Oh my goodness... It's getting deep in here. Nazi references? Really? Ugh...

Here is my review of Jeppesen, per MY experience.

Starting months before I had even made a decision as to whether or not I wanted to make a huge career jump, I contacted several schools requesting information about their program. Jeppesen was the only school that consistently got back to me promptly, usually the same day but definitely within 24 hours. They were ALWAYS professional and answered every question I had to my satisfaction. A career change at near 40 is a scary thing in general, but on top of that I had been out of the work force for several years due to a back injury and multiple surgeries. I know I must have driven Jeremy crazy with my questions, fears, needs and so on, but he surely never made me feel that way. He always responded professionally, yet kindly. Over time this gave me more confidence to take the plunge!

Once I formally enrolled and made my deposit for the May-June 2012 class, I received all course content in a Jeppesen flight bag within 2 or 3 days as promised. I asked for guidance on how to attack the material and it was given.

Lodging arrangements were made specific to my needs through Jeremy and the close by extended stay hotel they are contracted with. I have a dog that I had to bring and they arranged it all for me. Even the hotel was great, answering all of my questions and meeting my needs.

Class itself was very in depth, on all subject matter. You truly are fed from the firehose, as they say and it's very stressful. There are 2-3 tests weekly so the instructors can measure your progress before signing you off for the written and O&P. I thought the instructors were really good and would take the time on breaks to address areas that I didn't quite understand or needed clarification. The entire time I felt like I would never be able to learn everything I needed to but somehow in the end, it really all does come together. Each day you are applying the regs to what you are learning at a given time. When I first started I thought I'd never memorized the regs but by the end of the course you realize you've been using them throughout and just know them. The last week was probably the toughest because you are putting everything together and going through the entire process that you will for the oral and practical with time running out - so the pressure is on. However, you get faster and better as you practice and though I studied my tail off, in the end I felt prepared. I may have been nervous as heck because the fear of failing, but I felt like I rocked my oral and practical. I wouldn't have been able to do that without my instructors and fellow classmates at Jeppesen. In fact, I can remember Mark, one of the instructors, sitting out in the cafeteria with me and helping me understand something I was struggling with - on his own time. I feel like they are dedicated to seeing you succeed, but also won't put forth the EXTRA effort if someone is clearly not motivated and trying (and we had a few of those). I stay in touch with Jepp to this day because I appreciate what I got out of the program.

The only cons I could really come up with were some days weren't as efficient as I'd hoped for. But that was based on my own personal needs. I think I've said on here before that we spent a little too much time on a few areas that didn't necessarily need to for the whole class. But this is where you have to work hard and study on your own time. Nobody is going to pass and get licensed but you. You have to be focused and motivated to just make it happen, no matter the struggles or the things that don't go according to your plan. I could have paid for extra tutoring in the evening but chose not to. I had a few classmates with real world experience in dispatch and got the help I needed from them. In the end, I achieved what I set out to do and had a blast doing it!

All in all, it really was an amazing experience, albeit super stressful! I made friends at Jeppesen that I'll have for life and love them dearly.

All you really have to ask yourself regarding which school is, "Which one do I have the best feeling about and which one fits my needs?" Both schools are great in my opinion but I chose the one that went above and beyond to meet my needs.

(Regarding a comment that someone made about being PM'd about the desks and chairs - really? Thought I'd heard it all...lol. It's a classroom with desks and chairs like any other classroom.)
 
womanpilot73 said:
Oh my goodness... It's getting deep in here. Nazi references? Really? Ugh...

Here is my review of Jeppesen, per MY experience.

Starting months before I had even made a decision as to whether or not I wanted to make a huge career jump, I contacted several schools requesting information about their program. Jeppesen was the only school that consistently got back to me promptly, usually the same day but definitely within 24 hours. They were ALWAYS professional and answered every question I had to my satisfaction. A career change at near 40 is a scary thing in general, but on top of that I had been out of the work force for several years due to a back injury and multiple surgeries. I know I must have driven Jeremy crazy with my questions, fears, needs and so on, but he surely never made me feel that way. He always responded professionally, yet kindly. Over time this gave me more confidence to take the plunge!

Once I formally enrolled and made my deposit for the May-June 2012 class, I received all course content in a Jeppesen flight bag within 2 or 3 days as promised. I asked for guidance on how to attack the material and it was given.

Lodging arrangements were made specific to my needs through Jeremy and the close by extended stay hotel they are contracted with. I have a dog that I had to bring and they arranged it all for me. Even the hotel was great, answering all of my questions and meeting my needs.

Class itself was very in depth, on all subject matter. You truly are fed from the firehose, as they say and it's very stressful. There are 2-3 tests weekly so the instructors can measure your progress before signing you off for the written and O&P. I thought the instructors were really good and would take the time on breaks to address areas that I didn't quite understand or needed clarification. The entire time I felt like I would never be able to learn everything I needed to but somehow in the end, it really all does come together. Each day you are applying the regs to what you are learning at a given time. When I first started I thought I'd never memorized the regs but by the end of the course you realize you've been using them throughout and just know them. The last week was probably the toughest because you are putting everything together and going through the entire process that you will for the oral and practical with time running out - so the pressure is on. However, you get faster and better as you practice and though I studied my tail off, in the end I felt prepared. I may have been nervous as heck because the fear of failing, but I felt like I rocked my oral and practical. I wouldn't have been able to do that without my instructors and fellow classmates at Jeppesen. In fact, I can remember Mark, one of the instructors, sitting out in the cafeteria with me and helping me understand something I was struggling with - on his own time. I feel like they are dedicated to seeing you succeed, but also won't put forth the EXTRA effort if someone is clearly not motivated and trying (and we had a few of those). I stay in touch with Jepp to this day because I appreciate what I got out of the program.

The only cons I could really come up with were some days weren't as efficient as I'd hoped for. But that was based on my own personal needs. I think I've said on here before that we spent a little too much time on a few areas that didn't necessarily need to for the whole class. But this is where you have to work hard and study on your own time. Nobody is going to pass and get licensed but you. You have to be focused and motivated to just make it happen, no matter the struggles or the things that don't go according to your plan. I could have paid for extra tutoring in the evening but chose not to. I had a few classmates with real world experience in dispatch and got the help I needed from them. In the end, I achieved what I set out to do and had a blast doing it!

All in all, it really was an amazing experience, albeit super stressful! I made friends at Jeppesen that I'll have for life and love them dearly.

All you really have to ask yourself regarding which school is, "Which one do I have the best feeling about and which one fits my needs?" Both schools are great in my opinion but I chose the one that went above and beyond to meet my needs.

(Regarding a comment that someone made about being PM'd about the desks and chairs - really? Thought I'd heard it all...lol. It's a classroom with desks and chairs like any other classroom.)
Click to expand...

Thanks so much, as always, @womanpilot73; that's exactly the kind of review I needed to read. Apologies for what was insinuated as "Nazi references," but I was talking earlier about some of the threats and intimidation tactics that the Sheff CEO had employed on this forum, which I found inappropriate and led me to eliminate their program from further consideration. I called it Gestapo tactics, which probably wasn't the best analogy. But that aside, I really do appreciate your perspective; however, you're clearly lying about your age because you don't look anywhere near 40. :)

How much time did you invest in advance prep before heading to Denver? I was initially thinking about the May program at Jepp, but am concerned that such would not give me enough time to adequately prepare for the rigorous coursework that awaits, especially since my aviation knowledge is presently limited. I may be well advised to push my start date out to July or September.

I'm heeding your advice very carefully. You said to focus on ADX Knowledge Test prep, meteorology and regulations in advance, right? If you could do it all over again, would that be the same focus you'd employ? I spoke to Jeremy last week and will talk with him again this week; you're right, he is very patient with every question, a great ambassador for the company.

Last question, and it's a silly one, did you rent a car in Denver? The thought of driving from Florida to Colorado doesn't appeal, but I question if the expense of a car rental is justified considering you mentioned one has little time outside of class and study.

Thank you for putting up with my questions.
 
bskTPA said:
Thanks so much, as always, @womanpilot73; that's exactly the kind of review I needed to read. Apologies for what was insinuated as "Nazi references," but I was talking earlier about some of the threats and intimidation tactics that the Sheff CEO had employed on this forum, which I found inappropriate and led me to eliminate their program from further consideration. I called it Gestapo tactics, which probably wasn't the best analogy. But that aside, I really do appreciate your perspective; however, you're clearly lying about your age because you don't look anywhere near 40. :) How much time did you invest in advance prep before heading to Denver? I was initially thinking about the May program at Jepp, but am concerned that such would not give me enough time to adequately prepare for the rigorous coursework that awaits, especially since my aviation knowledge is presently limited. I may be well advised to push my start date out to July or September. I'm heeding your advice very carefully. You said to focus on ADX Knowledge Test prep, meteorology and regulations in advance, right? If you could do it all over again, would that be the same focus you'd employ? I spoke to Jeremy last week and will talk with him again this week; you're right, he is very patient with every question, a great ambassador for the company. Last question, and it's a silly one, did you rent a car in Denver? The thought of driving from Florida to Colorado doesn't appeal, but I question if the expense of a car rental is justified considering you mentioned one has little time outside of class and study. Thank you for putting up with my questions.
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You are quite welcome, and by the way - flattery will get you everywhere! Haha... Just kidding, and yes, am now more than halfway to 41. Ouch!

Some advice that Jeremy and others had given me was to not get the material too far in advance because it's overwhelming. You'll see if you choose Jepp and once you receive the books and software. It's a LOT and to someone with limited aviation knowledge could be quite overwhelming. I took Jeremy's advice, as well as others here on the forum, and mainly focused on weather and reading up on the regs. And of course, I studied for the written. My goal was to be ready to take it upon arrival but I kind of left the performance chapters alone till after I got there. Looking back, I'd say that I wish I'd been 100% ready to take it, just so it would be one less thing to worry about. There's enough studying going on with everything else, so I could have made it a little easier on myself. I was about 95% ready but wish I'd been 100%. I think I got my books about a month and a half or 2 months prior to my start date. I don't think it would've helped me getting them any earlier than that but I'm not great with self study. I do way better in the classroom as I'm a visual learner and comprehend better with explanation, as opposed to just reading on my own.

Another con - I just remembered. Haha... They call it PPPD "PowerPoint presentation of death". Translation - times of mass PowerPoint and there were days I was so exhausted I could've fallen asleep. We all went a little crosseyed at times. ;-)

Rental car - I was actually living in Chicago and drove my own car. It was nice having it there and those with cars gave fellow classmates rides to school. There's plenty within walking distance from the hotel (restaurants, Walmart for groceries, etc). If you go without a car, hook up with fellow students at the hotel the night before class and arrange for carpooling. I had the same 3 in my car for the entire course. There were only a few that had to taxi it to school.

Hope this all helps! Say hi to Jeremy when you talk to him :)
 
bskTPA said:
Thanks so much, as always, @womanpilot73; that's exactly the kind of review I needed to read. Apologies for what was insinuated as "Nazi references," but I was talking earlier about some of the threats and intimidation tactics that the Sheff CEO had employed on this forum, which I found inappropriate and led me to eliminate their program from further consideration. I called it Gestapo tactics, which probably wasn't the best analogy. But that aside, I really do appreciate your perspective; however, you're clearly lying about your age because you don't look anywhere near 40. :)

How much time did you invest in advance prep before heading to Denver? I was initially thinking about the May program at Jepp, but am concerned that such would not give me enough time to adequately prepare for the rigorous coursework that awaits, especially since my aviation knowledge is presently limited. I may be well advised to push my start date out to July or September.

I'm heeding your advice very carefully. You said to focus on ADX Knowledge Test prep, meteorology and regulations in advance, right? If you could do it all over again, would that be the same focus you'd employ? I spoke to Jeremy last week and will talk with him again this week; you're right, he is very patient with every question, a great ambassador for the company.

Last question, and it's a silly one, did you rent a car in Denver? The thought of driving from Florida to Colorado doesn't appeal, but I question if the expense of a car rental is justified considering you mentioned one has little time outside of class and study.

Thank you for putting up with my questions.
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I booked a rental car for the entire 6 weeks... Budget rental car is now $1400 richer :/
 
womanpilot73 said:
Just think how many Oakleys you could have bought with that $$. Haha...
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Are you trying to say this is NOT normal? Haha.. I actually bought 4 more pairs since jepp. :p
 

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ifly said:
I was sold on Sheffield but looking seriously not into Jepp. I likely need some sort of distance learning program for a portion of the training, thus the Sheffield interest. Jepp is now offering a similar program. However, it requires a 13 weeks and 3 nights a week of attending virtual classes for 2.5hrs and then 2 weeks in DEN to complete training.
Click to expand...

Where can I find information on this program? I tried a quick google search, and nothing came up. The only distance programs I know of are Sheffield and AGS. I passed the ADX last year but I never got around to signing up for dispatch school. I have one more year before my test results are useless, so I better get started on picking a program!
 
r311music said:
Where can I find information on this program? I tried a quick google search, and nothing came up. The only distance programs I know of are Sheffield and AGS. I passed the ADX last year but I never got around to signing up for dispatch school. I have one more year before my test results are useless, so I better get started on picking a program!
Click to expand...

303.328.4423
jeppesenacademy@jeppesen.com
 
r311music said:
Where can I find information on this program? I tried a quick google search, and nothing came up. The only distance programs I know of are Sheffield and AGS. I passed the ADX last year but I never got around to signing up for dispatch school. I have one more year before my test results are useless, so I better get started on picking a program!
Click to expand...

It is very new and not on the site yet (called Virtual Learning Program) VLP). I can PM you a 13 page pdf I got or contact Jeremy for additional info. @womanpilot73 has been helpful in providing good contacts. Let me know if you want the pdf, not all of it is related to the VLP program but lots of detail. They just started their first virtual class, 12 students. Next 13 week class starts in June and then again in September. The full course price is $3,980, which includes both VLP (online) and live (Denver) course registrations, full tuition, core student eKit contents, initial FAA Written exam, and initial FAA Oral/Practical exam fees. Customers using the eKit will have approximately $195 in additional e-book and app fees. Paper based Student Kits are also available for an additional $400.

I am reviewing my options as I have been impressed with both Jepp and Sheffield. I agree with others that both seem very good and follow your gut on what works best for you. I also agree that after a few years of experience it is your attitude, work ethic and ability to learn on the job which matters most. I don't just want my certification. I want to be "ready" to accept a license to learn and feel confident, even though I realize it will be a heck of an on the job learning curve as well. I feel good about both schools for me. Trying to swing attending a full onsite program but current life schedule may require a virtual approach for me.

I am going to have my FAA practical completed before I go or very close to beginning any program. No right or wrong approach, I just want to get that out of the way as the test is not very applicable to a dispatcher anyway. Hope that helps and PM me if more details are helpful.
 
ifly said:
It is very new and not on the site yet (called Virtual Learning Program) VLP). I can PM you a 13 page pdf I got or contact Jeremy for additional info. @womanpilot73 has been helpful in providing good contacts. Let me know if you want the pdf, not all of it is related to the VLP program but lots of detail. They just started their first virtual class, 12 students. Next 13 week class starts in June and then again in September. The full course price is $3,980, which includes both VLP (online) and live (Denver) course registrations, full tuition, core student eKit contents, initial FAA Written exam, and initial FAA Oral/Practical exam fees. Customers using the eKit will have approximately $195 in additional e-book and app fees. Paper based Student Kits are also available for an additional $400.

I am reviewing my options as I have been impressed with both Jepp and Sheffield. I agree with others that both seem very good and follow your gut on what works best for you. I also agree that after a few years of experience it is your attitude, work ethic and ability to learn on the job which matters most. I don't just want my certification. I want to be "ready" to accept a license to learn and feel confident, even though I realize it will be a heck of an on the job learning curve as well. I feel good about both schools for me. Trying to swing attending a full onsite program but current life schedule may require a virtual approach for me.

I am going to have my FAA practical completed before I go or very close to beginning any program. No right or wrong approach, I just want to get that out of the way as the test is not very applicable to a dispatcher anyway. Hope that helps and PM me if more details are helpful.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great information! Yes, I would like the PDF with the information on it.
 
@ifly @r311music @womanpilot73

I was just reading about the VLP, which sounds like an interesting option. Classes held in the virtual environment are only 3 nights per week, for 3.5 hours per session on those nights (looks like exams are held after each module on Fridays); but as mentioned by others, it lasts for 13 weeks in addition to the 2 "live" weeks in Denver. I guess, ultimately, you will have to decide which learning environment works best for you; coupled with the reality that many of us have obligations (employment, family, et al.) that make live attendance in Denver (or anywhere else) for 5-6 weeks very difficult. You certainly will save on costs related to lodging by pursuing the VLP option (upwards of $1500-2500 right there), but I would advise you ask one of the recruiters if you will have the same ability to receive tutoring and/or assistance from instructors through the virtual learning program as "live" students are afforded. Beyond that, if you're a self-starter and motivated, I don't foresee any reason why this method would be a disadvantage. In fact, it may be a more comfortable pace as opposed to the 8-hour class days, Monday-Friday (which is a grueling schedule).

As for myself, I'd probably do better with an in-person learning environment. When I studied for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), I took a virtual course that ran about 4 hours several nights per weeks for 3 months, and didn't get as much out of it as I would have liked. I'm probably just better suited for an actual classroom environment. But if you're disciplined enough and the VLP format works for you, I say, go for it!

Good luck Future Dispatchers. Keep us posted.
 
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@womanpilot73 @Keola

Enrolled at Jeppesen for July! Excited and terrified simultaneously- wanted to, once again, express how grateful I am for all the tips, pointers and honest advice. I'll be spending the next few weeks going over the ton of books they just shipped to my house, but I've taken note that the consensus seems to be for me to focus on studying for the ADX written test, with some attention to meteorology, weight and balance, and such. I will be under a Gleim rock until the end of August.
 
bskTPA said:
@womanpilot73 @Keola Enrolled at Jeppesen for July! Excited and terrified simultaneously- wanted to, once again, express how grateful I am for all the tips, pointers and honest advice. I'll be spending the next few weeks going over the ton of books they just shipped to my house, but I've taken note that the consensus seems to be for me to focus on studying for the ADX written test, with some attention to meteorology, weight and balance, and such. I will be under a Gleim rock until the end of August.
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Awesome! Enjoy and good luck! :-)
 
Best of Luck!

I'm heading to Sheffield in June myself with a couple others on this forum.....Go to town on your studies. Go to town, go to town, and study study study!

Jay
 
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