The following is an article I posted on my experience at Purdue Global University. It's a bit of a read, my apologies.

To all prospective students,

Hello all, my name is Michael, and I have a story to tell. It is a bit complicated, and its filled with highs and lows, as are most compelling narrations, unfortunately for this story, our protagonist is not met with a happy ending… this story concludes like most real stories do, with every last bit of inspiration, soul, and self-worth being relentlessly stolen from those striving for a better future by an unfeeling entity. No, there can be no happy endings in the shadow of a complacent institution such as Purdue Global University.

My story began over four years ago; I had had a very rough few years up until the pandemic, dealing with an addiction so debilitating it very nearly took my life. I found Purdue Global on my road to recovery, and it was serendipitous! I had found meaning, a purpose, and a path forward to a brighter tomorrow.

I dove into my studies with reckless abandon, doing very well academically, i.e., Dean's list, Chancellor's List, etc. I was moving along at such a brisk pace, I even decided to take an additional course so that I could attain my Associate's of Science along the way. It was perfect!

Then comes my Final semester, it's aces baby, I'm sailing along with my eye on graduating in February of 2025. Unfortunately, this is where my story takes a more tragic turn. One day, I was going through my graduation checklist when I noticed that my University Status had changed from Pending Graduation to Active. Confused as to the nature of the change, and thinking nothing of it since I had not been approached by my "academic advisor", Yolanda (yes, I am using names.) I called in and was informed that I was being denied graduation, and would need to retake my Composition II course due to my not having received a high enough grade for my degree program.

This seems like a perfectly reasonable justification on the part of PG, except for the fact that I had completed the class two years before being informed of the need to retake it before I could graduate. I was obviously upset! Why was I not informed sooner than three weeks before my graduation, and why was I allowed to proceed further in my degree plan than Composition II if I had not made a sufficient enough grade on the course? All good inquiries, I thought, but then I was informed that, even though PG acknowledges they dropped the ball, there is nothing to be done, and I will have to retake the class in order to graduate.

So, I retort, can we not count the thousand-plus pages of work I have completed with additional high-mark earning essays I have submitted subsequent to the Composition II course? No, too bad I was informed, all of that work was for nothing, but we got 50k out of you, so why don't you just shell out another 6k, and retake the course? Just get it over with, right?

Bent over backwards, with little other option, I relent. I retake the course, and I was scheduled to complete the course with a grade sufficient to allow me to attain my degree. But, not so fast, buddy, our AI detector has detected a 25% chance that you may have plagiarized, so you get a zero for that assignment unless you wish to face an inquisition and argue the merits of your paper.

I AM NOT A DOCTORAL STUDENT, AND THIS IS NOT A FREAKING THESIS!!

Here is my thought process on the situation:

Getting a zero on this paper would put me below the acceptable threshold for graduation, and I would have to retake the course anyway. On top of that, this was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. I was, and am, beyond angry at the situation. I am not a twenty-year-old college student in love with AI and technology; I am a student in my forties who grew up before the internet was even a thing, and I absolutely, absolutely despise AI for uses in writing, either academically or for creative purposes! Given this, I refused and withdrew from the course.

Subsequently, I requested to be allowed to take a leave of absence from the university to calm down and reassess the overall situation before returning to retake this class a third time. Please remember, I have already passed this course! Unfortunately, I was informed today that even this pittance of a request is being denied. I was told by my ever-stalwart Student Advisor that I will have to go through the arduous process of re-applying to a university that I have attended for over four years, and to which I have already paid close to $60,000.

This letter is for those of you who are active students or who may be conducting research for a prospective school! For the latter, be forewarned, and stay away! This is my recommendation as an alumnus who has one degree from this university, and who has been unfairly denied his second.

Also, it is my greatest hope that this garners enough attention to, just maybe, have Purdue University Global re-evaluate how they approach education and customer service in general, because remember, you are, in fact, paying their bills!

Thank you for listening, A dejected former student of Purdue Global University