Educating Sergeant Pantzke

Recruiters' Sales Pitches to Vets

To get a sense of what it's like to be on the receiving end of a call from a for-profit admissions rep, listen to these late 2008/early 2009 call excerpts from Westwood College recruiters acquired by FRONTLINE. They offer examples the kinds of pitches that are made to active-duty and recently retired service members:

  • The school is overwhelmingly military-friendly;
  • You can use your GI Bill benefits with relative ease;
  • The recruit could receive starting salary of $72,000-$82,000 upon graduation.

In a letter to FRONTLINE, Westwood stated that "less than 5 percent of the 13,893 current on-ground and online students" receive VA benefits, and that "Westwood does not have specific marketing and recruiting efforts that target military students. These students make up a small portion of the college's total student body."

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