Mt. Hood Community College

I have attended 7 or 8 different colleges in my varied and extensive education, and MHCC isn’t a bad school. Actually the layout of the school works well since it rains so much of the time here, but Mt. Hood has some really glaring deficits. Entering students will find a sparse bookstore with very little options for book purchase (I found one used, almost-​frayed copy of an entry-​level Chemistry textbook priced at $ 75 – online it’s $ 25). And just about every student needs to take a math class (if they’re attending community college, anyway) so one would think this is where a community college would shine, right? Quite the opposite. While some of their instructors are outstanding (Benvenuti, for example) somebody in the math department MUST be getting kickbacks for their outrageously-​priced, self-​published manuals which they call textbooks – and don’t expect to save money by buying a used copy. Those «access codes» you need to connect online for your classes are only included in new books. Already have the book? You’ll STILL need to buy the access code for it – for a separate and also exorbitant fee.
Want to park? At least you don’t have to pay for parking stickers which they temporarily – and unsuccessfully– used when they needed revenue in a hurry (poor monetary oversight led to a larceny/​embezzlement issue). Expect to hunt for spaces, and forget about using the lot right in front of the school – it’s designated for the exclusive use of their Board members. Yeah, that’s right. Right in front. For the 6 or so MHCC Board members… who only meet once a month, and not usually even on campus. Feel valued yet, prospective students? Want a quiet place to study after work? Or before class? If you have early classes, you’ll find the place deserted before 7:30 when the library opens, and the Student Union would be a nice place to study (there’s a fireplace), but… nope, it doesn’t open till 8:00. So much for catering to a working community. And bring your own coffee, because there’s not even so much as that to be had in the morning.
A couple of years ago, they built a nice new building that I heard was going to be a large daycare center (along with new administrative offices), but it doesn’t seem to be getting any use… perhaps that’s where the Board convenes their meetings.

Mount Hood community college blends function of design with athletics, salons and art shows with elevation of thought. The expansive library and helpful staff makes your visit amazing. The detail an effort to keep the campus clean speaks well for the institution.

I loved going to school here. The library is amazing and the tutors were great. I looked forward to class each and every day. It’s a dated campus, but that doesn’t matter if the instructors are good at what they do.

Mt. Hood charged me for a class I never took, that I proved I was not in town for, that I NEVER EVEN LIVED in Oregon, yet somehow, the teacher, Susan Boulden, marked me as «present» during the first class meeting.
Multiple calls and letters to the teacher and the college proved fruitless; the staff was rude and unhelpful, and basically insinuated that I was lying about not attending the class. So I had to pay $ 300+ for a medical terminology class I never took, or they were going to turn me over to a collection agency.
Boo. Hiss. Go home.

The salon students need more practice before working on customers and they need a lesson in the difference between 10 – 12 inches and a foot and a half. I donated my hair to locks of love and the student cut my hair so crooked (and short) that the instructor had to re-​do the entire cut. I’ve been there before and had fairly good service (I have gotten some good eyebrow waxes there), but, my last haircut trip was so horrible, I wouldn’t take my dog there.

Rating a college is a little silly to me, so I’ll explain more clearly why I rate it high:
To begin with, it’s a very lovely looking college. The trees and scenery are GORGEOUS. I actually parked far away from my classes just so I could take a stroll through the places. Parking is a nightmare the first week, the lot itself is old as hell with potholes and crumbling areas. The whole place is rock so it’s cold as the arctic and if the wind blows through then you’re dead. Winter here is brutal. However, in all, the campus is easy to navigate and lovely to just be on.
Bookstore is a mess, if you don’t order online and get it shipped or just pick it up, good luck getting out of there in an hour. The line is through the entire store. The café with sit down area, though, is fantastic. Only drawback, closed too early for me! I had a few night classes and it was always a bummer.
The library is fantastic, it’s huge and well organized, with lots of computers and easy access to tutors. Very easy to go through and figure things out for yourself. In the back are cubicles and some (kinda) comfortable chairs. i took naps in there when I had long breaks between classes. A great place to get work done without having to go home.
Academic advisers are a joke though, it’s true. I never got the same one, I didn’t get much information, and I just stuck with the online degree tracking program. They told me the best place to go was out of state once, and then another told me the best program was actually somewhere in state… so on. Each have different opinions so it’s really hard to find a direction.
What I really loved about this college… why it gets all of my love, is the instructors I had. Just to let you know,
was a VERY important tool for me to plan my classes. ANY subject can become boring or frustrating with the wrong teacher. So I religiously looked up that website and planned out my classes according to the highest rated professors. The ratings did not steer me wrong. In fact, I discarded the ratings for one class that I didn’t want to wait to take for a half year… biggest mistake of my whole college life. WORST class with the most boring/​rudest teacher and barely struggled through it. However, all the rest of my instructors were beyond great, they were AMAZING. I loved every day with them, loved doing the work (yes, even MATH) and looked forward to the next day. LOOK UP the professors, trust the ratings, and you will have a good time.

I went to school here (yes, I went to college) and I’ve been a vendor here 3 times.
The Craft Sale is held every first week of Dec. two days in a row and the first day starts from 10 AM until 6PM, and the 2^nd day ends @ 5PM.
The first 100 students to come in, get a $ 5 voucher for each day, they hand them the voucher to the vendors, and the vendors traded them in for $ 5 cash. What a deal for both students as well as the vendors (to see how often one turns his/​hers in). Every few hours, they come around to collect them.
They have coffee & donuts for vendors, each day. It was a treat, specially if there’s a long line @ the book store for Latte. Bathroom, is downstairs, and since I’ve been coming here, yesterday was the first time I noticed THEY HAVE ELEVATORS! A bonus!
Each time someone opens the door, an East wind brings chill to the room, and I’ve heard people in the corner, or people in front of me how cold they were. I’ve seen a couple wearing their coats indoors, when a rush of students out from class comes in all @ once. Just remember, as a vendor, dressed in layers so you can add or remove extra clothing when needed.
I’m giving them 5 stars, the staff friendly, and I’m always successful here, as a vendor!
They’ve been doing it for 44 years! Hooray!

This is an excellent community college in east county. I really love working here in the library. They have a wide assortment of community education offerings and many academic programs to pursue your associates degree in.
The campus is lovely and well maintained (they are replacing all the light poles and repaving the parking lots right now!)
The library and the campus bookstore both feature coffee and snack shops. A must have for any college!

This is my first term here. So far so good. The layout is convenient and haven’t had to fight for parking yet.

I got my degree at Portland Community College, but then decided to pursue a transfer degree recently and thought I’d get some cheaper classes out of the way here. MHCC is closer to my house and after going to PCC for most of my other classes, I found the attitude here is much more relaxed.
They are all pretty chill and are willing to help you attitude free, which I can’t say that for PCC. I have taken online and campus classes both went very well. The instructors teach at local universities, as well as other community colleges.
Parking is a nightmare though, if you are going to campus. Winter 2012 term, my instructor said she was circling for 30 minutes, which I could see how that would happen, If you don’t mind walking a distance with books in the rain, then you can find parking way way out back.

I went there to visit my sister Nomi Papke in the beauty salon. I had my sister cut my hair and do my nails.
Really it was the best haircut. My nails did not chip for (4) weeks. She sprays something on them, not sure what it is.
When I got home to LA – my nail bed started to grow out, then I had to change the polish.
She gives a great hand and fool massage. Can’t wait to go again. The Beauty Salon’s number is: (503)491−7192.
Be nice & don’t forget to tip. Be sure to ask for: Nomi

This is really nice for a community college. It might be the private school snob in me but I had very low expectations of what to expect from a community college. MHCC exceeded all expectations with flying colors so much that it was not a simple three star, it earned the extra fourth star to reach coveted foursies status on my ranking system.
The campus is large, but in an enjoyably walkable way. Even with a light rain you still won’t mind walking around. There are trees, there is art by the performance art trailer area, what more could you ask for?
As an Alum recently noted, it has been around for a little over 40 years and has not received a single major «facelift» since it was first opened — yet it is still as strong as a bunker and rocking hard.
The staff, faculty, workers, and students were all laid back, easy going, and fun to deal with. There was no attitude. There was no presumption. It was just good people being nice.
The cafeteria was large and the candy selection was small, but the people manning the registers were friendly and worked quickly, so that counts.
Top flight forensics program too.