I agree to an extent, shinny. There is nothing wrong with profiteering. However, I think there needs to be a balance between making money and offering honest service. In some cases I think TSFX doesn't find the right balance. The thing that I find the most frustrating is their exams and their materials that clearly go beyond the study design. For example:
- Asking about renal tubules in a unit 3 Biology exam and not providing any information about them (this is unit 1/2 knowledge)
As a former Biology student you would know that this is not necessary knowledge. This is one of many examples where they overstep the confines of the study design. Obviously study designs are ambiguous, so there is nothing wrong with covering areas that could potentially be included, but going past this overlap zone is not fair on the student. I gave up doing TSFX exams because I felt enormous frustration while sitting them.
I don't mind clever marketing either, but some techniques are more shady than others. If they want to take constructive criticism as a company, they should make some attempt to dampen the vigour of their campaign I think. Some students are susceptible to being baffled and bombarded by the demands of their course and TSFX shouldn't exploit this with trickery (even in minor forms). There is nothing wrong with using freebies to entice people, but I think that students shouldn't be made to feel as if they do not know a lot and need help. Giving out materials / lectures with non-essential knowledge can give students the impression that they do not know enough and must enrol in a course.
Furthermore, some of their claims are risible: "Note: To date NO OTHER LECTURE provider has been able to match the quality and depth of materials that are issued to students who attend TSFX programs." I think copy like this irks people. Maybe this is what encouraged me to write on this thread.