Student Testimonials: International Academy of Astrology

Student Testimonials

Read what our students have to say about their experiences at IAA, both from letters they have sent us (used with permission) and from the course evaluations they submit after every course is completed.

From letters:

Having just completed both Basic 001 and 002 with Jackie Goldstein, I wanted to write to let you know how very very pleased I am with both the classes, and more particularly with Jackie's instruction. I've have been picking away at learning astrology for years, yet I never managed to pull it all together and make much sense out of my studies. In 8 weeks Jackie has done just that for me and so much more! ...

...Jackie is a pure pleasure to learn from, she has a wonderful warmth to her and her teaching, as well as a great sense of humor. I am so glad to have found OCA and to have been able to work with Jackie!

I look forward to taking more classes at OCA and appreciate very much the guidance and support that I have received from everyone at OCA.

-- Lisa Starbard

Thank You for saying that you enjoy having me in your class. I am enjoying this. This is my only pleasure in life at this time and I am so happy that I have finally found a place to actually learn astrology. I have been dabbling for years, buying books and I have a great computer program that I understand very little of. So this is really important to me.

-- June

just a note to again tell you how much i love (and am living) this course...vickie is an excellent instructor, and has given me much time and information with the myriad of emails loaded with my ponderings and questions. i plan on continuing with the whole series....

-- laveta

I want you to know that I believe I am getting full value (or more) for my money. It's a wonderful program, all of my teachers have been incredibly competent and committed to their work, and I have learned more in a very short period of time than I would have thought possible. Moreover, my spiritual development during this process has been unbelievable! ... Keep up the good work!

-- Mary Barcella

From course evaluations:

I have always thought that I could never consider myself a "real" astrologer until I could calculate a chart from scratch. With this course and Chris's wonderfully considered teaching I now feel so much more confident of my abilities as an astrologer. I really enjoy calculating the chart and seeing it emerge as the numbers flow and the relationships are clarified. Great feeling!

I also really like getting the special "down under" perspective that Chris brings and this has really opened me up to looking at astrology from a more international point of view. Very helpful. Chris takes material that seems initially quite daunting, especially for a non-numbers type like me, and makes it very approachable and doable. I worked hard in the course AND I felt very rewarded.

The instructor was great. She was prepared and her Powerpoint presentations were excellent, helping me better understand the handouts.

The sessions on line are so much fun. I can enjoy a great class from the convenience of my home. The Go-to-Meeting system is easy to use.

I appreciated how prepared our teacher was. She had excellent slide shows which were very useful.

The more I advance in my studies, the more I am fascinated by astrology. The IAA curriculum is well designed, as it introduces all of the important concepts gradually, so that one course builds upon the last one, continuing to offer a larger picture.

I LOVE learning online! It affords me the opportunity to interact [with] people and learn a subject that I would otherwise be unable to do given my location.

The Teacher was wonderful. The layout of material was great. and being an Astrologer for about 10 years I learned something. That was great. I didn't get bored with the material.

The homework was exactly what it should have been in order for us to really absorb and understand the information. It would have been worthless information had we not been responsible for applying it in chart analysis.

I love it, it's so convenient! The only difficulty I see is the potential for misunderstandings in communication. Otherwise it's great and I love being able to access the transcripts. No need to take notes and you don't miss a single word.

Whoever figured this way of working out the math, is a genius and has my gratitude. Much easier than what I had to go through the last time I studied this.

I enjoyed each homework assignment because it forced me to explore aspects of myself and other charts methodically and at length. Even though I've read these charts for years, I was able to see them in a simple, yet refreshing light.

I appreciated the simplicity of the hemispheres and the quadrants. Astrology is infinitely complex and all too often we forget to notice the basics, which tell us so much. My overall understanding has been deepened and reinforced. Thank you!

I liked the subject matter. I've studied astrology for over 15 years and have never been exposed to how these subjects are used.

[The homework] was a lot, but by no means too much. It was perfect, because for every archetype it made me think deeper than I would have otherwise.

I like learning through to Web. It is great to be able to go to class at home.

I especially like the fact that you deal with the essential fundamentals of astrological knowledge. My independent study had the serious drawback of providing me with a wealth of diverse information -- which, at times, was contradictory -- that was basically almost useless because I had no clear methodology with which to apply the knowledge.

I would tell others [this course] is a must-have in their astrology education!

[I especially liked] the greater understanding and insight I'm getting into the people whose charts I'm working with, including my own.

The level of difficulties of the course was above average, but it was worth it. I was able to strengthen my astrological muscles.

This course offered me a historical, mythological and more importantly, intuitive approach to the materials, rather than a "keyword" approach, and I liked it.

I liked the in-depth look at a lot of the specifics in the astrological charts.

The instructor was attentive and thorough, and all my questions were answered either in the class or via separate e-mails. By the way, this was the case in Astro 101 and 102, too. So, the dedication of the instructors is the thing I like and appreciate most.

[I especially liked] the depth of it! Learned things I would have NEVER learned on my own.

I liked the structure; the order in which material was presented, each topic building on the last; and the supplemental reading. The homework and final (even though I didn't always look forward to them) were also important in really learning the concepts.

[I especially liked] chart calculation as a whole. I finally started to feel like an astrologer. Without the knowledge of chart calculation, you cannot be an astrologer.

Advantage: you go at your own pace, and, thanks to email, you always feel the teacher is available. It's a great comfort. Especially that all instructors I've had so far respond very quickly.

I love that I feel my astrological knowledge and confidence as a competent astrologer has taken a giant leap forward with all the techniques I learned this semester. The growth - that's what I especially like.

What Donna Cunningham's IAA students have said about her writing and web page seminars:

Donna Cunningham's Online Writing Seminar definitely exceeded my expectations. She is an accomplished writer/editor and it shows in every aspect of her class. She is a skilled teacher, enthusiastic, sensitive to the needs of the student, and readily available for questions. She provided numerous resources on writing, editing and publishing as well articles geared to my specific writing topics. I have already recommended her class to friends and will continue to do so in the future.

-- A.P.

When it comes to passion for writing and teaching, Donna is the most inspiring teacher I have ever worked with. It has been amazing how much we covered in those six weeks. The classes were well organized, stimulating and productive. My wonderful classmates added to the pleasure when we were discussing our work, while Donna kept us on track. Not only did we write, research, revise, clarify, and comment on each other's work, we gained so much confidence in the process. A precious experience. I hope there will be follow up classes.

-- Y.D.

I was deeply touched by the class -- my first experience in giving and receiving writing feedback. Among Donna's many gifts is that of generously giving of herself in her teaching: on-target feedback, handouts, and creative assignments. It was a blast!

-- S.B.

Donna's writing class was a perfect fit for me! I've been writing astrology articles for an Internet-based magazine for a few years and I was ready to branch out. Donna very generously shared her tried and true methods for writing astrology material that is engaging and fun to read and write. Feedback on my writing was both supportive and well-thought out. I now have a lot more tools to pursue my writing goals.

-- T.S.

This is an incredible opportunity for any person who has their own website, even if it is not astrologically or metaphysically oriented. By the end of the course, my basic ho-hum website was completely re-designed and large portions of it re-written. I wrote new material and now have a web site I'm proud to share with visitors.

-- A.M.P.