Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Executive Secretaries And Administrative Assistants
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Leeward Community College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Leeward Community College, Hawaii Community College, Kauai Community College, and Maui College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Maui College, Kauai Community College, and Hawaii Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Maui College.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Kauai Community College, Maui College, Hawaii Community College, and Leeward Community College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Hawaii • Honolulu, HI
Studying Secondary English Education (completion in 1993)
• 9/21/2011
"I was satisfied with my experience. I think other options may have provided me with better opportunities."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I am not working in the field I have my degree in. For a career as an Administrative Assistant a community college education would be sufficient. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The reputation in certain areas is good. If your goal is studying Asian culture, hospitality, etc., then this could be the school for you. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The education provided was fine. I think the school I attended was great if you were self-motivated. |
| Instruction | 5 | I don't remember much about my college, I finished over fifteen years ago. The curriculum was average. |
| How Difficult | 2 | I possess above average intelligence and didn't find the work very challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a mix of learning strategies. I guess it depends which field the course was in as to how hands-on or how book oriented it was. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I am not sure what the current offerings are, as I attended this school over 15 years ago. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The school had two libraries, computer labs, etc. All of these were open at adequate times. |
| Social Life | 8 | There was always something to do. There were plays, athletic events, etc. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I did not have much assistance in looking for employment when I left school. I did it on my own and was offered several teaching positions. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I don't feel very connected to the school and am not very involved in the alumni association. The only information I receive is in regards to donations. |
Hawaii Pacific University • Honolulu, HI
Studying Diplomacy And Military Studies (completion in 2009)
• 10/16/2011
"Since I had a job already that took up the majority of my time, it was key for me to find a school that would work with me and my schedule. Being able to work with my schedule by having shorter semesters and non-traditional course delivery formats enabled me to complete one of my life goals of getting a degree."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I have a number of friends in the military who are looking for a degree program that they can tailor to their needs. While my degree may not work for them, there were numerous other degrees at Hawaii Pacific that they could work toward. Any of the degree programs would be just as flexible as the one I completed. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I am not aware of my school's overall reputation with respect to the degree that I chose. However, the degree that I chose is considered one that many military officers have. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The degree I got does not advance my current position as an administrative assistant. I plan to utilize my degree to either become an officer in the navy, or to get out and get a government job. I am looking at working somewhere in the Washington, D.C. area once I leave the navy. |
| Instruction | 9 | The schools that the navy send you to prepare you well for the jobs that you are going to do. Some of the test formats and grading procedures seem to be a bit ridiculous, but when you realize that you could end up writing letters for an admiral, it pays to be precise with your format and word choice. |
| How Difficult | 4 | The degree program that I had in school was not difficult because the majority of the major was focused on political science and history, two fields of study that I thoroughly enjoy. As for the navy schooling, once you learned the format and how to utilize the correspondence manual, the style of writing that was expected of you became second nature. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | As a military student, I was often asked to bring my individual experiences into the class, which did bring some hands-on experience into the classroom. We did utilize the textbooks, though, as the primary mode of learning in the classroom. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Hawaii Pacific does an excellent job working with the military. As a military member, there were many non-traditional ways to complete the degree, from classes that met for four hours on Saturdays during the semester, to online classes. The military semester was also only 10 weeks long, so while there was more coursework shoved into the semester, you had the ability to have four semesters in a calendar year. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Due to utilizing online courses for the majority of my degree, the professors were very good at being accessible during the class. If you had a question, they normally emailed you within a day. In addition, many professors actively engaged in the discussions that were held in the forums, which was a benefit for the students because it kept the discussion focused and on point. |
| Social Life | 2 | Due to being in the military, I had little interaction with the school as a whole. I did not go to a single athletic event or party that was organized by fellow students or the university. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I did not utilize my school's job placement as I was already in the military when I received my degree. With regard to my navy schooling, as soon as I was done with the yeoman school, I was given orders to another duty station, however only the top 5% of the class was allowed to pick their orders from a set list. Everyone else, including myself, was given orders based on what was not selected by the top 5%. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have received no official correspondence from Hawaii Pacific, however I can log on to the university website and click on alumni to get news. This seems very passive to me. As for the navy school I went to, I have seen a few of my instructors at other duty stations, but most networking/alumni support is handled as on-the-job training from superiors who have also attended the training. |
Windward Community College • Kaneohe, HI
Studying Associate's Degree (completion in 2014)
• 1/10/2012
"An average community college experience. The best part about this school is the campus; it's like a giant park."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Great community college if you live nearby. It appeared most students were local residents. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | As far as I know, the University of Hawaii community colleges are known for their easy courses. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The courses for the AA degree are fine. However, I found the classmates to be lacking. |
| Instruction | 7 | I had great instructors who were very passionate about their courses. This helped make learning easier. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The AA degree to me is a basic foundation needed to go on further in my higher education. The courses and workload were all fairly easy. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | All of the instructors I had used a good mix. This is helpful, as I love to read but enjoy discussion as well. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | There was a reasonable schedule flexibility for most classes. The only trouble I had was scheduling science labs, as most are during the day when I'm at work. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The community college had all the necessary facilities. However, everything was pretty old and sort of rundown. |
| Social Life | As I was working full-time and taking night classes, I really didn't participate in the social experience. But I did usually notice flyers and posters around the school for social events. | |
| Placement Services | 7 | I was lucky enough to have a great counselor. He helped me find information on job placement. |
| Alumni Network | This is not something that I have looked into recently, but it is something I will utilize in the future. |
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