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 Kirkwood Community College, Hawkeye Community College, Eastern Iowa Community College District, and Iowa Western 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
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Faith Baptist.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Western Iowa Tech Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Southeastern Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Dordt, Faith Baptist, Iowa Western Community College, and Western Iowa Tech Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Faith Baptist, Dordt, Ellsworth Community College, and Iowa Central Community College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Faith Baptist.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Faith Baptist.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Dordt, Faith Baptist, Northwest Iowa Community College, and Ellsworth Community College.
Spotlight Schools Search
Study from Anywhere at Online Schools Related to This Career
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Doctorate
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Diploma
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Kaplan University • Davenport, IA
Studying Business And Accounting (completion in 2013)
• 8/11/2011
"I am very satisfied because of how much I have learned, and how dedicated it has allowed me to be with my schooling. Because I am an online learner I have to be dependent on myself to learn and read, which allows me to absorb the information much more quickly."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend Kaplan University to others who have an interest in accounting and business because they provide the tools and information needed to get a career in the business and accounting field. This is a good school for someone who has a busy work life or family life. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I think their reputation is good, however because it is an online school, a lot of people have the idea that because it is not a real school. The program is just as hard as one from an on campus school if not harder, because you have to train yourself to be an independent learner, just as a home school student does. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The school of Business covers many aspects of business. My major of accounting also covers the different forms of accounting, whether it is for a small firm, a large corporation or an international company. |
| Instruction | 10 | As long as you do the required course work and readings and can keep up with the professor, it is an excellent school to prepare for a career in the business and accounting profession. The instructions are easy to follow as long as you do what is required. |
| How Difficult | 10 | It is difficult and at times overwhelming. Each class is 10 weeks long. Each week there are usually assignments, discussion board postings, web field trips, and quizzes. You only get one week off in between classes, so you are constantly in school and the information stays fresh. It is difficult if you fall behind. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This school is very book orientated because it is an online school. However, there are programs and certain classes available that allow for internships so that you can also obtain hands on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | KU is excellent at being accommodating to anyone's schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | KU has a math center and an online library with dozens of research articles and information, as well as online tutoring. |
| Social Life | 2 | Because it is an online school we don't have any social related events. |
| Placement Services | 5 | KU does not guarantee job placement or career advancement, however they do provide you with the tools to obtain a higher paying career, and they also email job leads. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The alumni and staff are extremely helpful. I have received emails from alumni and staff with job openings at different companies, success tools, and tips on how to write a good resume. |
University Of Iowa • Iowa City, IA
Studying Communications (completion in 2004)
• 8/12/2011
"I am very satisfied with the University of Iowa. I would do it all over again in a second if I could. They provided me with the exact education that I always had hoped for."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend my school for people pursuing any career. The University has so many different programs to choose from and they are all rated highly. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The University of Iowa has always received excellent reviews and ratings for all their programs. They are always named in the top 100 best colleges in the world. I am very proud of that. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The University of Iowa educated me on numerous subjects that have benefited my career. I learned a good amount about business management as well. |
| Instruction | 8 | My professors at the University of Iowa were excellent teachers. They knew exactly what they were doing and knew the best way to teach their students so we would absorb all of the information. |
| How Difficult | 8 | There was a large amount of work for my major. I usually spent 4-6 hours a day at the library studying. It took up the majority of my time. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Because of the size of the University, there was always more book learning than anything else. You never really got too hands on with any professor or class. That's one small negative of a big school. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I usually had no problems getting into the classes that I needed at the University. Sometimes the class times would not be ideal, but I would find ways to work around them. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The facilities were top notch at the University of Iowa. They had top of the line technology and study resources. There were always vast amount of resources that I could look too. |
| Social Life | 9 | The University of Iowa had thousands of events, groups, parties, and other activities going on. I enjoyed myself immensely while I attended college. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. There was always something to do. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The University of Iowa held numerous job fairs that I attended while I was there. I actually landed my first job at one of these fairs. They also have job interview seminars as well to help students get their foot in the door at businesses. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I still receive alumni information in the mail today. I enjoy hearing the updates to the programs they are offering at the University. I believe they are very supportive of their graduates. |
Ashford Univeristy • Clinton, IA
Studying Business Administration (completion in 2012)
• 8/15/2011
"It worked for me. It was kind of expensive, though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I have and will. It was a friend who referred me. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Great online school. Many friends attend as well. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Online classes helped me get a degree with a full time job. Modern approach to college. |
| Instruction | 7 | Some instructors seemed disinterested. Some took themselves too seriously. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was easy at times, but it could get difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Very even as far as hands on vs. book. It's as hands on as an online school can be, I guess. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Not too bad. They work around my schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The online environment was nice, although I've never seen the actual school. |
| Social Life | 7 | I engaged in conversations with many nice folks even though I never met another student. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I'm not sure they do this. I already have a job. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I couldn't care less. Too busy for this stuff. |
Upper Iowa University • Des Moines, IA
Studying Psychology (completion in 2009)
• 8/22/2011
"I got everything done that I needed to get done and at the time it worked for me. I think that if I would've gone to another school with a more accredited program I would have gained more "real word" experience."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It depends on what the person is looking for in a school. If it is convenience and getting your degree done quickly, I would highly recommend UIU. With their satellite locations, multitudes of evening courses, and speedy 8 week courses, it is the best bet for someone who is working full time. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | The school was more known for its criminal justice department, which I minored in, and in my opinion was much better then the psychology department. I say that because you had much more to choose from in the way of courses when it came to criminal justice as opposed to psychology. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The psychology program was OK but I felt it could have been better with a broader selection of courses to take in psychology. Also it would have been nice to have had preparatory grad school courses offered toward the Psychology major. |
| Instruction | 7 | The instruction was pretty good. I was happy that all of my professors had actual experience in their fields and therefore were able to add valuable insight into the program and how it would be in the working world. |
| How Difficult | 4 | I thought the program was fairly easy and basic. The most challenging part of all was the senior project which, when it came down to it, still wasn't all that challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was more book learning, but this mainly depended on your professor. The professor everyone wanted to get was the one that brought in guest speakers and that only happened in the Criminal Justice department. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The courses were very flexible and I was able to work full time and go to school full time without too much difficulty. The night classes they had were especially helpful as well as their online courses and 8 week courses. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I was at a satellite location of Upper Iowa University so there wasn't much - no library or laboratories, and the academic advisor I was presented with was so incompetent that I had to go to one of the professors I knew well to help me figure what I needed to complete to graduate. |
| Social Life | 5 | I did a lot of networking, but to be quite honest I didn't have a ton of time for partying and that sort of thing while going to school and working part time. I remember several opportunities being presented, though. |
| Placement Services | 3 | This is another difficult one to rate because I never actively sought out any type of career help from the school. However, I also don't remember any advertisements about job placement or any of that. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | This is difficult for me to rate because I never really get involved in alumni efforts. However, I do receive the alumni newspaper every so often. |
University Of Iowa • Iowa City, IA
Studying Business (completion in 2005)
• 8/23/2011
"I would send my kids to the University of Iowa! I would also recommend it to anyone looking for a good education while obtaining it in a safe environment."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The University of Iowa is dedicated to teaching you the fundamentals of business. No matter what degree you go after, they are teaching you how to succeed in the real world. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I think that in the state the business program at Iowa is regarded highly. But across the entire nation there are definitely some other schools that are completely focused on their business programs. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The University of Iowa's business program is a solid program. Their new facilities make learning in the classroom easy and fun! Their primary focus is on corporate business. They could, however, offer a few more entrepreneurial classes. |
| Instruction | 9 | The professors at the University of Iowa have been around for a long time. I think their turnover rate is among the lowest in the nation. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Business classes are not for the faint hearted! It takes a lot of work to get good grades in these classes! |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most classes require a lot of reading. But I think that is very typical of most college courses. However, depending on the program you are in, you can get as hands on as you want! | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Most professors held classes at 10AM or later. Often they would not have classes on Fridays. This really helped with my sleeping schedule! |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | In the state of Iowa, the University of Iowa has been considered to have some of the best support groups and facilities available to students. It's pretty hard to flunk out unless you just don't try at all. |
| Social Life | 10 | Iowa City is a great city! It's small enough that it is not overwhelming, but large enough that you most likely won't see the same person twice in a day. There is a lot to do, including athletics, music, and art! |
| Placement Services | 5 | I never used their career placement and job services department. However, my roommate did and she had decent success. It's sometimes more about who you know, rather than what you know. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | I actually work for an alumnus of my school. He actually was in my fraternity twenty years before me. He hired me right out of college. |
Western Iowa Tech Community College • Sioux City, IA
Studying Administrative Assistant/Office Management (completion in 2007)
• 9/1/2011
"It was a good school. The teachers were mostly pleasant to be around and easy to learn from. Help was always available if you needed it."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | All you needed to do to receive any kind of assistance was to ask. Registration was willing to help with FAFSA and scholarship applications. The department heads were happy to provide tutors, and the teachers were available for extra help after classes. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | WIT has a full department for business majors. It was easy to get in touch with the department for extra tutoring or questions on assignments. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The teachers were very easy to reach with questions. The class sizes were relatively small. |
| Instruction | 8 | The instructors had experience in this field. They were not just people teaching from books. They were good about keeping up with improvements in office software. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Like any college course, you have to pay attention and be in class in order to learn. It was not overly hard but was not a walk through course of study either. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was an internship class. That was VERY hands on. I also had many classes with real world problems that would be solved in class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Many classes were provided in the evenings and online. Registration was easy and counselors were available. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | WIT has an acceptable library, but it's not very extensive. They do offer inter-library loans from other colleges which was a big help. |
| Social Life | 5 | People were always socializing and having fun in the lunch room and dorms. There were TV's and couches in several places in the school. |
| Placement Services | 6 | I was offered a position before I graduated with my Associates degree. That was very satisfying, though I did choose to finish my degree. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | Very rarely do I hear anything about alumni offers. Maybe once a year I'll receive something in the mail. |
Iowa State University • Ames, IA
Studying Political Science (completion in 2011)
• 10/2/2011
"I would be more satisfied if it were cheaper, but overall, it was a good school and I'm happy I went."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It depends on how the department fares in the coming years. There's been talk about combining departments, in which case, I would not. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | My school is not known for the political science program. However, people will consider it a good degree because of the institution it came from. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I felt I had good professors with lots of knowledge. Additionally, there was a wide range of classes to take. |
| Instruction | 8 | Professors generally had a lot of experience in their fields and were quite knowledgeable. I only had one professor that I considered to be poor. |
| How Difficult | 4 | Since you could pick your courses, you could tailor the degree of difficultly. I took classes that interested me, but they wound up not being difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Political science isn't really a hands-on discipline. You could, perhaps, get an internship that would be more hands on, but that wasn't common. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | More night and weekend classes would be good. There are some, but not many. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | My department was facing cutbacks. I think they still maintained an average level of resources and services, though. |
| Social Life | 6 | There are many things to be involved in. If you're bored at my school, you're just not trying to do anything. |
| Placement Services | 5 | We have job boards, but they do not have many jobs posted. We have career services, but I have not used them. |
Kaplan • Davenport, IA
Studying Criminal Justice (completion in 2012)
• 10/12/2011
"Kaplan's online program worked wonderfully for me. I never had an issue with any aspect of attending this school. I enjoyed my experience and received my degree."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, especially those individuals with busy lives and families. It's extremely convenient. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | I have received nothing but positive feedback from friends and family on my decision to attend Kaplan's online program. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I am very satisfied. I elected to participate in the online program Kaplan University offers. I am getting ready to enroll in their bachelor's program. |
| Instruction | 10 | All of the professors appeared to be very knowledgeable in the courses they taught. All of the classes I enrolled in provided me with a great sense of understanding the criminal justice system in depth. |
| How Difficult | 6 | The workload was very reasonable. They understand most students have families or are in active duty. That's the crowd they have seemed to attract. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Kaplan is an all-book school. You take quizzes, write essays and discuss your reading for the week. Even the weekly discussion questions are surrounded by your weekly reading. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I had no issues or conflicts with the dates/times Kaplan offered me for seminars and class participation. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Kaplan has an electronic library, although it's not so user-friendly. They offer tutoring hours at no additional cost, and programs where you can submit your paper for feedback before turning it in. Due to the courses being online, study groups are not really an option. |
| Social Life | 3 | I don't want to say the social experience is poor, however, online courses are much different from traditional classes. You are with other students from all over the United States. |
| Placement Services | 4 | Kaplan hasn't extended any offers to me for job placement. They will assist you in building your resume. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | While attending Kaplan, I have had the opportunity to meet new people and to reach out to individuals in the same field as myself, so that has been helpful. Kaplan also provides listings for job fairs and resume-building. |
University Of Phoenix • Online, IA
Studying Business Management (completion in 2006)
• 10/21/2011
"I think I spent a great deal of money for a mediocre education. I did not think that I learned anything that I couldn't have taught myself using the internet."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend my school to someone that had no other options. I had two small children and did not have a four year college anywhere nearby. I felt that online classes were my only option to complete my degree. I would have preferred a more traditional learning environment. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | University of Phoenix is one of the more well known online programs. The downside is that I think there is a negative stigma towards online universities in general. |
| Program Quality | 5 | For someone already in a professional career, the program would be very useful. A great deal of the program concentrated on your current employment position. |
| Instruction | 5 | The instructors were very qualified. Many of them held positions in the business world. The online setting made it difficult to benefit from the experience of the professors. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The classes were taken in five week blocks, so I was only enrolled in one class at a time. However, I was required to be online at least five of seven days a week completing some type of assignment. In addition, I was required to write one paper a week. The work load was quite challenging and time consuming. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a mix of hands-on and book learning. The assignments were almost always geared towards applying your current employment situation. In order to complete the assignments, you needed to use the reference materials for whatever topic we were studying. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The classes were all online. You could attend class at any time of day you were available. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | Every class had a textbook in PDF version. There were also presentations and additional reading materials available to assist in the learning process. I also had access to a wealth of reference materials through online libraries. |
| Social Life | 3 | I did "meet" other students online. We had several group projects and we would use MSN or Yahoo Messenger to talk outside of the classroom. The social experience is definitely limited in an online school. |
| Placement Services | 2 | I am not aware of any job placement programs. Most of the program focused on using what you learned in your current employment situation. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I receive frequent emails from the university with special offers for alumni. I also still have access to some of the research tools that I did as a student. |
Ashford University • Clinton, IA
Studying Psychology (completion in 2011)
• 11/28/2011
"For the amount of money I paid, I don't believe I got my money's worth. I also don't believe that I got very much from the program since there were no practical applications for what I learned."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would not for the reasons listed in my previous answer. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I believe most people who participated in the online program feel the same way as I do. The writing can be very difficult, there's not much teacher interaction, and there are few alumni activities. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The last school I attended had an online, accelerated program, which was very writing intensive. I don't think that program prepared me well for work in the field of psychology. When I attended an actual "bricks and mortar" school, there was more of an opportunity to practice what we learned, rather than write about it. |
| Instruction | 5 | There was little teacher interaction in the online program. It was very writing-intensive, so I believe the grading was more dependent upon our writing ability rather than practice. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The online program was very writing-intensive, which can be very difficult for some people. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was absolutely no hands-on training. It was all book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | You can choose when you do the work, which is great. However, everything has a due date and sometimes those due dates are a little unreasonable for the amount of writing required. |
| Academic Facilities | It was an online program. All "facilities" were offered in a virtual setting. | |
| Social Life | It was an online program so there were no social activities made available to those participants. You could, however, interact virtually if you chose to do so with students in your current class. | |
| Placement Services | 1 | I had absolutely no job placement and career services assistance available to me. At the very least, I wasn't made aware of any such services. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I have yet to be notified of any alumni activities. I believe the online program participants are not considered to be "true" alumni. |
Wartburg College • Waverly, IA
Studying Religion (completion in 2003)
• 1/5/2012
"I was well prepared. I feel very enriched."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | This is the place to go for a religion major. It is great. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It's a church school - so you go here to do a church major. I work in a church and they are well aware of my school. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Fantastic preparation. Great learning expectations. |
| Instruction | 10 | Teachers are top notch. They know what they are talking about. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Work was required. This wasn't just an easy sailing through. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A good mix of the two. Hands-on when needed to be but book learning too. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Not many evening options. No weekend options. If you are a traditional student it's just fine. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Library is great. The classrooms are fantastic. |
| Social Life | 8 | Lots of things for students to do. Can be involved in everything. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Not as intense as it could be, but it is fine. You need to do most of the work. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | It's okay, but it there is a lot of work to do on your part. It would be easier if they would just contact me more often. |
The University Of Iowa • Iowa City, IA
Studying Journalism And Mass Communication (completion in 2011)
• 1/10/2012
"I love the University of Iowa and all of the experiences I had there. I sometimes wish I had dedicated more time to my studies, but I do not regret any moment of it. The school offered every opportunity I could have possibly asked for."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would definitely recommend the University of Iowa for any of their programs. The staff and faculty are great and I think the majority of professors actually care about their students. As far as being an administrative assistant, I am sure there are other universities that can better prepare you for this specific field. The journalism and mass communication department did well to prepare me for a wide range of professional jobs, as writing and communication are important in most every job. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The Adler School of Journalism has been ranked among the top 5 in the country several times. I think this is appropriate for the graduate-level classes, but many journalism students were simply there for public relations. I think its reputation would be better if they split those two areas of study, but unfortunately, that is the opposite of their plans. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The University of Iowa journalism program is very well respected, and that is the main reason I rated it so highly. I am not very satisfied, however, because despite the program's competitiveness, I did not think some of my peers belonged in the program. |
| Instruction | 9 | My professors were excellent throughout my college career. Many of them were very well known in their respective fields, and I admire that. The only thing keeping my rating from being a "10" is the slight lack of career preparation; they prepared us to work a job, but did not help with job searches, etc. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I would have liked my area of study to be more difficult. I enjoyed the assignments and thought they had good intentions, but I often found that I could get by with little to no effort. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Electives always seemed to be more geared towards book learning, which I do not like. Classes related to my major hardly ever had a book to follow, and if they did, they were purely supplemental. The majority of classes were completely hands on; in writing classes, we would write every day, and in photography class, we did nothing but take and discuss pictures. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I never had a problem with class scheduling. I have taken classes in the summer and winter sessions and thought they were great. The variety of classes is great; some are difficult to get into the first couple of years, but by senior year, it is easier to get into the classes you want. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The computer labs in the journalism building were amazing. They had any program you could possibly want, including Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and more. I never had a problem seeing a professor, even if I could not go during office hours. I think the journalism building was first class and I loved showing it off to all my friends in the business school. |
| Social Life | 10 | Iowa City is the greatest place I have ever been to, regarding meeting new people and having a fantastic time. Iowa football is like professional football in Iowa, and Saturday game days are among my best collegiate memories. |
| Placement Services | 6 | Above average, simply because of HireaHawk. I know many professors tried to aid students in job search techniques, but perhaps I was not listening. A know a few of my peers have landed something close to a dream job, but I feel the majority of journalism majors are working jobs in other fields. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The University of Iowa has an excellent alumni network. They provide a job search engine (HireaHawk), which allows graduates to connect with other graduates in hopes of finding a new career. |
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