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 Portland Community College and Chemeketa 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 Oregon Institute of Technology.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Blue Mountain Community College, Portland Community College, and Chemeketa Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Columbia Gorge Community College, Umpqua Community College, Clackamas Community College, and Chemeketa Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Columbia Gorge Community College, Oregon Institute of Technology, Linn-Benton Community College, and Mt Hood Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Oregon Institute of Technology.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Oregon Institute of Technology and Blue Mountain Community College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Meritt Davis Business School • Medford, OR
Studying (completion in 1971)
• 9/21/2011
"As far as having to go to continue to go to school, I don't feel it was any different from going to high school. I've learned more by "on the job training"."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | This school is no longer in business. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | The school is no longer in business. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It's hard to rate a school when I never went to another to compare it to. Also, the school I attended is no longer around. |
| Instruction | 5 | I went from graduating high school to starting at a business school. The teachers seemed to be the same to me. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I went right from high school to business school and I was still in the learning mode. Seems like the classes were a continuation of high school classes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It's a very small business school. There's not much room for anything but book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | They were willing to accommodate my part-time position at a local mill. I was going to school Monday through Friday, 8-3:30 every week so there wasn't any other need for flexibility. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Since I enrolled right from high school, it seemed the same to me. |
| Social Life | 1 | The school didn't have any social activities. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I hadn't completed my first semester and I was placed in a part-time administrative position at a local mill. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I never had the opportunity to meet any alumni and didn't have much need to interact with administrators. |
Northwest Christian University • Eugene, OR
Studying MBA With Concentration In General Management (completion in 2011)
• 10/19/2011
"We're a private university, so we can't compare with the University of Oregon. However, I enjoyed the small classes. Also, our relationships with professors and advisors are closer."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Executive assisting might not be my future career, but I do enjoy working as an assistant to someone important, because I learn a lot. I would only recommend my school to international students after the school reopens the CPT program. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Good for people who have day-time jobs. Also, smaller classes, better opportunities to participate. |
| Program Quality | 8 | All the classes are scheduled in the evenings or on weekends, so they won't conflict with our working schedules. It also allows international students to take CPT while studying and OPT after graduation. |
| Instruction | 8 | Very good professors put together professional presentations for classes. Professors are very ethical and responsible. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Since I had 6 years of working experience before taking the Master's degree, every course in this MBA program can be connected to my real life experiences. Thus, I feel no difficult to understand everything. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Reading and writing makes up a huge part of the master's degree program. Only accounting and statistics related courses are very hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | There are weekend and evening classes for working individuals. You can also negotiate the time to join other classes if you are not satisfied with the current one. You also have opportunities to audit one class per semester (for free). |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | We don't have swimming pools or tennis courts. The tutors are friendly and they are all volunteers. |
| Social Life | 3 | Graduate students usually do not participate in a lot of social activities in school. However, I did join some groups on halloweens, and Christmas days, and I also attended a wedding of two undergraduate students. |
| Placement Services | 7 | This school didn't have much experience in helping international students find jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | As a Christian university, alumni from this school are in all kinds of areas. This school is well loved by local people, too. |
Oregon State University • Corvallis, OR
Studying Human Services (completion in 2010)
• 10/11/2011
"I loved the university I attended. It was a beautiful town with great students and lots of school spirit."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If it is a field that you really desire, I would say absolutely. It does not pay well to go into the field of human services, so I would definitely encourage future students to really think about the future. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I think the program's rating is just above average. The college was known more for engineering and agriculture. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I enjoyed my college experience and program. The majority of my professors were really good and provided pertinent information. They were always willing to work with me around my work schedule, as I was getting good experience in the field. |
| Instruction | 8 | I liked most of my teachers. I would say that a quarter of them were pretty bias in their political views, but that tends to happen in a field that is based on liberal values. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was challenging, but not over the top. I learned a lot, but still enjoyed class. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It depends on the class. Some teachers relied strictly on the book, like reading and writing courses, while others were more hands-on, such as science courses. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | For my program, there was lots of flexibility. More than one of each class was offered mornings and afternoons, and all terms. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | There were great resources. Professors had reasonable office hours, the library was open late, and there were great internship opportunities. |
| Social Life | 10 | I made friends living in the dorms, through my classes, and at work. There were always lots of events hosted by the university, where you could also meet people. |
| Placement Services | I had many job opportunities post-graduation. I know there were opportunities through the school, but I did not have any trouble on my own. | |
| Alumni Network | I do not know a lot of alumni opportunities. I have not attended any events and have not received any information. |
Lane Community College • Eugene, OR
Studying Legal Assistant (completion in 2002)
• 11/19/2011
"The school I went to was a great school. The instructors I had were very helpful and the material provided was appropriate."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend this program to others, because it prepared me well. The instructors were helpful and knowledgeable. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | I think the school has a good reputation for their program. They do a solid job of preparing you for your chosen career. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My school had a very good program for Legal Assisting. I felt prepared to work in the field when I finished. |
| Instruction | 9 | The instructors at my school were very knowledgeable on this field of study. I was able to learn everything I needed to start my career. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The program was challenging, but not impossible. I felt it was a well-thought-out program. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had both books and hands-on learning. I felt it was a pretty solid mix of the two and I was pleased with my education. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | There was very little flexibility in schedules at my school. They had a few classes, but not many in the program, so you had to take them when offered. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | My school had slightly better-than-average facilities. There was a pretty big library, for example, but few tutors available. |
| Social Life | 5 | School spirit at LCC was just average. There were teams, but most did not get too excited for games. |
| Placement Services | 6 | The school had pretty good job placement services, but not stellar. I ended up finding my job on my own. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | There wasn't really an alumni network at this school. One or two of the instructors were alumni, but that was really it. |
Portland Community College • Portland, OR
Studying Business Administration (completion in 1997)
• 11/29/2011
"I feel like I wasted time and money. I could have gotten the same education at a trade school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I think it is too expensive and lengthy. I would tell them to contact a trade school. |
| Program Reputation | It has no reputation for this program. They do not advertise it. | |
| Program Quality | 3 | It was way too long. I could have accomplished the same at a trade school. |
| Instruction | 7 | It was very thorough. I certainly learned a lot pertaining to my field of work. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I have always had a very easy time with any schooling. Others seemed challenged by the curriculum. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was mainly book learning. However, all computer learning was mostly hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I had options to work with. I could attend part time, full time, evening, or day. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | There were not many resources available to us. However, the online resources provided were extremely thorough. |
| Social Life | This is non existent. It is a community college. | |
| Placement Services | 1 | This was not provided to me. All job search and placement was done independently of the school. |
| Alumni Network | This is non existent. It is a community college. |
Portland State • Portland, OR
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2011)
• 11/30/2011
"I was satisfied with the school as a whole. I thought that overall, my degree program was informative and taught me the basics for my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend this school based on what degree you are seeking. I would not necessarily recommend this school if you are pursuing a degree in anything that is technology based. |
| Program Reputation | As far as I know, the school doesn't have a reputation for this degree type either way. The school overall has very good reviews. | |
| Program Quality | 8 | My teachers were very accurate with the information that they taught. However, I feel that they needed to keep more updated information for the growing technology field I was learning. Some of the things that I have learned were found to be out of date when I entered into the professional world. |
| Instruction | 5 | I thought the instructors were average. None of them stood out over any of the others. |
| How Difficult | 5 | It seemed to me that the program overall and the requirements for my degree were very average in terms of difficulty. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school offered a good mix of hands on vs. book learning. Some classes were more book oriented, and some were more hands on, depending on the major/class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | They offered some Saturday classes, but only a very limited number on the weekends. They do offer many classes online, which does help with a tight schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | They did not have any advancement in their software and technology at the school. They had the minimum they needed in computer software. |
| Social Life | I was not involved in social activities in the school. I also did not attend any extracurricular activities. | |
| Placement Services | 5 | They did not seem to have many services for career placement after graduation. They did have good services for students that were looking for work during school. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I am not involved in the alumni services at my school. They had an average referral department for students that were looking for work after they graduated. |
Central Oregon Community College • Bend, OR
Studying (completion in 2011)
• 12/20/2011
"Not very satisfied, because I felt that it was too crowded, and classes were extremely difficult to get into. But the teachers and education were average."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Not necessarily; I'd recommend they go to a larger school in a larger city. I'd avoid the overcrowded community college any day. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Average community college's associate's degree program. I don't think it was anything special. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It was an average community college. There was nothing special about it. |
| Instruction | 5 | I don't think community colleges have the best professors. The classes are also always too big, as opposed to other universities. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Workload was average. I worked a part-time job while in school, so it wasn't overwhelming. The schoolwork was also easy/common sense. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Book oriented, except some classes like science, which had labs. All other classes are mostly taught out of books, if that. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | There were various options, including summer school, online classes and evening classes. However, the classes were full within hours of registration. They will not stop enrolling people, because it's a community college and everything is overflowing. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The facilities are nice and the professors are decent. Tutors and help were always available as well. |
| Social Life | 1 | Too many people. I kept to myself to get my work done and get out of the school as soon as possible. There was a wide variety of age groups in the school. |
| Placement Services | 1 | The school did absolutely nothing for me. They barely gave any support after I graduated. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | The networking isn't so bad, but the support in the community is awful. There are too many students to be supported. |
Southern Oregon University • Ashland, OR
Studying Psychology And Criminology/Criminal Justice (completion in 2012)
• 12/21/2011
"The administrative/business departments bring this rating down, because of their impoliteness, inefficiency, and problematic actions. When you visit a department regarding a financial issue, nothing ever seems to get done correctly."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It's great if you want to pursue those two majors together, as there is a lot of overlap. However, my majors don't have a whole lot to do with being an administrative assistant. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The criminology program is one of the most well known in the country, and many graduates go on to law school or directly into the field. The psychology program is comprehensive and the many tracks help to individualize one's own education. |
| Program Quality | 6 | The school and community really fit with me. I do not care for the course catalog or advising that I've seen thus far - a lot of misinformation is given out. |
| Instruction | 8 | Especially within my major coursework, the professors were very knowledgeable and made it enticing to learn. It made me want to do well, just because I saw such great energy from my instructors. |
| How Difficult | 8 | They are both soft sciences, so there is a lot of terminology, especially in Law, but it's in a lot of Psych, too. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It isn't a technical training school, so it's a lot of book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I took several evening classes throughout my terms, because often, that would work best with my schedule. Also, on weekends, there were seminars for which you could get credit for a full term, but be required to attend only an intensive class for a few days. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | It's a very small campus, so it's very easy to forge a personal relationship with professors, because they aren't inundated with 400+ students per class. The library was very good and had plenty of space, private rooms, and computers available, and it was open 24 hours during finals week. |
| Social Life | 2 | Since there is no Greek system or really a close on-campus community, there was really not much appeal in attending social events. Besides freshman year in the dorms, there weren't many parties or events. |
| Placement Services | 8 | For both my majors, I had to do a practicum or internship as a senior project. While I sought out my own volunteer positions, the departments have great connections in the community, and jobs are often flagged to the students before the public. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I never heard anything from the alumni while I was there. They were either the proverbial men and women behind the curtain, or there wasn't much support. I can't be sure. |
Oregon State University • Corvallis, OR
Studying Health Care Administration (completion in 2009)
• 12/29/2011
"I loved everything OSU had to offer. I just wish the economy was better."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | For health care administration, absolutely. It is one of the best schools in the country. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | I believe it's in good standing. I do not think anything has changed since my graduation. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The Oregon public health program was, at the time, the second best in the country. All my classes were wonderful and the education was superb. |
| Instruction | 9 | The professors really cared. They also spent all the time needed to help students succeed. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The program is very rigorous. In addition to difficulty, the last two years of the program are spent in classrooms with graduate students, so you're expected to perform at a high level. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program was a mixture of both hands-on learning and book learning. The lectures were all very hands on, and we supplemented that with textbook readings. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I was able to get into classes I needed often. I didn't have any real problems working around my work schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | We were able to use facilities and buildings across the campus. Library, study halls, conference rooms, etc. |
| Social Life | 10 | I wouldn't trade my experience at OSU for anything. I loved everything about that school. |
| Placement Services | I did not use the school's job placement services. | |
| Alumni Network | I am unsure. Since graduating, I have not taken an interest in alumni activities. |
Central Oregon Community College • Bend, OR
Studying (completion in 2011)
• 12/20/2011
"I'm not very satisfied because I felt that it was too crowded and classes were extremely difficult to get into. But the teachers and education were average."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I'd recommend they go to a larger school in a larger city. I'd avoid the overcrowded community college any day. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | It's an average community college Associate's degree program. I don't think it was anything special. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It was an average community college. There was nothing special about it. |
| Instruction | 5 | I don't think community colleges have the best professors. The classes are also always too big, as opposed to other universities. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Work load was average, I worked a part time job while in school so it wasn't overwhelming. The schoolwork was easy and required mostly common sense. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Mine were mostly book oriented, except some classes with science labs. All other classes are mostly taught out of books, if that. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | There were all of the options - summer school, online classes, evenings. But the classes were full within hours of registration, they will not stop enrolling people because it's a community college and everything is overflowing. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The facilities are nice, and the professors are decent. Tutors and help were always available. |
| Social Life | 1 | There were too many people, I kept to myself to get my work done and get out of the school as soon as possible. There was a wide variety of age groups in the school. |
| Placement Services | 1 | The school did absolutely nothing for me. They barely gave any support after I graduated. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | The networking isn't so bad, but the support in the community is awful. There are too many students to be supported. |
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