Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
University Of Alaska Anchorage • Anchorage, AK
Studying Heavy Duty Diesel Transportation And Technology (completion in 2005)
• 3/12/2012
"I could have asked for more, but you can always ask for more, so I am satisfied with the training I received from this university. I have succeeded in my career path so far and I give credit to this university for helping me get there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Since I graduated almost 7 years ago, I know that none of the instructors I had as a student are there anymore. I cannot speak for the program now, but the facility, tools, and equipment should all be there and I believe that with that alone, good instructors have made it just as good or better than it was previously. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I think the reputation is that it is not as popular of a school as some of the "mainstream" colleges geared for this specific type of career. I do believe that this university has the potential to put out students that are just as good if not better than those from the "mainstream" schools. I have seen some people come out of the bigger schools that make me wonder how they even graduated. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The school had a great facility capable of teaching basics in diesel engines and heavy truck repair. The school was able to show the similarities that the light duty automotive side has with the heavy duty automotive side and how it relates to you and your personal vehicle. It had all the special tools required and many great test engines and test vehicles for diagnosis and repair. The school also had a budget to allow for real-time repair using new parts. |
| Instruction | 9 | All of the instructors I had when I graduated were very good. I learned more than just how to repair a vehicle from them. They were able to keep you on your feet and make you think about what you are doing. They were very knowledgeable and had real background in many different fields of work, allowing for real experienced insight beyond that of a simple textbook curriculum. |
| How Difficult | 6 | This is subjective from student to student, but I had no issues achieving this degree. Some of the GER's were troublesome, as they usually can be, but I graduated Cum Laude with over a 3.5 GPA for this degree. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I would say my instructors focused on hands on and real life experiences more than textbooks, but they were able to mix them so that you knew what you were reading and how you could apply it to the real world. This type of career is typically employed by hands on learners to begin with, so this type of instruction I believe best suits the students and curriculum. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | The school has enough night classes to allow at least part time day work for experience, which is especially needed for a career like this. Sometimes the better teachers are only day teachers, so I would end up leaving work midday, going to class, then coming back to finish the workday. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The facility provided for the automotive students was very good, but the heavy duty side of the automotive program could have been bigger. The heavy duty side is more expensive to have a lot of equipment and did not have as many students, so the size was just about right, but close to maxed out. |
| Social Life | 7 | There is a strong social experience, like great sporting activities that have good turnouts including hockey, basketball, volleyball, etc. The spirit was very much alive and proud, and the school colors were used very frequently to show off the school. The dorm subdivision had great programs and games for those living on campus. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I think the school could use more interaction with employers. The school is almost 100% willing to interact with an employer, as long as the student is there to keep that relationship going. If there is not a student in the mix, that relationship is never kept alive or pursued for future students' sake. That said, I know many students in my class that were offered jobs in the field with the help of an instructor and an employer. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | There are a lot of great people, from students to faculty to staff, at the university that make up a great learning experience as well as the extra curricular activities that make the university fun, interesting and exciting. There are also a few that I believe do not stand in the right place in the university and hold back what could better the school for short and long term periods. Overall, it is a great place to get a degree and there are some awesome faculty and students to support it. |
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