Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Automotive Mechanics
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Rio Salado College, Pima Community College, Mesa Community College, and Glendale 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 Arizona Western, Cochise, Pima Community College, and GateWay Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Yavapai College, Central Arizona, Mohave Community College, and Cochise.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Rio Salado College, Cochise, Yavapai College, and Pima Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Eastern Arizona College, Yavapai College, Central Arizona, and Arizona Western.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Universal Technical Institute • Avondale, AZ
Studying Automotive (completion in 2010)
• 9/9/2011
"Overall I walked away with a vast amount of information that helped me further advance in my career. A lot of the information was out of date, but the concepts were satisfactory."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The school is all what you make of it. If you try to get all that you can, then it is worth the time and money. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The reputation of this school is considered to be great around the nation. With all the new age equipment they have, I would agree. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The school provided new century training aids and good ethics. The curriculum however was outdated. |
| Instruction | 8 | The knowledge of the teachers was top notch. The material being taught was behind the current time. |
| How Difficult | 2 | Depending on your lifestyle, backgrounds, and if you are familiar with this field, it is easy. If you are not familiar with this field but you pay close attention, it is still no issue to receive good grades. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I feel there was a very well balanced book to hands-on ratio. Some classes tilted one way in comparison to others. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | there are two options for time. it is fairly flexible with either a morning session or afternoon/evening session. Online training would not be applicable for this area. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The training aids provided by this school were impressive in comparison to the school's size and amount of students. Many current age training aids and equipment were satisfactory in explaining theories. |
| Social Life | 4 | My school did not provide much in the way of athletics or organized events other than the ones out at Firebird Raceway. There were organized events for races and burn-out contests, etc. All of these events were satisfactory. |
| Placement Services | 5 | The school's job placement program is satisfactory. The program does not go above and beyond. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The school provides a lifetime of free classes as well as job placement help for alumni. |
Nashville Auto-Diesel College • Tucson, AZ
Studying Mechanics (completion in 2010)
• 10/13/2011
"I got the job I wanted. I learned a lot from this program."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Pursue your passions. It's possible with this program to get the right training. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | They need more exposure in the community. Few people know of this school, it seems. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The specialize in the type of training I needed. The whole program was very hands on. |
| Instruction | 9 | Instructors took the time to work with students, and students are able to work on the best equipment. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Engines are complicated, but working on them has always been something I've excelled at. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of the classes were in the shop. There was a lot of hands on training. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | The classes I took had set hours. Teachers will work with you if things come up. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Equipment was excellent. I worked on some of the more recent models of cars. |
| Social Life | 9 | I got along with everyone. All the instructors helped me on my path. |
| Placement Services | 9 | I got a job right away. They set up several interviews for me. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I didn't know if they had one. It's more of a community-type college. |
Universal Technical Institute • Phoenix, AZ
Studying Auto Mechanics (completion in 2007)
• 10/5/2011
"I am very satisfied with UTI. They give the best training and career placement around."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If you want to get a great career in auto mechanics, I suggest UTI. They are very sought after by Mechanic Shops all around the U.S. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | UTI has always had a great ratings among its competitors. It is more expensive, but well worth it. |
| Program Quality | 9 | There really is only a few programs to choose from at UTI. My program in particular was excellent. |
| Instruction | 9 | I never would have been able to achieve master mechanic career level without UTI. I would give UTI a very high rating in this regard. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It helps if you have some knowledge of auto mechanics before you go into the school. It can be relatively challenging to even the experienced. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | UTI urges hands on learning. You spend 80% of your time working on vehicles and motors. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | It does require flexibility because the school requires a majority of your attention. They are not very flexible with your schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | UTI has an excellent assortment of resources. It is all hands on and they provide everything you need. |
| Social Life | 7 | There really is not much of a social event structure at UTI. It is a school focused only on mechanics. |
| Placement Services | 9 | I was able to find a great career without any trouble. It was very quick placement without an extensive search. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | There really is not any alumni program. I have however, received a few calls for post graduate information. |
UTI • Avondale, AZ
Studying BMW (completion in 2006)
• 1/4/2012
"I learned and retained a vast amount of knowledge. The instructors were top notch."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If you can get into the program it will give you a very sound foundation for the future. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | BMW STEP is well known even with non-BMW dealerships and shops. The rigorous tests and qualifications to get in ensure there is an elite group of students. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The instructors were knowledgeable, but often did not relate enough real world knowledge. |
| Instruction | 8 | Instructors were extremely prepared for the curriculum. The curriculum was laid out nicely. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I put in a moderate amount of effort. I was at the top of my class. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Much of the basis was book learning. Shop tasks were always by the book also, not very real world. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | We were expected to come early and stay late Monday through Friday. If any days or hours were missed, we were docked harshly. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Any instruction manual ever made was available to us. We had an extensive library both in class and online for use. |
| Social Life | 3 | We hung out on our own. We had no extra curriculars organized. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I was able to secure the job and location I wanted. I had three offers available. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I kept in touch with a few classmates on my own. There is no centralized database that I know of. |
Universal Technical Institute • Phoenix, AZ
Studying Diesel/Industrial Tech (completion in 2010)
• 2/12/2012
"I received a top notch education at a very fair price. With my skills and degree I am exactly what employers are looking for."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If someone wants to pursue a career in the auto or diesel repair field, this is the place to do it. Everyone at the school is learning very similar skills so it's easy to stay focused. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | My school is top notch in the US against others. Employers are always glad to see it on a resume. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school is top notch in their job training and job placement. The instructors are experts in the field. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instruction is excellent because it is very hands-on. There is a good ratio of students per instructor. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The curriculum was fairly challenging material at a pretty rapid pace. It was alright for me because I have a natural skill for this kind of work. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This is one of the most hands-on schools that I know of. There is some book learning but only as needed because they believe this field of work is best learned by the hands on method. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The school is very flexible with schedules. I was able to work the third shift, sleep in the morning, and attend evening classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | If you need more instruction and resources than the basic course offers then they have many options. They have optional secondary instructional sessions and online help you can access from home. |
| Social Life | 3 | The school does not offer much in the way of social events. There are no sports teams or other clubs. |
| Placement Services | 7 | The job placement advisers do a very good job and work hard to find a good fit for you. The problem is, if you are looking for work in the same city you graduated in, it can be challenging because of all the others out looking for the exact same type of job. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | The alumni network is not bad, just not as extensive as large universities. They offer job placement assistance well after completion and allow graduates to come back as speakers to new classes. |
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