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 Ivy Tech Central Indiana, Ivy Tech Northeast, Ivy Tech East Central, and Ivy Tech Northwest.
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 Indiana State.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Vincennes University, Ivy Tech Northwest, and Ivy Tech Central Indiana.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Ivy Tech Whitewater, Ivy Tech Kokomo, Ivy Tech Northcentral, and Ivy Tech Northwest.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Ivy Tech South Central, Vincennes University, Indiana State, and Ivy Tech Whitewater.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Indiana State and Vincennes University.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Indiana State.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Vincennes University • Vincennes, IN
Studying Automotive Technology (completion in 2010)
• 9/23/2011
"I was pretty satisfied. I think it is a good school and I would recommend it to other students. They get you in and out in 2 years, which is a nice alternative to a program that drags on."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Overall it was a good school, and I did learn a lot. It is small, which was important for me because I knew the classes weren't going to be to crowded. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | From what I understand they have a very good reputation. That is one of the reasons I choose to go to this school. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The classes were very well put together and I learned a lot. However I felt like I was at a high school of sorts. They don't treat you as adults. |
| Instruction | 9 | All of my teachers were great, and really knew what they were talking about. There were a lot of hands-on demonstrations before we actually went out and worked on a customer's car. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The automotive classes were a breeze because I had been working on cars for years before attending school. The general education classes were difficult for me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had equal time in book/classroom work as we did with shop time. It was always easier for me to learn about it in class and then go perform than vice versa. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | One could make the schedule fit just about anything. My second year of classes were able to fit around my full-time job. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The auto shop was pretty amazing. They had everything that you need to learn there. The library was well-stocked and there was always a staff member to help if you needed it. |
| Social Life | 8 | It is a somewhat small school so it's much easier to meet people. They hold many social events through the year to get everyone together. |
| Placement Services | 2 | I was told there was no help with job placement. They do help you try to get your ASE certifications which I guess is helpful for future job placement. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | They keep very good track of alumni events and such. They created a Facebook account to get the word out more easily. |
Lincoln Technical Institute • Indianapolis, IN
Studying Heavy Trucks (completion in 2006)
• 1/13/2012
"I am still quite upset that they lied to me. In general, though, it was an education of sorts, and I suppose that is all I can really ask for."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | The school lied to me. I'd tell most people to stay away from automotive repair. |
| Program Reputation | I do not know what their reputation is. I know they are known throughout the state, but I think that is just because they are one of the major technical schools. | |
| Program Quality | 1 | I was lied to upon being recruited. Many of the things I was taught had no practical applications. I was shown the basics, but many times, I find a hammer and a can of lubricant is required, because what I am working on is so rusted out. |
| Instruction | 5 | I was taught many of the basics, but not in a practical setting. I did learn it, though, so I suppose they did something right. |
| How Difficult | 1 | I already had a basic understanding of automotive repair before attending. I've also never had any difficulties with school. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We spent a lot of our time in hands-on practice. It is really about the only way to learn automotive repair; you simply have to do it. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The schedule was one nice thing about the school. While I attended, I had a job during the day and was able to take my classes in the evenings. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | We definitely needed more shop space. There were computers, but they were quite old. |
| Social Life | 5 | There were no sports teams or clubs, but we had plenty of parties. Everybody seemed to get along or at least put up with each other, for the most part. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I found my own job. I was offered no help in finding employment after completion of my certification. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I've had little to no contact from my school. That pretty much explains the network and support. We are shoved out the door and that is it. |
Lincoln College Of Technology • Indianapolis, IN
Studying Automotive Technology (completion in 2008)
• 2/1/2012
"Overall, I feel going to Lincoln Tech was a good choice, but I am left feeling cut off from my alumni in a way that I feel people in other fields aren't, because of the abundance of social organizations, reunions, etc. I also have some issues with their lack of job placement. Being unable to apprentice in a shop because of the schooling hours and the lack of support for past alumni further complicated this and left me broke and desperate for a job after graduation."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Yes, but I would warn them about the problems I experienced after graduation. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Being that automotive technology is almost the only thing they're known for, they are really reputable. Also, since it is one of the few programs they offer, they've put a lot of research and development behind it. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Being a trade school, it was very nice to have every class in the shop. Lots of hands-on training made it a lot easier to learn the things I didn't already know. |
| Instruction | 9 | Besides actual at-work experience, my schooling taught me all the essentials of automotive repair. They didn't waste any of my time with geography or biology - just cars. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It definitely made you use your brain and study. However, there was never any work to be done at home. Some of the harder classes, like drivability, required a bit more studying. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Being in a shop setting, there was always a car to work on. We spent a majority of our time doing hands-on work, but our professors made it a point to counterbalance that with academic work. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | It was a very fast-paced environment, with classes typically lasting only a month. But because Lincoln Tech offered virtually no weekend or spaced-out classes, it made schooling incompatible with having a full-time job. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | For the most part, the professors were all very knowledgeable and available at any time to answer questions. Most of them were ex-mechanics with 10+ years in the field, and I can think of numerous times they took time after class to re-explain problems I had. The facilities Lincoln Tech offered were pretty exceptional also; being well stocked with tools, they gave me my first experience of in-shop auto work. |
| Social Life | 3 | There weren't any clubs to plug into. As for events, there were only two noteworthy ones, which were the annual creeper race and when a NASCAR mechanic came to speak to us at graduation. |
| Placement Services | 5 | While Lincoln Tech provided me with a career counselor, their involvement in the placement process was limited to teaching me resume-building skills. There wasn't any sort of collaboration between the school and potential employers. Ideally, I think they could have done a better job pairing up graduates with regional auto shops with openings. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | The school's alumni network is pretty much nonexistent. I made a few friends in the few years I was there, but there is no internal structure for connecting with past students/teachers. |
Ivy Tech Community College • Indianapolis, IN
Studying High Performance (completion in 2011)
• 3/4/2012
"I am very satisfied with what the school taught me. I learned many useful skills from Ivy Tech. It just turns out my expectations of what the job market is actually like were off."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend Ivy Tech to anyone who wants to pursue a degree in automotive. I was able to learn a lot about diagnosing vehicles and basic maintenance. It is no fault of the school that the career path I wanted to pursue is difficult to get a foot in the door. They never promised that I would be able to work for a big name race team or find a job building race cars. They simply offered the program for someone who wanted to learn how to do that, and I jumped at it. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | When job searching and while in the workforce, I have seen many individuals from a very expensive school in the area come and go. I have always felt very highly of the education I received from Ivy Tech and understand that it is whatever individuals make of it. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I was very satisfied with the education I received from Ivy Tech. I just found that the field I really wanted to get into didn't have an ample supply of jobs. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors at Ivy Tech were great. They employed a variety of instructors, ranging from individuals with degrees in education to men that actually worked day in and day out in the areas they were instructing. |
| How Difficult | 5 | There were challenges to be faced in school. But I found for myself that by attending lectures and doing the required readings, it was relatively easy to succeed. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a mixture of hands on and book learning at Ivy Tech. A typical day would start in the classroom discussing different aspects of automotive. Around halfway thru the 4 hour class we would typically move out into the shop and work on the vehicles and apply what we had just learned in the classroom. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The school has automotive classes at three different times throughout the day. But if you fall out of sequence for the classes, it can be difficult to take the classes that need to be taken. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Most of the learning material, as well as the vehicles we had to work on at Ivy Tech, were quite old. The instructors did a wonderful job of making the most of what the college could afford. |
| Social Life | 10 | I had a great time. All instructors were very personable and made sure everyone was able to engage in discussion and be sociable, while maintaining an excellent learning environment. |
| Placement Services | I received my job at Andy Mohr Nissan through a fellow classmate that I worked on group projects at school with. He put in a good word for me and the manager hired me on. So I have not had any experience with Ivy Tech's job placement help. | |
| Alumni Network | I haven't had any experience with alumni network or support through Ivy Tech. Therefore, I can't make an accurate statement regarding this question. |
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