Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Chefs
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Central Piedmont Community College, Wake Technical Community College, Guilford Technical Community College, and Fayetteville Technical 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 Robeson Community College, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Guilford Technical Community College, and Central Piedmont Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Montgomery Community College, Alamance, Lenoir Community College, and Asheville Buncombe.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Fayetteville Technical Community College, Central Piedmont Community College, Sandhills Community College, and Montgomery Community College.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at College of the Albemarle, Lenoir Community College, Carteret Community College, and Southwestern Community College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Sort Reviews By:Sorting by: • Show All Details • Hide All Details
Guilford Technical Community College • Greensboro, NC
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 2007)
• 8/10/2011
"I learned what I needed. I wouldn't have minded learning more, though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If they want the basics, then yes. If they want more, then I would say no. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | It's a basic community college. It doesn't seem bad, but it's not great either. |
| Program Quality | 4 | It wasn't bad. Better teachers would have been nice, though. |
| Instruction | 5 | Again, the teachers should have been better. I, however, managed to get what I needed nonetheless. |
| How Difficult | 3 | It was simple. I already knew a lot and already had passion. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had some classes that were just book stuff while others were held in the kitchen. We even had BBQ's and other outdoor activities. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | It's great! I can take classes online or at varying times throughout the day. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | They had the essentials - nothing more and nothing less. |
| Social Life | 7 | I made good friends during class. Some are even coworkers now and two others plan on starting a company with me. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I found my own job, so I never had a need to use these services. But they are offered. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | It is not something I keep up with though it is easy to locate, I suppose. I rated it a 2 because the only reason I know of it is because I see it on the website. |
Isothermal Community College • Spindale, NC
Studying Cooking (completion in 2011)
• 1/14/2012
"I love my school. I love the campus, teachers, and the people there. You always see everyone walking around with a smile."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It's the school you want to be at. Everything is A+. There is no bullying. Everyone is there to learn, and your teachers are there to teach and do their jobs at an A+ level. |
| Program Reputation | They just started the program. | |
| Program Quality | 10 | They love what they do and it's good to have someone teaching you what they love. It's so easy learning at my school in this program. |
| Instruction | 10 | They are excellent. They are always on time and they are there to help you with whatever you need. The learning bar is very high there. |
| How Difficult | 10 | Anyone can learn here; there is nothing too hard or too easy. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | They have good hands-on learning. If you feel like you are not getting something, the teachers are always there to help. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | They understand things happen and work with you in terms of your schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | They have tutors to help, if needed. They have open lab hours. They have open classes; if you miss a class, you can make it up with another class going on that same day. |
| Social Life | 10 | No sports and it's not a stay-on campus. They have online social events. |
| Placement Services | They have no career services nor job placement assistance. | |
| Alumni Network | I don't know anything about the alumni network. |
Central Carolina Community College • Sanford, NC
Studying Veterinary Medical Technology (completion in 2013)
• 3/19/2012
"Great program, I learned a lot in such a short amount of time. Not to mention, I love NC."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If you want to become a veterinary technician and you live on the East coast, this is the place to do it. Excellent teachers, wonderful program, and good people. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Like I said, it has one of the best programs in the country. Very good. |
| Program Quality | 8 | My school has an EXCELLENT program. I moved here from PA just for this program. |
| Instruction | 10 | The teachers are all very knowledgeable. They have tons of experience and know exactly what we need to learn for our careers. |
| How Difficult | 9 | It's 4 years of work combined into 5 semesters, so it's a lot. We have externships to be doing while taking a lot of difficult classes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | First year is mostly book learning, with some labs. Second year is basically putting everything you learned into action. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | You have to take all the classes when they tell you to. There are a few options that you can take online. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | You have to mainly use your own computer, but that's not too big of a deal. They have all the newest vet med technologies. |
| Social Life | 5 | Most of the girls in the class (as the class is 35 girls and 3 men) get very close, however, I've always been a loner. However, I have not had any trouble with anyone. |
| Placement Services | 9 | I believe almost everyone who finished the program found a job within 6 weeks. They are extremely helpful. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | It's pretty decent. The teachers let us know where previous students have worked and it gives us a good idea of where to look. |
Davidson County Community College • Lexington, NC
Studying Business (completion in 2011)
• 3/24/2012
"I was able to get my degree. I still had a GPA of 3.57 when I finished at the age of 47."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | They help a lot of people choose the degree that is best for them. It is cheaper than other colleges. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | It has high ratings as far as cost and degrees they offer. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Classes were available online and in the classroom. Teachers were very helpful. |
| Instruction | 9 | We did some hands-on activities to help us learn. The classes were just what we needed for the degree. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Sometimes there was a lot of homework. Some tests were hard. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Some teachers used more textbook teaching than hands on. I think you learn more with hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | They have full-time and part-time classes. They have online classes too. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The computer lab is very helpful. They have tutors for people who need them. |
| Social Life | 10 | They have a basketball team and a soccer team. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They have Job Corps. Some degrees place you in a job after you get your degree. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | There is a lot to choose from. The college's website has everything you need to know. |
Online Course Finder
Find the path to your
education in 3 easy steps.