Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Computer Programmers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Ivy Tech Central Indiana, Purdue, IUPUI, and Indiana University.
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 IU Northwest, IU South Bend, Indiana University, and IPFW.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Calumet College, Vincennes University, IU Northwest, and Ivy Tech Northwest.
- 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 Notre Dame, Earlham, Taylor University, and Valparaiso.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Hanover, Earlham, Goshen, and Manchester.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Notre Dame, Rose-Hullman, Earlham, and DePauw.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Notre Dame.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Hanover, Earlham, Notre Dame, and DePauw.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Ivy Tech Community College • Indianapolis, IN
Studying Network Administration (completion in 2010)
• 5/5/2011
"Great education and flexible schedules. I have no complaints other than it has no culture at all. (Not a big deal for me)"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Being a very large school, it offers tons of classes and certifications. Also, classes are offered practically 24/7 year round. The quality of education is quite good in my opinion! |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Ivy tech is well known as a school for "working adults". But it has a pretty good reputation for education, Indiana funds it VERY well. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The education I received was great. The only complaint I have is that the education is too general. Most of my SQL and web building knowledge was self-taught. |
| Instruction | 10 | Ivy Tech does a great job teaching students. The teachers usually are part time and actually work in the IT industry. So they can give real advice on finding and working a job. |
| How Difficult | 3 | No homework! (For most classes). I didn't even need it. The classes taught you everything you needed! (Naturally, you do have to study a little though). |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | You learn from your book for every subject. But most of the class you spend actually on the computer. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They offer online classes, night classes, summer classes, and weekend classes. And tons of campuses across Indiana. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | They have several computer labs, but they're usually full. So bring your own computer. The WiFi there is usually consistent 60Mbps :D VERY FAST! |
| Social Life | 3 | Practically no "after school activities". It's a very large school (10,000+ at my campus) but most are adults with jobs. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They have an entire office dedicated to it. Everyone I know who asked for job placement got it. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I know nothing about it. They have fundraisers... but I've never been invited to an event or anything. |
ITT Tech • Indianapolis, IN
Studying Information Systems Security (completion in 2007)
• 5/4/2011
"ITT Tech is a joke and a rip off. I learned more on my own than I ever did I ITT Tech. I wish I could get my money back."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | No | HELL NO!!!! I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone even if I had a gun to my head. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | From the easy course work and professors who have no idea about the subject matter, there is no way ITT Tech has a positive reputation. It's the laughing stock of all the colleges in the USA. |
| Program Quality | 1 | ITT Tech is a joke and a rip off. I learned more on my own than I ever did at ITT Tech. I wish I could get my money back. |
| Instruction | 1 | The professors didn't know the subjects they were teaching themselves. They constantly having to dodge questions because they had no knowledge or programing experience. |
| How Difficult | 1 | ITT Tech is a for profit "college". They create classes that are very easy so that students don't quit. This allows them to continue to charge outrageous prices for their crappy classes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The courses were all book related. In fact the test questions were word for word from the book. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The courses were all online. You could sign on anytime you wanted and complete the work. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I don't know how to rate the school's facilities, because I only had online classes. |
| Social Life | 1 | Once again, the only interactions I had with others were online through email. However I suspect I wouldn't have wanted socialized with anyone from the school. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I don't know how to rate this when they were non-existent. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I don't think the school even has an alumni network, and if they did I never heard about it. Also I'm not sure I would want anyone to know I went to ITT Tech. |
Ball State University • Muncie, IN
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2007)
• 11/27/2011
"Relatively inexpensive to attend. Good study facilities/instruction."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | You'll make lifelong friends. You'll have world-class contacts in the field. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | It was not a Tier One school, i.e., Stanford, MIT, etc. But with a few years of hindsight, I would not have traded the exposure to the program at my school, for anything. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The facilities were not cheap. Thought was put into the needs of the future programmers. |
| Instruction | 10 | The depth and breadth of experience the professors provided were excellent. There were many highly rated experts in their respective fields. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was definitely NOT an easy program. Individual research and initiative were required. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A very good combination of theory and projects was always around. Classic problems in the field vs. implementing ideas were always in a good combination. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | They would work around things, if you didn't "take advantage" by not doing your work. But if you had a problem, there was always something they could do for you. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The newest facilities, and instruction was not always bleeding edge. But a very solid grounding in the subject matter was attained via the facilities. |
| Social Life | 5 | I was a computer geek. I took advantage of the sports facilities and libraries, and I had a lot of fun. I wasn't there for social matters, but to become a scientist. |
| Placement Services | 5 | The dedicated career service at my school was a bit of "you're on your own." The department I was in was the biggest help for my career. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | To this day, I can email or call the faculty, and they will talk, help or just chat. References from the faculty are always cheerfully done. |
Manchester College • North Manchester, IN
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2011)
• 12/12/2011
"I found professors that inspired me, and I made friends that last. I was not looking for much more."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Depends on if someone is looking for a lot of CS electives, with a number of professors available. In that case, it's a bad idea. Do a lot of work on your own and you will be pleased. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | Very small number of CS graduates every year. I am not sure how well they do after they graduate. |
| Program Quality | 4 | We could have used a couple more classes. I was disappointed in the lack of electives. |
| Instruction | 8 | The offered classes were well taught, although they could have added a little more depth to some topics. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I started programming at a young age. I basically breezed through the classes; this is not true for the majority of the students, however. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | In a small college with an average class size of 15, it is a very hands-on learning experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | A lot of summer classes are offered. Online classes are limited to summertime. A few evening classes, and no weekend classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 2 | Only two professors in CS, and only one has a PhD. One tutor for basic CS classes. |
| Social Life | 8 | There was a student body organization that organized events that did well. There were a lot of sporting activities to be involved in. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They provide assistance with resumes, cover letters, and practice interviews. The career services are outstanding! |
| Alumni Network | 8 | They keep letting me know about events and networking opportunities. In that respect, it's pretty good. |
Ivy Tech • Richmond, IN
Studying General Education (completion in 2004)
• 12/17/2011
"This seems like a very good school that really works to help students accomplish the degree goals they have. The courses thoroughly teach you the subject matter and everyone is very helpful."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It is a very good school with good teachers, classes, and good help. I would recommend this school not only to anyone who is seeking the same degree, but also to anyone seeking any type of degree they offer. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | They seem to have a very good reputation for this program as well as other programs they offer. I have heard this school recommended several times. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The program is very thorough and covers all of the material well. The teachers are helpful and the overall program really ensures you know the industry and how to operate in the position for you are studying. |
| Instruction | 9 | The teachers were really good. They thoroughly explained the material to ensure it was clearly understood by the students. |
| How Difficult | 3 | It was not very difficult for most of the courses, but some were slightly difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There is a mix of both hands on and book learning. You learn a lot from the books to learn some of the basic concepts and then are assigned projects that let you practice what you learn. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The classes have some flexibility where you can take evening or nonlinear classes to meet your needs. Some classes are only offered on campus either in the morning or afternoon, which are required for the degree and you can not do evening or nonlinear with those. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The facilities are really good for the classroom sizes and building. There is a computer lab that any student can use for free and the advisers are very helpful. They will set down with you and discuss the degree you want and how to go about obtaining it. They will work with you if you want to transfer and work with the other school to ensure you earn all of the transfer credits needed. They also help you to get financial aid and walk you through the entire process. They are very helpful. |
| Social Life | 8 | There are several clubs and organizations you can join to interact with other students. They have degree-specific clubs so you can interact with other students who are studying the same thing you are. There are many opportunities to get involved on campus. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They do offer some assistance with jobs after you finish attending. It is not extensive help, as they do not set up interviews for you, but they point you in the right direction so you know where to apply and how you can actually apply the degree you earned. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | They have a really good alumni network. I still receive newsletters for alumni and invites to campus events. |
Indiana University • Bloomington, IN
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2011)
• 3/25/2012
"It's helped me tremendously. Can't thank them enough. Wouldn't have the job I do today without IU."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | There are some great profs at IU who will definitely help you code like a pro. Don't listen to the hype about Purdue. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | We get compared a lot to Purdue, and I'm not gonna lie: Purdue is probably better with CS stuff. But, IU's computer science program has grown a lot over the past decade. |
| Program Quality | 8 | IU's comp sci program is really good. Dedicated profs, easy to access facilities, everything. |
| Instruction | 9 | Definitely learned everything I needed for Java at IU. I was in an Honors Java course, and I don't regret it at all now. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was difficult at times--especially since I took the honors route. Other non-CS courses weren't too bad though. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My CS classes tended not to use the book much at all, which was a good thing for me. We did a lot of coding work. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | IU Bloomington doesn't offer a lot of flexibility for classes, but it's aimed at traditional students. Their satellite campuses offer more evening classes and the like. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | I could always find a quiet place to study/code on campus. Plus, I had some great advisors too. |
| Social Life | 10 | Excellent. IU basketball is where it's at. Lots of fans there. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Absolutely outstanding career placement office. They'll help you find jobs, do a resume, cover letter... the whole shebang. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | They continue to provide job search services, and stuff like that. Might be helpful for me down the road. |
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