Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
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 University of South Dakota, Black Hills State, Lake Area Technical Institute, and Mount Marty College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Sisseton Wahpeton College and Sinte Gleska University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Kilian Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Augustana, University of Sioux Falls, The School of Mines, and South Dakota State.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Augustana, University of Sioux Falls, Northern State, and South Dakota State.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at The School of Mines and University of South Dakota.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at The School of Mines, Augustana, Sinte Gleska University, and Sisseton Wahpeton College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Mitchell Technical Institute • Mitchell, SD
Studying SCADA (completion in 2011)
• 12/26/2011
"I had some issues with an online class, that's the only downside for Mitchell Technical Institute. They had signed us up for an online Psychology class without telling us, we came back after the summer and had homework due the next day in the online class, none of us had the book, etc. That was very poorly planned and very hectic. Other than that my school experience was great."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | My education taught me the skills above and beyond what I needed. They taught many aspects of my field instead of becoming centered on a few. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Mitchell Technical Institute is one of the only schools in the nation that taught the SCADA major. I have a job now where I do mostly computer programming, in a large manufacturing setting. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I learned the necessary skills to perform my job without all the fluff classes. My classes were tough enough to make me learn and weed out the poor students. |
| Instruction | 8 | My primary instructor was very strict and very demanding, he forced us to learn many aspects of the jobs we were getting in to, not just the basics. I felt my instructor knew everything there was to know about our field and would find the answers and present them to the class the next day if not. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I have been a straight A student most of my academic career. I received a B on my first assignment and I took it to the instructor and he said "I feel you did a little above average but not far above average," which was exactly the case. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My program was very hands-on. We only had to buy about five books for the entire class. Most of the class was taught directly in the lab, with handouts and real life scenarios. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | We attended class from 8:00AM-3:00PM Monday - Thursday and until noon on Fridays, no exceptions. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | We had an amazing programming lab, and a brand new facility. Plenty of space to spread out, nice big tables, etc. |
| Social Life | 10 | I had a very good school experience and made several life long friends. They tried to have school functions, I usually had to work, but I think they did a fine job of having some extracurricular activities. |
| Placement Services | 5 | We had a job fair at school shortly before graduation. There were not as many jobs for my field as I would have liked and as we were promised. We were told to have 50 resumes ready and I think only gave out a handful. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I have been contacted with several post cards and fliers wanting me to donate to different organizations at Mitchell Tech since I graduated. None have asked me about my job or my salary. I think they should be collecting some demographic data as far as who went where and whom is making what so they can properly inform their incoming students. |
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