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 Support Specialists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Metropolitan Community College-Longview, Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods, Columbia College, and Ozarks 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
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Drury, Maryville, Southeast Missouri State, and University of Missouri-St Louis.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider STLCC - Forest Park, STLCC - Florissant Valley, Webster University, and Lindenwood.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Webster University, Fontbonne, William Woods University, and Lindenwood.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Washington University in St Louis, Saint Louis University, Evangel University, and Culver - Stockton.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Culver - Stockton, William Jewell College, Evangel University, and College of the Ozarks.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Saint Louis University, and Truman.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at College of the Ozarks, Washington University in St Louis, Avila, and Columbia College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Washington University in St Louis, William Jewell College, Saint Louis University, and Evangel University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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ITT Tech • Kansas City, MO
Studying Electronics And Communications Engineering Technology (completion in 2009)
• 9/27/2011
"I don't feel as if my degree is prestigious enough to last though my entire career. I feel as if traditional schools offer a better education with cheaper tuition."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I feel as if a traditional school would be better. I only chose it because it was much easier to schedule classes around work. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | I feel as if my school's reputation could be higher. I feel it is sub-par when compared to the education provided by a traditional school. |
| Program Quality | 3 | I would have gotten a better education from a traditional college. I feel as if some of my teachers were in it for a paycheck and did not care about our education. |
| Instruction | 4 | Some of my teachers were excellent. The main teacher in my degree program was not able to effectively communicate or educate. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I do not feel as if I was pushed. I also feel as if I would have been passed no matter what level of effort I put into school. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My program had a lot of lab activities to go along with book learning. The lab exercises did help in my understanding. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | My classes were scheduled late enough to accommodate my work schedule. The school was so small that I often had to wait for important classes to be offered. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The lab equipment was good. The school was too small to offer good study groups, and the teachers were often unavailable after hours. |
| Social Life | 1 | There was no school spirit. The administration tried to organize a few socials during the school day, but nobody was interested. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I was not offered any good career leads. I found a job myself, but not until 6 months after I graduated. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I received no guidance from my schools career center. I have not heard from my school since I graduated. |
Lincoln University • Jefferson City, MO
Studying (completion in 2009)
• 9/25/2011
"2 years after graduation and no full-time job. No part-time job. Just freelance contract stuff."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Don't go to school for CIS CS Software Engineering. Just buy some hosting. Download tutorials for whatever software you want to develop and find a project that you can fork and modify. |
| Program Quality | 3 | The classes were ok but there wasn't enough post college prep. No support getting an internship. No help finding a job. |
| Instruction | 3 | Yeah, no career prep, lots of liberal arts garbage. |
| How Difficult | 4 | Not really difficult at all, just a lot of papers to write. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It depended upon the class. The majority of the CIS classes were very hands on while everything else just kinda was more book oriented. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | There are summer and night classes. But the core classes were always full and the language classes were all too early in the morning (6 & 7 am). |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Everything in the lab worked and the software was only 2-5 years out of date. Of course they also had COBOL classes for the state curriculum. |
| Social Life | 1 | The school spirit never affected my life. I was busy working a full-time job while the other students were having a blast. |
| Placement Services | 1 | This is non-existent. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | What network and support? I get a shiny magazine every homecoming and that's the extent of the alumni network. |
Lincoln University • Jefferson City, MO
Studying CIS (completion in 2009)
• 1/21/2012
"I enjoyed most of the classes. But I can't get a job with the degree and I've tried for 3 years."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I have encouraged my girlfriend to go to school at Lincoln. She started attending in January of 2012. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | Lincoln has a poor reputation as a diploma mill. I think it's because the majority of students start at Lincoln with an elementary level of education and the teachers are glad to teach the students anything. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Great basic IT education with non repetitive classes that teach CS theory and practical usage. |
| Instruction | 8 | The teachers knew what they were teaching. And the classes were practical for entrepreneurship focused individuals. |
| How Difficult | 1 | I'd been immersed in IT for 11 years prior to taking these courses. So the classes were kinda remedial for me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The practical hands on learning was excellent in the computer classes. The botany classes were also excellent. The math and social studies and english classes were mostly books and writing. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | I took classes when they were available and wrapped my work schedule around the class availability. The language classes especially were only available much too early in the morning. This was when I was working a full-time job and going to school full-time. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The computer labs were ok. The botany science labs were really neat. |
| Social Life | I have Asperger's and couldn't really integrate socially with anyone. The one social event I attended seemed pleasant enough. But I stood by the bar the entire time dressed in my sheet (it was a toga party) and everyone else danced around and had fun. | |
| Placement Services | 1 | The college has no job placement unless you are a current student. And the alumni support is all in person by appointment only. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | There is almost no support. But that could be because of the poor economic growth in the area. |
Vatterott College • Joplin, MO
Studying Computer Technology (completion in 2006)
• 3/22/2012
"I was very satisfied with the way they handled helping people with the job search. Some of the books and information seemed outdated, and I found myself learning a lot more out of school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If they are looking for a school geared towards helping them find a job and career then I'd greatly recommend it. If looking for a more complete learning experience then I would not recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Have worked with other graduates from this school. It seems most of them have average computer knowledge, like I did right after graduation. |
| Program Quality | 5 | I felt I learned a lot while in school. When I actually started working I quickly realized there was a lot I did not yet know. |
| Instruction | 7 | Instructors were very helpful, would answer any questions you may have, and tried to ensure nobody was left out. The classes were geared towards career preparation. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I did not find classes too difficult. Teachers ensured you were well prepared for tests and offered study guides the day before. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Almost every class was hands on. Not much book work until it came to testing. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They offered both day and evening classes and allowed you to switch between both if needed. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The library did not have a big selection of books. They provided computers in the library to access the internet and to print if needed. |
| Social Life | It was a technical school so they did not have sports teams or anything like that. Really no social groups at all. | |
| Placement Services | 10 | They were very helpful in this category. They actually arranged for my interview and got me hired at my current employer. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | School does not really keep in touch since I graduated. It does not seem like there is a really defined alumni network. |
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