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 Franklin, National College-Youngstown, Columbus State Community College, and Lorain County 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 Urbana University, Chancellor University, Cleveland State, and College of Mount St. Joseph.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Ursuline College and National College-Youngstown.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Wilberforce University, Central State, Chancellor University, and Cleveland Institute of Electronics.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Franklin, Ursuline College, Ashland University, and College of Mount St. Joseph.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Cleveland Institute of Electronics, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Oberlin, and Wilberforce University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Wilberforce University, The College of Wooster, Denison, and Oberlin.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Oberlin, Case Western Reserve, Denison, and Ohio State.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Wilberforce University, Oberlin, Central State, and Notre Dame College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Oberlin, Denison, Case Western Reserve, and The College of Wooster.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Bowling Green State University • Bowling Green, OH
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2004)
• 10/2/2011
"I feel they could have done better with fees/tuition. They raised tuition and built a student union when I was there, which I didn't feel was something that was needed. The dorms were also out of date, and they didn't have an all-you-can-eat meal option."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If you are looking for a state school in Ohio, it's a good place to be. However, the tuition is a bit high, the 'non-major' class requirements are sort of steep, and the dorms, while getting better, are really subpar for what you pay. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Bowling Green isn't an exceptionally well known school for computer science. It's not been a mark against me, but it's not the sort of thing that wows an employer. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The program was very good, and the instructors were very helpful. There wasn't a lot of "cutting edge" sort of work being done, but the facilities were appropriate for teaching. |
| Instruction | 8 | The instructors were very good. I really learned a lot about how computers worked. The professors were very accessible and helpful. |
| How Difficult | 6 | The major's work load was very tolerable. There were some times of last minute projects getting done with only hours to spare, but I found it challenging without being overwhelming. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was almost all practical learning in the classes. I really learned a lot, and really wish I'd have been able to take more of the classes related to my major. We didn't just learn theory, we learned how to apply it. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | The summer classes were really great and they offered some classes over the summer that weren't available over the normal year. The evening classes weren't much of an option, and online classes hadn't really become a thing when I attended. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | They had two computer labs and ample classrooms. The labs were well stocked and sufficiently modern. The labs were monitored and it was possible to get help from the Lab Managers with homework and projects. |
| Social Life | 8 | The people at BGSU were friendly. There were lots of student clubs and other activities to participate in. I had a very good time there. |
| Placement Services | 7 | BGSU did offer a computer science specific job fair. That was a big bonus. The economic down turn in 2004 made the job fair when I graduated rather disappointing, but the previous years it was quite lively. They have great contacts with some of the employers in the area for internships and such. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have never really taken advantage of the alumni support network. What I have seen has generally been focused in areas where I'm not. |
University Of Cincinnati • Cincinnati, OH
Studying Information Technology (completion in 2011)
• 10/11/2011
"UC has got me a position at GE so I would have to say that the school did everything they promised for me. I would whole-heartedly recommend this school to anyone interested in a computing field."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The school can teach people of any skill level. If you are a novice or adept at computer sciences, UC has a place for you. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | UC is one of the only ABET accredited schools in the nation. This is a high privilege in IT. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The University of Cincinnati has a co-op education program so while you are going to school you are actually working in your field. UC has a challenging curriculum that will test students of any level. |
| Instruction | 7 | All of the professors know the material they were teaching extremely well. The team projects done in programming classes prepare you for working on teams in your real job. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Most of the work that we did was challenging, however some professors give easier assignments than others. There is always a chance to sign up for more work. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school combines a perfect balance between books and hands-on experience. Every IT class I had came with a lab. So you got a chance to put your theoretical knowledge to the test. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | They offer a lot of night courses to help you fit class in with your busy work schedule. Also a variety of online and day classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The school is currently transitioning to a new college within the university so the facilities are changing, so I cannot comment on the current condition. |
| Social Life | 6 | At UC everyone goes to the sporting events - especially Football and Basketball. As a member of the Big East there are a lot of other big name schools you get to see so it is a great social school. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The co-op program helps students get placed at any job level. If you need assistance there are programs that can help you get placed. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I haven't had much experience with the alumni network seeing as how I am a recent graduate. Though there are a lot of alums who donate back to the program. |
Bowling Green State University • Bowling Green, OH
Studying Management Of Information Systems (completion in 1980)
• 10/23/2011
"BGSU deserves its good reputation. It provided me with a good education in a very competitive field."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The school's reputation is very good. There are many things available at a large school that just cannot be experienced at a smaller institution |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Because it is a big school there were many opportunities. The school spent a great deal of money on technology. |
| Program Quality | 10 | There were many training opportunities at my school. In fact, I chose this career because of the quality of education that my school offered. |
| Instruction | 10 | My training was cutting edge. This training made it easy to find job opportunities. |
| How Difficult | 9 | There was a heavy course load and an imbalance between students and resources. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There were computer labs available. There were facilities to augment the book-learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | We went the normal Monday through Friday. The labs were open on the week-ends. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | There were many students in my major. Sometimes it seemed there were not enough resources to meet the demand. |
| Social Life | 10 | BGSU has many "Greek" activities. The sports teams did well and rallied many fans. |
| Placement Services | 6 | I found a job on my own. There were career/placement events and some internships. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I really don't participate. The school sends quarterly information. |
Walsh University • North Canton, OH
Studying Business/Management Information Systems (completion in 2009)
• 11/23/2011
"Had a great college experience. Would recommend the school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I had a great experience. Good for a small school. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | The reputation is good in the immediate area. Outside of the commuting area, not many people know about the school. |
| Program Quality | 7 | My program was small, but very informative. I met a lot of great people. |
| Instruction | 6 | The instructors provided you with the tools to learn. It was up to a student to complete all the assigned tasks. |
| How Difficult | 6 | The program was difficult, but the professors helped a lot. It was nice having a small class to interact with. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Classes were small and allowed for a lot of great interaction. Had a lot of hands-on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The university offered classes to various types of students. Night and weekend classes were always available. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The facilities were good for academic studies. They continue to get better. |
| Social Life | 7 | I had a great time with friends. I met some great people. |
| Placement Services | 6 | The job placement could be better. They do what they can with the resources available. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | The alumni network could be better. I have not had a lot of interaction with alumni. |
Ohio University • Athens, OH
Studying Computer Engineering (completion in 2011)
• 11/27/2011
"The school is great, and I couldn't have asked for anything more, despite some shortcomings. College is what you make of it. If you like the campus and the programs offered, the education you get is going to be based on your personal effort."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Russ College of Engineering at OU is pretty good. The school feels to be just the right size. The professors are decent and the facilities are good. It's a great campus to be at and a good place to get an engineering degree. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The engineering college seems average, but it has standout programs like the Aviation program. |
| Program Quality | 7 | Without going to another school to compare, I think my college was a good size and had pretty good academics. I could definitely see how more prestigious engineering programs would offer a better learning experience. |
| Instruction | 6 | I just didn't feel like in the majority of classes, I said to myself, "Yeah, I really want to have this professor again in my next quarter's schedule." |
| How Difficult | 9 | Electrical/Computer Engineering math is extremely difficult. I had trouble with Vector Calculus, Electromagnetics, and Antennas especially. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Engineering is a lot of theory and practice. We had plenty of laboratory work, but you see less and less of it as you get closer to graduation. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | Beyond freshman and a few sophomore-level courses, very few engineering courses are offered in the summer or winter intersession, and many courses are only offered 1 or 2 quarters per year. If my degree program was bigger, I might enjoy the benefits of having more options. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | We had plentiful computer labs, lots of free printing, all the software we needed, project team rooms, etc. The school is well equipped. |
| Social Life | 10 | Ohio University - #1 party school in the country. You're going to have fun there. I owe much of my social skills to going to college. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Our school had a job site and has career fairs. I have heard of other schools with mandatory Co-ops and other job placement programs that went above and beyond, whereas OU is just average. |
| Alumni Network | I haven't utilized my school's alumni network in any way yet. |
DeVry University • Columbus, OH
Studying Electronics Engineering (completion in 1998)
• 11/27/2011
"I believe they prepared me for the work environment."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I have in the past and will continue to in the future. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | They have a very high placement statistic. |
| Program Quality | 6 | Didn't pertain to field much, but did have lots of good complex thinking, which is involved in field. |
| Instruction | 7 | They were OK, but had high turnover. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Hard degree with lots of good math, whether it's calculus or other transforms. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Excellent mix of hands on and book, creating excellent troubleshooting skills. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | They have 3 shifts of school: morning, afternoon, or nights. If you break from those forms, they don't work well. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The technical side of the facilities was great. The non-technical were very sparse and even held in trailers at one point. |
| Social Life | 1 | Nonexistent. They are a technical school, not a party school. |
| Placement Services | 10 | 98% employment after school. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I tried to use them to find a job after a few years of being employed, and they couldn't help. They were the best right out of college. |
Wright State University • Dayton, OH
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2011)
• 11/15/2011
"I was very satisfied. The university is the right size and has excellent instructors. The tuition is fine as well."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | For the money the university is the best in the area for training and job placement. I enjoyed my time there a great deal. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | As far as I can tell the university is well known in the area. Outside of Ohio it is very unlikely that anyone has heard of the school. |
| Program Quality | 8 | For a state university Wright State is an excellent school. The engineering programs are top notch. |
| Instruction | 7 | Most instructors are very knowledgeable. It's evident that some are not native English speakers. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The program was very challenging but not impossible. Grades ended up being fairly average. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Between the laboratory course work and classroom exercises there was a very good mix of learning types. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | Plenty of courses were offered. They are staggered in a way that enabled me to be flexible in scheduling. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Plenty of computer labs with 24-hour access. Wright State has excellent computer facilities. |
| Social Life | It was not the school's fault but I simply don't take part in these activities. | |
| Placement Services | 6 | Career services helped to get me set up on several interviews. Very good support in this department. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | They had an average alumni support network, but could have been better. I needed to go outside the network for work. |
Mount Vernon Nazarene University • Mount Vernon, OH
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2007)
• 12/4/2011
"I loved my experience at the school. It isn't for everyone, as it is a Christian university (strict). They really fostered a great environment to learn in, though. I learned a lot."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | A computer science degree is very well rounded, enough that you could do programming, networking, administration, or even an IT executive route, if you plan you minor correctly. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The school has a good reputation. They do not "pump out" graduates. There were only 4 CS graduates when I graduated. They really make sure you know your stuff before you move on. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The major at MVNU challenged me greatly. They structured their program to weed out the people that didn't really want a degree in computer science. The professors are top-notch and know you personally. |
| Instruction | 10 | The professors know their material. They know you personally and will not shy away from helping you one on one. Their offices were always open. |
| How Difficult | 10 | It was a very challenging program. I spent many long hours in the computer lab doing my programming assignments. The actual coursework wasn't too bad, but the homework/lab work took a LOT of time; however, I also learned a lot from it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Many classes were very book oriented, and many were very hands on. Most of my major-specific classes were hands on, doing a lot of the learning in the computer lab. Many of my Gen Ed classes were book driven, such as math and religion. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | There weren't many evening options, and summer options were limited to gen ed classes. This is a very traditional program with some classes only offered every other year. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The library had everything I needed. The computer science lab was very nice, with top-quality computers and comfortable desks -- perfect for long hours in the lab. Classrooms were large and had a small number of students. My largest class (a gen ed class) had 35 students. Professors are always available to help, and many provided their home numbers. |
| Social Life | 10 | It is a dry campus, so there were no drinking parties. The athletics were topnotch and the basketball team drew a large crowd every game. Free for students. The Cougar Crazies have awesome school spirit and many of the students really get into it. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I had no issue finding a job after graduating. The CS professors know many people in the field in the local area and businesses that hire. There are some local places that love hiring MVNU CS graduates because of their quality. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The alumni network is good; the man in charge knows everyone, somehow. They have events every year and even travel to have events in the larger groupings of alumni who are away from the college (Nashville, Phoenix, etc.). |
University Of Akron • Akron, OH
Studying MIS (completion in 2008)
• 12/11/2011
"Attending the school was a great experience. I feel I got a good education at a reasonable price."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend it, due to my positive personal experiences. It is not as expensive to attend when compared to other schools. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The same as it was when I went there. Quality education at a fair price. |
| Program Quality | 7 | There are better schools out there for technology-based degrees. I feel that I got a good education for a price I could afford. |
| Instruction | 8 | The teachers were personable. They cared about you, as long as you cared about yourself in regard to performing well in the class. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The classes were challenging. In some courses, you were happy if you got a B. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There is a lot of hands-on learning with programming, networking, and so forth. There was also much studying for tests and to complete the assignments. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | You could have all morning classes, all evening classes, or classes all throughout the day; whatever worked for your life's schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | They have been renovating the entire campus since I first started there. The dorms have all been upgraded. |
| Social Life | 9 | Students are friendly. There is a diverse group of students that you socialize with that provides many different perspectives. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They hosted many career fairs. These fairs were full of companies looking for students to hire into jobs like mine. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | There are not many alumni for me to network with. Most of my classmates are in different states. |
Ohio University • Athens, OH
Studying MIS (completion in 2000)
• 2/4/2012
"I am very satisfied with my school. It was some of the best years of my life and it was school that provided that to me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Ohio U. provides a person with a great education. Their program is known in the area for preparing the students for their careers. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Ohio University reputation concerning MIS is very good. They continue every year to improve their programs. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The years I spent at OU were a great experience. I enjoyed my the environment, classes and friends |
| Instruction | 8 | The quality of instruction at OU was great. I left the university prepared for the real world. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The program was challenging but not impossible. With effort and motivation I was able to complete my work load and found enjoyment in the challenge. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | All materials in the book was covered during the classes. To be prepared for class you needed to read your book. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They offer many different time spots for their classes. I was able to work and find time to complete my classes and home work. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Their facilities are know as the best in Ohio. I never had to wait for resources to become available. They were able to support all their students. |
| Social Life | 10 | School sprit at OU is great. We were one happy family. There were always things to do if you didn't want to party. |
| Placement Services | 5 | It is average. I did the majority of the work searching for employment after college. Their career services only help current students. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I receive updates in the mail monthly and daily by Facebook. Their focus is to support all of their former students. |
Edison Community College • Piqua, OH
Studying Computer Information Technology (completion in 2011)
• 2/15/2012
"My associate's degree does not carry nearly as much weight as I had hoped it would. In fact, it would seem that it means almost nothing without industry certifications to back it up. However, it was a great start (72 credit hours) towards my B.S. and saved me a lot of money; Edison charges roughly half the price Franklin University charges per credit hour."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would highly recommend a transfer program. An associate's degree doesn't mean much in the technology field, but a transfer program at Edison can save a lot of money on the first two years of a four-year degree. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Edison has a good reputation locally. Most area businesses recognize it immediately. However, this reputation seems to be limited to just a few counties. Outside of this small area, the school is not well known. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The instructors were knowledgeable and friendly (mostly). The courses covered information to prepare for the A+, Network+, CCNA, and MCSA exams. I had no trouble transferring my credits to Franklin University. |
| Instruction | 8 | We were only able to work with servers in a virtual environment (VMWare), but we did get to work with actual Cisco equipment (routers, switches, WAPs) in the Cisco classes. I was surprised to find that they were still teaching classes on Windows Server 2003, but did not offer classes on Windows Server 2008 (I started the program in 2009). |
| How Difficult | 7 | The Cisco classes were very difficult. These were eight-week courses that each covered a massive amount of information. The Microsoft classes were relatively easy, compared to the Cisco classes. Overall, there was a huge amount of homework and memorization in this program. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We worked hands on with Cisco networking equipment and virtual Windows 2003 and Linux servers. However, there was a lot of book learning before we were allowed to get hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Edison offers evening, weekend, online, and web-flex (a combination of online and in-class learning) courses. During my time there, I used all of these options at least once. I never had trouble scheduling classes around my job. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The library was relatively small and there never seemed to be enough public computers. However, there was a "Learning Center" located in the library, where a student could always find assistance and tutoring. Most of the professors were readily available by email. |
| Social Life | 3 | Edison had few sports to speak of; only men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball. There were few organized social events. I was Vice President of Leadership for the Alpha Lambda Eta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, and the officers were the only members who ever attended a meeting; only seven of sixty-three members! |
| Placement Services | 1 | The job portal the school uses is not very helpful. There are very few local jobs listed. In order to post a resume to the job portal, it must be approved by a school official, who judges the resumes by outdated criteria. The school also offers resume assistance, but again, uses outdated standards. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | The school's alumni network seems to consist of a job portal, which is filled mostly with jobs in other states, and an annual email asking for donations. |
Columbus State Community College • Columbus, OH
Studying Information Technology (completion in 2008)
• 2/24/2012
"I felt that I got a good education at a reasonable cost. I believe that my college experience could have been better in regards to cost."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I believe that my degree has helped me. I would encourage others to try and improve their lives as well. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Columbus State is not as popular as Ohio State. With so many four year universities nearby, it's difficult for Columbus State to get a good reputation. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I was very pleased with my education. I feel that the instructors were very knowledgeable and it was hands on learning. |
| Instruction | 10 | Instructors were great. They provided real world lessons and training. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I feel that the book work was the most difficult. I thought the difficulty was challenging, but not enough so that it was discouraging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | As I mentioned earlier, the instructors did a great job creating hands on lessons. I would say that program courses averaged about 50% hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | Classes were offered at very flexible times. I think that Columbus State does a good job offering flexible classes, but still average for a community college which typically has night and weekend classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The labs and facilities are great. The school has grown so much so facilities are new and current. |
| Social Life | 2 | I was not involved in social aspects. As an adult learner I made the choice to not be involved. |
| Placement Services | I have not used the job and career center. I already had a job, and this degree allowed me to advance. | |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The alumni network is large, yet not very productive. The support system is not very strong. |
Remington College • Cleveland, OH
Studying Computer Networking Technology (completion in 2005)
• 3/4/2012
"Certain teachers wre great. They pushed you and weren't easy on students."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If one wants a good education with a reputable school, go to a community college or a local university that employers will know about. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | They are really unknown and not looked upon as a legitimate school. My former supervisor didn't hire a guy because he had attended Remington. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The school is about pushing people through even though the students haven't mastered the subject. It's a for-profit organization. |
| Instruction | 9 | Some teachers were not qualified to teach the subject being taught. I could have did a better job. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The first four quarters are basically a cake walk. But it kind of evens out during the last class. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I selected a mix because there was a lot of lab work to completed. The book knowledge was most important for all tests and finals. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | They offer day and evening classes. I have attended both. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | The school is small. However, students have one day per week to sit one on one with an instructor for any extra help needed on a subject. |
| Social Life | 1 | There weren't any extracurricular activities. As they grow, I'd expect other community activities to be added. |
| Placement Services | 1 | They do not have a job placement program. Instructors recommend certain students to employers they know or have work for in the past, but there's nothing formal in place. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Students can come back any time and take classes for free. Students only have to buy books and a computer. |
R.E.T.S. Tech • Centerville, OH
Studying Electronics Engineering (completion in 1994)
• 3/9/2012
"I enjoyed my time there. With the classes staying together the whole time, we built strong bonds with each other. If I had to find one thing that I didn't like, I would like to have been in the new facilities."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend it if the person wanted to learn about the hardware side of computers as well as the software side. If they only want to write code, then this would not be the place. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | We have hired several people from the school after they graduated. All have seemed to have a good grasp of the basics. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The school gave me a good base to work from. It taught me a lot of the fundamentals of how the hardware interfaces with software. If I had started with development first, it would have been difficult. |
| Instruction | 7 | The majority of my instructors had 10 plus years working in the field. They had a lot of real-life examples of how things worked instead of just book examples. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The difficulty was diminished since we had smaller class sizes. The instructors were able to spend more one-on-one time with us during our labs. My personal work load was due to working full time and going to school at night. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Our instructors would give us a small lecture and then we would go to labs right away. We spent at least half, if not more, time in labs. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I was very pleased with the school's flexibility. At times I had to travel for my job and the instructors were very helpful in making up for lost time. They also had day and night classes so if I had to work nights I could attend the day class. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | Our facilities were small and old. They ended up moving to new facilities a couple of years later. However, the instructors would very good. |
| Social Life | 5 | The school did not provide athletics but we did go to all of the classes together. The school was not like a typical college where people pick what classes to go and when. The program was laid out and everyone goes through the program together. |
| Placement Services | 5 | The school seemed to actively work with local employers for job openings. Several of my classmates went on job interviews when we neared graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | To the best of my knowledge, they have no alumni program. It could be that I never sought it out since I already had a job. |
Franklin University • Columbus, OH
Studying Information Technology/Computer Programming (completion in 2007)
• 3/17/2012
"I am satisfied with my education, but I am considering continuing my education and I will shop around for a better college. That will offer me a on campus feel although I will be taking courses online."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, I feel Franklin gives potential the future tools that they need to be successful. I just wish they would be more personable and work with students throughout their journey upon graduation and after to help graduates find job opportunities. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The IT field is still growing so I feel this was the right field to start a career in. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I think the program that I participated in covered all areas of the IT field. |
| Instruction | 5 | The IT field changes rapidly, I graduated in 2007 and finally landed my first IT job in 2011. Although most IT principles are the same, some of the software has changed. |
| How Difficult | 8 | During my time in school, I was learning computer programming and networking both. The program consisted of a lot of information |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Course materials were both taken from the handbooks and we were given the opportunity to take skills learned in the classroom and apply them to an outside environment. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I took all my course work online. I was offered a large amount of flexibility. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Although I took my courses online, I was able to get help with tutoring online and view the schools libraries as well as get materials sent to my local college library. |
| Social Life | No social club, or activities, due to the fact that I was an online student not on campus. | |
| Placement Services | 3 | No programs were available when I graduated to help graduates land their first job after graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The is not very much alumni support or networking. Once I graduated I never heard much from the college. They really didn't provide many employment tools to use for graduates. |
Union University • Cincinnati, OH
Studying CIS (completion in 2002)
• 3/26/2012
"With today's job market, there aren't jobs to be had, so it doesn't matter what education you have or where you got it. The only thing that matters is how well you can accumulate resources."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If you are going to attend college, I would suggest Union as a good option. The classes are stimulating and informative. |
| Program Reputation | I have absolutely no idea as to their reputation. It has not allowed me to secure a livable income. | |
| Program Quality | 10 | The school prepared me for a better position. Excellent education. |
| Instruction | 10 | Individual attention was lavished on the students. Challenging and interesting instruction. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The work was on par with expectations. Appropriate to cover the material. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Almost all book oriented class work. Most classes required several papers. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Many classes can be completed as distance classes. The coursework can be completed within a week timeframe. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | There is enough available to complete the classes. Not a limiting factor in the educational experience. |
| Social Life | Did not attend. | |
| Placement Services | Not offered. Not available. | |
| Alumni Network | I haven't made use of either. They have not contacted me with anything but donation requests. |
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