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 USC Upstate, Coastal Carolina University, Benedict, and Midlands Technical 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 Southern Wesleyan University, South Carolina State, Clemson, and University of South Carolina.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Columbia College and Converse.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Benedict, Voorhees College, Claflin, and South Carolina State.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Southern Wesleyan University, Converse, Coker, and Greenville Technical College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Bob Jones, Furman, The Citadel, and Coastal Carolina University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Presbyterian College, Wofford College, Voorhees College, and Furman.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Furman, Clemson, Wofford College, and College of Charleston.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Claflin, Lander, Coker, and Francis Marion.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Furman, Wofford College, Presbyterian College, and Voorhees College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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USC • Columbia, SC
Studying Classics (completion in 2012)
• 10/8/2011
"For its size and tuition, USC is a good in-state option. For students from outside South Carolina, paying extra to attend a school which is not very heavily focused on technology seems like an unwise decision."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | It's not a wise decision financially or from the standpoint of wanting to get the best education in the field. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | As far as I know USC doesn't really have much of a reputation one way or another for computer science. I would guess its reputation is mediocre, comparatively. |
| Program Quality | 5 | I didn't study anything related to IT but had a previous IT job-related background and skills. I had worked in a call center and done freelance hardware repairs, etc. Many of my friends were computer science majors, though. |
| Instruction | 5 | I had great instruction, but not related to computer sciences. My friends never had anything bad to say about their professors. |
| How Difficult | 10 | Classics is the study of ancient Latin and Greek. We had to be fluent reading, writing, and (somewhat) speaking. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Friends have told me that the IT related courses are slightly outdated. This suggests to me a lack of hands-on and more textbook oriented work. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The Classics department was not very large so it was about what you would expect. Computer sciences (I only took a couple of classes, which were necessary to complete my major) had a wide variety of available times, etc. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | USC has an amazing library (Thomas Cooper) and if you make sure to maintain good communication with your professors they're almost always willing to help you out with things. Study groups are more the responsibility of the individual students. |
| Social Life | 1 | I've never lived on Campus and didn't really care to. I was older than some of my peers and had had substantially different life experiences at that time. USC is also a very sports-heavy school so a lot of the activities are centered around sports, which I'm not very into. |
| Placement Services | 2 | In this job market it's difficult for anyone to get employed. I actually hear some of the local technical schools are better at job placement. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | My professors were very knowledgeable. I also heard good things about the IT field at USC as several of my friends went through it. We did not see much of alumni. |
Trident Technical College • North Charleston, SC
Studying Computer Technology (completion in 2011)
• 11/21/2011
"The flexibility and availability of instructors and advisors definitely made this a satisfying educational experience in spite of the downsides. No college is entirely perfect."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend it for the flexibility and affordability of the courses. You can take 12 or 18 credit hours for the same cost. It's the biggest and cheapest Technical college in the state! |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Anyone who works in the computer field knows that although an Associate's is good, most employers really want to see a Bachelor's. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The program covers an array of information to prepare students regardless of what field of IT you want to go into. |
| Instruction | 8 | At times the course material was out-dated, and instructors were teaching based on old technology. Beyond that, I did learn a lot and it made me a stronger technician. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The course was definitely challenging. With so many options on how and when you can take the courses, students could manage work load easily with a little dedication. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I took all online classes, there was no hands on experience. This isn't always a good thing. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They offer weekend, summer, online, and even fast-track courses. They really try to meet the student's scheduling needs. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Libraries are adequately filled with related materials. They offer free tutoring services. Professors and advisors are readily available to talk and have an open door policy in place. Classroom space was good, as were the computer and media resources. |
| Social Life | 7 | As I neared completion of my program, the school began to arrange and host more events. They really tried to bring the student body together. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I understand there is a push for job placement to become more readily available, but as of yet it has not. It is practically non-existent. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | Our alumni network does not really provide great support with job assistance. |
Training Concepts • Columbia, SC
Studying CompTIA A+ And CompTIA Network+ (completion in 2010)
• 12/21/2011
"I got what I came for: Two certifications that I could put on my resume. After you have been working at the same job for 24 years and suddenly get laid off, it is very hard to find work."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | They provide you with the right information to get your certs. They are very good with what they do. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | I had to take 3 exams to get certified; two for the A+ and one for Network+. I was able to make 100 on the Network+ exam. |
| Program Quality | 7 | They had limited times when I could take these courses. The staff was well informed and the instructors were very good. |
| Instruction | 8 | My instructors went through these two courses in weeks, and it took me months to study for the exam. They were supportive and very knowledgeable on the subjects. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I had been working in the computer repair field for 20+ years, but these courses were challenging. I had to really study, something that one would assume I should already know. It just goes to show that no one knows it all. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had computers to fix and reload for the A+ class. In the Network+ class, we did not have any hands on; just classroom. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The classes were day and night. You could come back free to refresh your course if you wished. |
| Academic Facilities | They had computers available, but not libraries. They did have free drinks (sodas). | |
| Social Life | This was not that kind of school. Certifications only; no football. | |
| Placement Services | 5 | They gave good references, but did not really place people in jobs; the certifications were just something to put on the resume. |
| Alumni Network | Very good experience; I felt like family when I left. I still get emails from some of the instructors. |
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