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 University of Washington Bothell, Cascadia, Bellevue College, and University of Washington - Tacoma.
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 Gonzaga, University of Washington - Tacoma, University of Washington Bothell, and Eastern Washington University.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Heritage, South Seattle Community College, Seattle Central, and City University of Seattle.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Clover Park Technical College, Grays Harbor, City University of Seattle, and Peninsula College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Puget Sound, Walla Walla University, Gonzaga, and Seattle University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Walla Walla University, University of Puget Sound, Saint Martin's University, and Seattle Pacific University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Puget Sound, University of Washington Seattle, Gonzaga, and Whitworth University.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Whitworth University.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at University of Puget Sound, Walla Walla University, Gonzaga, and Saint Martin's University.
Spotlight Schools Search
Spotlight Washington Schools Related to This Career
- Locations: Bellevue, Federal Way, Lynnwood
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor
- Locations: Everett, Seattle, Spokane Valley
- Programs: 4 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate
DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management
- Locations: Auburn, Bellevue, Lynnwood
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Master, Post- Bachelor's Certificate
- Locations: Seattle
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Doctorate, Master
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Study from Anywhere at Online Schools Related to This Career
- Programs: 5 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor, Master
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor
- Programs: 17 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor, Doctorate, Master
- Programs: 5 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor, Master
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor
Keiser University eCampus Online
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Perry Technical Institute • Yakima, WA
Studying IT And Communication Systems (completion in 2010)
• 9/20/2011
"I got a job before graduation and I felt ready to tackle the industry. It's a very good course with terrific people."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | They are a highly reputable school which provided me with great personal tools to be successful in the world of IT. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | It is very reputable. Anyone in the field will know of it if they are in the Northwest. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The instructors know a vast amount and are capable of conveying this to students. The staff is also very friendly. |
| Instruction | 9 | The instructors know a vast amount about what they are teaching. They are also willing to take one-on-one time to make sure you understand the subject. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I found the course rather easy. There was a lot of busy work which is tedious but not hard. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most learning is hands on, except where not applicable. This is the highlight of the course. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Scheduling is not very flexible at the moment. Classes are Monday through Friday at set times. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | There are not many libraries but they are not needed at all. These days all information is found online for free, so seeing a school investing a lot of money in these facilities is rather disheartening. Laboratories were very nice. |
| Social Life | 2 | This school is designed to get you into a field. They don't bother with unimportant, which I appreciate. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The teachers and career services staff are very good at helping find jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I get emails every now and then asking to donate. Other than that I do not know much. |
Cascadia Community College • Bothell, WA
Studying CCNA (completion in 2003)
• 9/28/2011
"I got the certificate, so the school helped me out greatly."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If they wanted to keep working toward something other than a CCNA, like a CCIE certification or Computer Science BS, then I would recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The school has a good reputation for technical degrees/certs. They seem to live up to it. |
| Program Quality | 7 | It was informative, but as it turns out, nearly useless. This industry values experience over education - at least that has been my experience. |
| Instruction | 5 | It only prepared me for about half of my job. The other half I had to learn on my own. |
| How Difficult | 4 | It was not very challenging. There was just lots of memorization. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Somewhat hands on, as there were simulations we had to go through. However, it did require a lot of reading. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Very flexible classes. Online, summer, evenings, whenever I needed it. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | It was a newer school. The facilities were great. |
| Social Life | 1 | I have never been too social and I was there to learn. |
| Placement Services | 1 | Had none. At least, I never heard of any. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I haven't heard a peep from them. I don't think this is very important. |
University Of Phoenix • Everett, WA
Studying IT - Software (completion in 2012)
• 10/14/2011
"I like being able to fit the school in around my schedule. Having to wait for support is the biggest problem with going to school online."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It would depend on their situation. For someone that is working full-time and has kids, I think it's ideal. For someone that doesn't have to work full-time, I think a traditional school might be a better choice. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I think that they have a pretty good reputation. I have not heard any bad reports yet. |
| Program Quality | 7 | So far, I have just finished pre-req classes. I have just started taking classes that are related to my degree. So far, so good. |
| Instruction | 6 | It has been just OK so far. They provide pretty good classes, but support is kind of hard via the internet. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Some classes have been pretty easy and some are a little hard. There has not been a class that has been real hard. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | With it being online, it's all book learning. Hands-on learning is pretty much non-existent. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I can pretty much do the work when I have the free time. I think that's the biggest advantage of going to school online. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I wouldn't know about on-campus facilities, as I go to school online. However, the online library is pretty good and is fairly easy to use. |
| Social Life | Big disadvantage of going to school online. There are campuses nearby and I'm sure they might have things available, but I've never checked it out. | |
| Placement Services | I have not had to use it as of yet. I currently have a good job that the degree will relate to, so I hope that I will not need the assistance. |
Everett Community College • Everett, WA
Studying Psychology (completion in 1996)
• 10/15/2011
"Very satisfied. The teachers were great and the counselors were awesome."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Very good school. Lot of challenges and lots of help. No complaints at all. |
| Program Reputation | I really don't know. It was over 15 yrs ago, in another state. | |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school had very good teachers. They worked closely with students to help them further their education. |
| Instruction | 9 | The training I got for my current job was great. Very tech minded teachers who very helpful. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Very demanding courses. I had to work very hard. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It must have been - I remember paying a grip for books every quarter. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Very flexible - students can pretty much get the classes they wanted. Very few filled up. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | They left no stone unturned when it came to this. There were an abundance of resources available. |
| Social Life | 9 | I'm sure it was good. I did not get involved with activities. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They had a very high rate of placement. They prepared students very well to transition to the field upon completing the courses. |
Clover Park Technical College • Lakewood, WA
Studying Applied Technology (completion in 2005)
• 10/31/2011
"I think I got my money's worth. It always comes down to how much effort you put into it. Overall I feel that CPTC did a good job providing a nice environment for educational purposes."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I have and my nephew is currently going to school there for his degree in Computer Programming. I think that for the price and financial assistance they can provide this can be the right school for a lot of people trying to change careers on a budget. |
| Program Reputation | The program I took has actually changed quite a lot over years. So unfortunately I cannot comment on it's current state. | |
| Program Quality | 5 | You get what you pay for. It felt like the instructors were there just to collect a paycheck. |
| Instruction | 5 | I had a total of 6 instructors. The majority of them were okay when it came to the material. All of them did a decent job of providing an acceptable environment in which to study/learn. |
| How Difficult | 1 | It really came down to how much effort you put into the courses and the content. I studied a lot and was able to pass everything with flying colors. Real world experience, on the other hand, mostly negated the 'book' material. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a solid mix of book reading and hands on computer material. This was especially the case with CCNA/Network courses with lots of hands-on study with routers/switches. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I'm sure the flexibility varies by field. I was able to get a lot of flexibility with the instructors that I had. I cannot comment on other programs/courses, however. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Compared to the other schools in my area CPTC was able to offer all the appropriate facilities that were up-to-date with current course standards. I was extremely impressed with the amount of computer labs they had. |
| Social Life | 5 | I attended a technical college. As far as I know there was no athletic programs, school parties, or school spirit. The few organized events which where hosted by Microsoft, called TechNET, were fun though. |
| Placement Services | 1 | In 2005 I had one meeting with a counselor who was unable to find any relevant job postings. I had to do my own job searches. There was no interview training, prep, etc. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | At the time I attended CPTC there was practically no alumni support network. At the time Clover Park's website was mostly an FAQ. Most alumni networking happened while on campus. |
Clover Park Technical College • Lakewood, WA
Studying Computer Information System Security (completion in 2007)
• 10/25/2011
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | |
| Program Reputation | 9 | |
| Program Quality | 9 | |
| Instruction | 9 | |
| How Difficult | 5 | |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | ||
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | |
| Social Life | 5 | |
| Placement Services | 8 | |
| Alumni Network | 9 |
Columbia Basin College • Pasco, WA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2008)
• 12/20/2011
"Would I do it again? Sure. Pretty easy, nice, quick degree."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Tough to say for sure. There are better options. I had a good time going there, but I couldn't honestly recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | I have moved away from that city. I no longer talk to people who attend the college, so I am not qualified to speak to its reputation. | |
| Program Quality | 5 | In all reality, a CS degree is just a piece of paper these days. The technical knowledge needed for this field is mostly based on experience. |
| Instruction | 4 | Sadly, I knew more about most topics than the instructors. Most classes were extremely boring. |
| How Difficult | 3 | The prerequisites required more work than the main classes. The level of math expected was lower than I originally thought. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a lot of assigned reading, but we also went over it in class. Almost never had to do the book reading to get the material right. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Was able to work 40 hours per week while attending classes. Fairly liberal about missing a class. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Tutors were available, and the technology in the classrooms was fairly up to date. I did not really need to use the tutoring, however. |
| Social Life | I had very limited social experiences. I was there to pass the classes and get a degree; that was it. | |
| Placement Services | They will find you a job, but not necessarily one that you can support yourself on. | |
| Alumni Network | I had no dealings with the alumni upon leaving. As a result, I am unable to speak to their support level. |
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