Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Family And School Social Workers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Middle Tennessee State University, Austin Peay State, Tennessee Technological University, and UT Martin.
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 Le Moyne-Owen College, Austin Peay State, Tennessee State, and University of Memphis.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Le Moyne-Owen College, Tennessee State, University of Memphis, and Vanderbilt University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Lincoln Memorial, Union University, and Tennessee Technological University.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Vanderbilt University, Johnson Bible College, Southern Adventist University, and Lee University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Johnson Bible College, Southern Adventist University, Lambuth University, and Freed - Hardeman.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Vanderbilt University, Belmont, The University of Tennessee, and Union University.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Vanderbilt University and Lambuth University.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Vanderbilt University, Le Moyne-Owen College, Carson - Newman, and Southern Adventist University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Tennessee At Martin • Martin, TN
Studying Communications/Sociology (completion in 2003)
• 8/12/2011
"I am fairly satisfied with my school. Although it was lacking some major things, it was easy for me to get my degree and get to working in my field."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend my school because out of most of the state schools, this one is the closest to the people who live in our area. And while there is nothing much going on there for commuters, it is an easy education/easy school. I would not recommend it to someone who wanted to become a doctor or lawyer, however, as they may need more of an intellectually based program. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The school has a decent reputation; however, that is considering the fact that almost all colleges in this area are state schools & there are not a lot of other institutions to chose from, especially private colleges. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I feel as though my school, while it prepared me for a position in the workplace professionally, may not have taught me as much intellectually as I could have used. |
| Instruction | 8 | Career preparation, including the how-to's of job hunting, resumes writing, etc., was perfect & on point. However, the relevance of some of the material I learned did not apply to my specific career & nothing really could be taught to prepare me for it. |
| How Difficult | 4 | It was not academically challenging at all. I felt as though I showed up and did the bare minimum in my required classes and I still graduated with a B average. I feel as if the instructors did not expect enough out of students above high school level. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | While there was some hands on things going on, for social work or for communications (my major and minor), most of the learning was by book. I would have enjoyed, especially in social work, more time to work closely with people in the field in areas such as the one I'm in now. This way I would have known which direction to take with my career. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The school was extremely flexible due to the online classes offered. However, I would have liked to have seen more night classes or maybe even a weekend class offered more often. I do believe there were hardly any weekend classes while I was there. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The facilities on the campus were outstanding, but the professors could have been a little more accessible and less intimidating. I felt as though I was bothering the professors every time I needed something as they were always rushing to get on to the next person. |
| Social Life | 1 | The social experience at the school is only good for people who live on campus. For commuters, you have separate parking lots and often do not hear about events happening on campus as often. There is no information given to you pertaining to these events, maybe because they do not think most commuters would come. The student newspaper was about the only reference to use, and sometimes those events had already past before a commuter would hear of them. |
| Placement Services | 1 | There were no job placement or career services assistance at the school. Basically they taught you in class what they thought you needed to know & it was up to you to find a job, period. I spent the first 6 months out of college working in retail until I could find something professional to do. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | The alumni network is good if all you want to do is send money to the school & support it. The alumni network does not provide you opportunities for jobs outside of college like other colleges I have observed. It could greatly approve on that. |
University Of Tennessee • Knoxville, TN
Studying Psychology (completion in 1997)
• 9/19/2011
"I feel I received a quality education as well as the full college experience."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | They provide a great basis to generate a career in this field. It is a wonderful place to experience college traditions. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Past the BA they are lauded for the Master's and Doctorate degrees. Within the BA program they provide a solid foundation to progress in the field. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The knowledge of the professors was great. There could have been more hands-on work. |
| Instruction | 8 | Texts were up to date. Preparations for common treatments where complete. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Homework was often great and the thesis program was managed very well. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of the study was in the classroom. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | With night and online classes it was very flexible. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The facilities were excellent for classes and study. The resources were excellent. |
| Social Life | 9 | The campus and students had many social activities. The sporting evens were excellent. |
| Placement Services | 4 | Not very focused on the major when drawing potential employers. No real focus on modern technology to assist graduates or alumni in their job search. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | They work diligently to involve alumni. They use current technology to contact and communicate with alumni. |
Middle Tennessee State University • Murfreesboro, TN
Studying Interdisciplinary Studies (completion in 2005)
• 9/26/2011
"I was pretty satisfied. I enjoyed my school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend MTSU to many. I was very happy with my experience. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The reputation is very good. In fact, it has improved now that they have an accredited Master's program. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I loved the program but wish we had be given the opportunity for more field experience. |
| Instruction | 7 | The instruction was very good, but I wish we had been provided the opportunity for more field experience. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The program was not too difficult. The exit exams were more challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I was provided with a great number of hands-on opportunities. I wish there had been more field experience though. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The flexibility was good. I created my own scheduled mostly. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The school had great facilities. The library was my favorite. |
| Social Life | 7 | I was very active in the social world. I was very involved and very pleased. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I did not participate in any job placement with the school. I was not aware of any of this. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I am very active in our alumni group. They do a great job reaching out to graduates. |
Lipscomb University • Nashville, TN
Studying School Of Human Sciences And Social Work (completion in 2011)
• 1/11/2012
"Extremely satisfied with my school. They equipped me with all the tools I need to be successful in my job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | This school will do all the things for you that you need. The staff was more than helpful in all my needs. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | My school definitely provides adequate training, but I wouldn't classify them as the most prestigious program. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My school helps me in any way I need. They make it as easy as possible with their guidelines and requests. |
| Instruction | 8 | My schooling helped me immensely in how to deal with the children and all different aspects of modern-day children. I learned how to deal with a lot of gang-related issues, and right now, that is the number one problem. |
| How Difficult | 7 | My curriculum was not extremely difficult, because the coursework did not involve much busywork or bookwork. Lots of hands-on experience. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This program was definitely more hands on than bookwork. I always had something to go to that was off campus. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | My school only had the classes on their schedule, and if you couldn't schedule those classes, you'd have to wait a whole year. Usually, some classes were only scheduled in the spring semester. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | My school just got a few new facilities. Social work got a new department location in the new buildings. |
| Social Life | 10 | I pledged a fraternity. Through that, I had a great social experience in college. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The school helped me find my job quickly. I went straight from school to my job. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I rarely see or interact with the alumni of my social work/psychology program. I didn't even know who was in the program, outside of my classmates. |
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