Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
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 UA Fort Smith.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Harding and Arkansas State Mountain Home.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Harding, John Brown, Ouachita Baptist University, and Arkansas State Mountain Home.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Ouachita Baptist University, Harding, John Brown, and UA Fort Smith.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at John Brown and Harding.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Ouachita Baptist University, Harding, John Brown, and Arkansas State Mountain Home.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Harding University • Searcy, AR
Studying Mass Communications (completion in 2002)
• 7/16/2011
"Harding provided many other benefits that more than compensated for a weak department. The student body and faculty really form a strong family-like relationship."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | The program has improved significantly since I went through it. Harding provides a well-rounded experience that is in many ways more useful in preparing students for the world than taking a few slightly better courses that another college may offer. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Quite a bit of restructuring has occurred since I graduated. Staff have been added that have worked in the field since the technology boomed. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The program is focused primarily on radio/television and internet content production and management and how to operate software. There are only a couple of courses that teach the principles of design needed to make the software useful. |
| Instruction | 5 | Generally the faculty was behind the times on the software and relied on savvy students to self-teach and then instruct the instructors. Often I felt more advanced on the tech side and had teachers call me to troubleshoot. |
| How Difficult | 4 | Aside from some teachers providing excessive assignments to show they were "hard," many of the courses required little studying. Often it was clear the instructors were "winging it" and had given no real thought to their class preparation. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program was basically a sink or swim scenario. The students are thrown into a hands-on environment and either learn how to operate all of the technology or are unable to complete the practical assignments. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Because many of the courses are hands-on, distance learning is not a viable option. Several of the general education courses are now available online. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The facilities for TV/radio/internet/graphic design are state of the art. The technology available is what is found in the professional workplace when entering the workforce. |
| Social Life | 7 | The university hosts many social clubs for men and women. I pledged a men's club and was active for three years. |
| Placement Services | 2 | Within certain majors, the placement center is well connected. The communications department is far removed from any connections in the mainstream media, and certainly the career center is further disconnected. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | Outside of the communications department, the university is quite professional. The alumni relations department is in contact by email several times a week. |
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