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 Boise State and University of Idaho.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Northwest Nazarene University, North Idaho College, and Boise State.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Northwest Nazarene University, University of Idaho, Boise State, and North Idaho College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Northwest Nazarene University, University of Idaho, Boise State, and North Idaho College.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Northwest Nazarene University, University of Idaho, and North Idaho College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Boise State University • Boise, ID
Studying Graphic Design (completion in 2007)
• 7/21/2011
"Great people all around. Great programs."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes I would. I would also recommend other schools as well, though. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | It has a decent program. However, there are a lot of other schools that have better programs. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The teacher was very helpful with questions. It was a fun environment. |
| Instruction | 9 | It was pretty good but could have used a little more organization at times. I did learn a lot though. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was very competitive and difficult. It was a healthy level of difficulty, though. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was lots of hands on work. We did a lot of work on computers. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I was able to take evening classes. I worked during the day so that was helpful to me. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | I enjoyed using the computer labs to work on projects. I wish we had a bigger art department, though. |
| Social Life | 10 | Everyone is friendly. Lots of happy people. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They were very helpful. I had a job within two weeks of graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I enjoyed their tailgate parties. They seemed pretty well organized. |
University Of Idaho • Moscow, ID
Studying Interdisciplinary Studies (completion in 2006)
• 10/8/2011
"I chose the University of Idaho somewhat by default. I had a good education and enjoyed my college experience but I can't help but think another school would have been better for me overall."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | University of Idaho has a great art program. However because I did not study art I can't say for sure if it is helpful for those pursuing graphic design careers. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The program I studied is utilized by such a small percentage of the student body that there isn't much known about it, either within the university or on the outside. I would think that it has a similar reputation to most other public universities offering the same option. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I did not study graphic design in college, but instead created my own degree through their Interdisciplinary Studies program. Since then I have taken two online classes in graphic design, but most of my training has been on the job. |
| Instruction | 4 | Within my program, I did not feel prepared for a specific career because I did not have anything specific in mind. I cannot speak for other students in other majors, but overall I did not feel prepared for a career (let alone life in general) after leaving college. |
| How Difficult | 4 | The Interdisciplinary Studies program, being self-directed, was as difficult as I wanted to make it. Some of my courses were challenging and some were not, but it is what you make it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | In school I was able to do a very good mix of hands-on and book learning. The only graphic design course I took at the University of Idaho was all about practical (hands-on) projects. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I was very pleased with the class flexibility at the University of Idaho. Even though I lived on campus I opted to take several online courses. I also was able to take several evening classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Because I basically designed my own program, this is a difficult question to answer. The academic advising resources I had weren't amazing, however the school's overall physical facilities are excellent and are more than sufficient for a wide variety of programs. I always felt that my professors were accessible, and all of my upper-division courses had small class sizes. I was a student at U of I during/right after some major campus renovations, so the classroom spaces were cutting edge and very conducive to modern education (i.e. laptop plug-in stations at every seat, Wi-Fi throughout campus, digital whiteboards, etc.). |
| Social Life | 8 | The University of Idaho has all of the attractions of a bigger public university with regard to social opportunities, but on a smaller campus and at a smaller price. I think everyone can have a solid, traditional college experience there. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I did not take advantage of the U of I's career services until several years after I graduated. Because they are committed to serving alumni as well as current students, they were able to review my resume and give me assistance even well after graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I do not participate in alumni networking, but from what I can see of their efforts to contact me, as well as the alumni magazine, the University of Idaho has a decent alumni network. Like many things, it is there if you want it. |
Boise State University • Boise, ID
Studying Technical Communications (completion in 2002)
• 3/14/2012
"The training the school provided was excellent. My only issues were with the size of the school and classes as well as the ever-increasing tuition."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I felt the university training was excellent. That said, I really haven't kept up with their program in the last few years and I feel I would need to learn what it's like now before I could honestly recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | It's been quite a while since I attended university and I have not kept up with the advancements in the program. Whenever I see any information about the top programs in my field, I seldom see the program I attended listed, so I'm assuming they're not considered top-flight anymore. | |
| Program Quality | 10 | I found the technical communications course to be very interesting in that it combined technical writing and graphic design for all mediums. By the time I completed the program, I felt prepared for any task expected of me. |
| Instruction | 9 | Most of the instructors were excellent and provided crucial bits of information and insight to actually prepare me for a career in my chosen field. The only downside was a few instructors seemed really out of touch with current advancements in the field, especially regarding animation and current software. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I had been working as a graphic designer for a long time before going to university, so a lot of the workload was already very familiar and not very difficult. Overall though, I did find most of the program to be exceptional. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Being a design course, we were very hands-on, but we spent a lot of time learning the fundamentals of design; color theory, perspective, typography, etc. I think the mix favored hands-on a bit more than theory, but whatever percentage the mix actually was, I felt it did a fine job in preparing the students. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | For some reason the scheduling of classes was a nightmare in my program. There were a lot of non-traditional students at the university, so several key classes were only offered at night. On top of that, some prerequisite classes were only offered every other semester so there were a few times that I had to wait a full calendar year before I could take a required class. Plus, being a huge school (for the area), the classes were often full within a few hours of registration, so there were a few times that I had to wait until the next semester to get into a class. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The computer labs for my program were only open to those in the program, and they were top-notch for the time. We had the best of the best on campus and lots of resources available to us. |
| Social Life | I was working full-time, had a family, and was a full-time student; I had no time for anything but studying. The school offered many social experiences, but I did not partake so I don't feel that I'm able to comment on that aspect. | |
| Placement Services | 10 | My university adviser had a 100% job placement rating for his advisees. The school worked hard to put us in touch with hiring businesses and provided the skills to get our foot in the door, including resume writing classes and interviewing skills. I had a job right out of university. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | Being a large state university, there were so many people in the program that it was too easy to become lost in the system. Most people only came to university for the time it took to complete the degree, then they moved away and did not keep in touch with the program or other participants. The university itself did little to foster a sense of community or support for alumni. |
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