Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Marketing Managers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Wayne County Community College District, Oakland Community College, Grand Valley State, and Macomb Community 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 Davenport, Wayne State, University of Michigan-Flint, and Finlandia.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College, Wayne County Community College District, Andrews, and Lawrence Technological University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Spring Arbor University, Bay Mills, Walsh College, and Andrews.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Andrews, Calvin, Baker College, and Kettering.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Adrian College, Albion, Alma, and Hope College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Michigan, Kettering, Michigan Technological University, and Albion.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Kuyper, University of Michigan, Lawrence Technological University, and Ferris State.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Andrews, Finlandia, Calvin, and Albion.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Michigan Technological University • Houghton, MI
Studying Scientific And Technical Communication (completion in 2009)
• 11/26/2011
"The education was excellent, but I wish I had taken the time to get more connected and involved on a social level. The classes where I connected with people were the most memorable."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, I would recommend it to others. My degree allows a student to focus on many career paths, including marketing, writing, graphic design and many others. It was great to have a well-rounded education when searching for a job. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The program has won national awards and recognition. More students are choosing the program coming into college, versus transferring into the program after starting college. |
| Program Quality | 9 | No college can completely prepare a student for every job, but I think the program could have offered a more experienced professor to teach about website design and development. Another bonus would have been to offer a class on project management. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors for the core classes were excellent. There were a few classes that seemed like a waste of time, because of the professor's lack of interest. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The challenging part was dedicating the time needed for each class. The higher-level classes required more research and time spent studying or working on papers. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There are many classes to take, but they allow students to take a hands-on approach. The higher-level classes are more research based and they allowed (at the time) co-ops to count for classroom credit. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The school offers some flexible scheduling, but it's primarily for younger students. Older adults that were in my program attended the same classes I did, on the same schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The facilities were getting remodeled when I was at MTU. They have been adding technology in the classrooms, and the library was newly built. |
| Social Life | 7 | Although there were opportunities to get involved, it was harder to get involved in something new if you were a third- or fourth-year student. The first-year experience is your best opportunity to get involved and learn what's available. |
| Placement Services | 9 | MTU has some of the best job fairs, which provide opportunities for internships, co-ops and full-time jobs. I obtained 2 internships through career services. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I am often provided with opportunities to get involved with alumni events. Most are too far for me to drive, though. |
University Of Michigan • Ann Arbor, MI
Studying Computer Engineering (completion in 2011)
• 12/2/2011
"I wouldn't have traded my time there for anything else! The people and the education were top notch."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Good academics, plenty of people, plenty of niches to fill for whatever interests a person has. Very easy to acclimate to and become a part of. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Michigan is one of the leading universities for engineering. I believe it is in the top ten. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Michigan is one of the top engineering schools in the country. Based on my career they prepared me well for the real world. |
| Instruction | 8 | Sometimes professors taught too quickly. This wasn't optimal for the slower learners or the international students in the class. |
| How Difficult | 10 | Engineering is one of the hardest schools at the university. Of the programs offered by engineering, computer engineering is one of the more difficult routes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A lot was dry reading and not a lot of useful application. A lot done in lab was hands-on but with an extremely specific task in mind and the directions all laid out. More problem-solving would be better. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | A lot of classes, especially higher course levels, were only offered at one or two times. If conflicting classes occurred, it was hard to get around the conflict. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | The engineering building and equipment CE majors use most is very old. It would be more fun to learn and more efficient to work if things were up to date. The building also had very few windows. |
| Social Life | 9 | Big Ten football! Michigan is one of the most spirited schools in the country, even when our team isn't doing the best. Parties and friends are easy to come by. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The university was very good about providing information about summer internships, career fairs, and full-time positions. This is how I got into my current position. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I think there is a large alumni network. I have not received much information about it, however. I would like to know more! |
Wayne State University • Detroit, MI
Studying Marketing (completion in 2005)
• 1/10/2012
"I am satisfied with my school, mainly because I received my MBA. However, I wish they offered more scholarship and career placement resources."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend my school, depending on the person's degree and financial situation. It is a good school, but there are way better schools. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | My school is highly accredited, but it is not the best in Michigan. I went to the University of Michigan for undergrad, which was more challenging. |
| Program Quality | 6 | My school did not provide much assistance with employment placement after graduation. Other than that, I enjoyed the educational experience. |
| Instruction | 7 | I received good instruction on topics such as economics and accounting. I wish I would've received more real-world instruction on consumer marketing. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The workload was average and not too strenuous. I would not rate it as too easy or too hard. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I was mainly taught from books. We did have a few hands-on experiences with real businesses. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | My school has a main campus and a satellite campus. In addition, they offer a variety of online classes. As a result, I was able to fit school into my work schedule with no issues. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The main campus is fairly old and needs some updating. The satellite campus is more up to date. |
| Social Life | I did not live on campus, and I took the majority of my classes at the satellite campus. Therefore, I was far removed from school spirit, social events, parties, etc. | |
| Placement Services | 2 | The school has a career planning and placement center, but they do not offer the services. You have to actually seek them out, and when you do, they are not always that helpful. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I do not receive any correspondence from the school, other than donation solicitations. I am not pleased with the lack of alumni resources. |
Grand Valley State University • Allendale, MI
Studying Advertising (completion in 2008)
• 1/26/2012
"My school was an affordable option to prove that I could finish a degree, but aside from that, it didn't really help me much in my life. I think most of my frustration came from the inability to explore classes outside my major without declaring myself a general ed major. I had no pride in graduating from GVSU. In fact, I regret deciding to go to the university, considering in hindsight how much work I did on my own to get employment."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | GVSU has many strong programs, but when 9/10 professors don't understand social media (back then, it was just about to be big), then it's not really worth my time or money. I also felt rather alienated and left out of the loop as a student who lived off campus and had to work to go to school. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | We have no Grade A professors with experience in advertising/marketing. Furthermore, there was a remarkable lack of integration to other departments of relevance, such as film and art design. |
| Program Quality | 1 | I went to be an advertising major to make ads, but only the creative designers in the art department got to do that type of work. The school attempted to prepare me for the account world instead and ended up not preparing me for the real world in any large degree. I feel that I'm very successful for my age and I have always been intelligent and a hard worker. |
| Instruction | 4 | I look back and only remember three professors who left an impact on me; only one was in the advertising major. Most advertising/marketing professors had no industry experience that was relative to the digital age and web 2.0. I actually helped teach an advertising technologies course at the professor's request, for extra credit. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Advertising could have been much harder as a topic. My university treated advertising like it wasn't a dying industry (in regard to traditional media, such as billboards, print, etc.). |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Any new concepts would be delivered without insight from books, yet professors would spend plenty of time talking about the "good old days" and how advertising used to be like Mad Men. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I'm not sure. I felt difficulty as a commuting student, but I did eventually get all of my classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The school had more space dedicated to the sport complexes than to the learning complexes. All new facilities were for sport programs, while the soft/hard sciences got leftovers. |
| Placement Services | 1 | My major required an internship to graduate, and I spent two years searching before I found one. I later became a full-time employee at that company - but it was no thanks to the job placement services of GVSU. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | When I bought my cap and gown for graduation, the alumni association first handed me a little flipbook with cartoons that was to "teach the things you may have missed in college," such as balancing a checkbook, etc. I was annoyed, but the next step in line was a table asking for money...and I hadn't even walked yet! |
Grand Valley State University • Allendale, MI
Studying Business Management (completion in 2009)
• 3/3/2012
"I wish there had been more networking events, although that is hard when everyone leaves on the weekends. I learned many philosophies that I still use today."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend the school to someone who wants lots of attention from the professors and is not looking to party all the time. Classes are flexible and your professors always have time for you. The downside at the school is that networking is a bit harder than a larger school. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | It is more of a liberal arts college. However, the business program is definitely up-and-coming. |
| Program Quality | 8 | GVSU has a very strong business program. I almost went with a marketing major instead, which would have only taken me a few different classes. Very streamlined education. |
| Instruction | 6 | I learned many things in college. Perhaps the most important thing I learned is that making contacts is essential. Many times, it is more who you know than what you know. Things taught in the classroom are great on paper, but in the real world, most of the facts fall to the side. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Had homework most nights, but it was not overly challenging, and I did not put too much effort into it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It depended on the program. Most of my management classes were book, while my marketing instruction was more hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I went through school while working full-time. I took classes Tuesday and Thursday almost entirely through my 4 years. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Everything is modern and updated. Class sizes were small (about 25 students per class), making professors easily accessible. |
| Social Life | 4 | Grand Valley is still mostly a commuter school. Even the people who live on campus leave on most weekends. |
| Placement Services | I found a job right away, so I have no experience with the school's job placement services. I have heard good things, though. | |
| Alumni Network | I moved away for a job as soon as I finished school. They have many alumni gatherings in cities throughout the USA. |
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