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 Southern Maine Community College and Northern Maine Community College.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Beal.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Washington County Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Kennebec Valley Community College, Northern Maine Community College, Central Maine Community College, and Southern Maine Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Northern Maine Community College and Southern Maine Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Washington County Community College, Northern Maine Community College, Central Maine Community College, and Southern Maine Community College.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Washington County Community College and Northern Maine Community College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Seacoast Career Schools • Sanford, ME
Studying Medical Assisting (completion in 2009)
• 1/9/2012
"I was not 100% satisfied with this school, as I was not able to transfer credits and the price was not cheap. However, I can say that they are a good school when it comes to the hands-on aspects and making sure that all students work hard and do the best that they can do."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would not recommend this school to others pursuing this career, because if you wanted to gain more education, you would have to start from square one all over again. I know this from personal experience. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I see this school advertised all the time on television. However, sometimes when I tell people I went there, they say the school is horrible and they ask why I went there. When anyone asks me about going there, I tell them not to waste their money. |
| Program Quality | 3 | I was unhappy with how the instructors were; they did not seem too knowledgeable on the subjects. I was also disappointed because when I enrolled, I was told that this was a nationally accredited school, and I came to find out that it wasn't, and none of my credits transferred; the fact that I was lied to really hurt. |
| Instruction | 4 | I had some teachers who were great at what they did and then others who didn't know anything about the subject they were teaching. For example, I had one teacher teaching me about law and ethics in the medical field, and she had no idea what she was talking about; my whole class suffered because of that. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I feel that getting a degree in medical assisting was challenging in some ways, but in most ways, it was quite easy. I think that anyone could do such a job if they love people and don't mind the sight of blood or other bodily fluids or parts. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | One thing I did appreciate about this school was that their main focus was to be more hands on. For example, you would do physicals, vital signs, and blood draws on your classmates. The instructors always seemed to try to make it more fun and easier to learn, rather than having you just listen to lectures all day. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | I would have to say that they are quite accommodating. You are able to take either day or evening classes. One thing that they should have done, however, was offer online classes, since it would be much easier for more people to get the degree they have always wanted. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | There are not many academic facilities, since this is a small technical school. However, the cafe was a nice place to socialize. The labs were quite small and made it difficult when classes were over 20 people and we were trying to learn venipuncture. Trying to meet with professors was never easy, because they seemed to leave immediately. The only way you could get a study group was with your friends or if you asked people if they wanted to do so. |
| Social Life | 2 | Social experience was almost nonexistent, besides the times we were eating. Occasionally, there were little games or dinners around the holidays, but that was about it as far as the whole school having chances to socialize. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I did not receive any help, even after asking for it. Looking for a job was all done on my own, which was very hard and frustrating, especially with the economy the way it was then. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I was only contacted one time since graduating, and this was before I was hired as a lab technician. This was very upsetting, because they were supposed to help me find employment. |
KVCC (Kennebec Valley Community College) • Fairfield, ME
Studying Medical Assisting (completion in 1997)
• 3/8/2012
"It is a tech school - you get what you pay for. They don't have a good job placement system."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would recommend getting an RN degree. I would also recommend going to a 4 year college. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | There are other schools that offer better training. Other schools provide a nursing track option as well. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I was the first year that they had a two year program. It was a well-rounded education. |
| Instruction | 10 | We learned to draw blood in the classroom, do EEGs, and process stool samples. We had 6 months of clinicals. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I was an Ivy League quality student in high school. A tech school was a cake walk for me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had classroom instruction as well as lab and field training. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They provide night and day classes. They also have online instruction. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | We had a full medical lab. We got office and hospital training. |
| Social Life | 1 | I was not there to socialize. I was there to get my degree and get out. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I couldn't find a job in my field after I got out. I felt lost because they didn't have good job placement. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | They have poor job placement. They flooded the market with medical assistants. |
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