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 Globe University.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Saint Paul College and MCTC.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Northland Community and Technical College, Minnesota State, Southeast Technical, and Minnesota West.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Northwest Technical College, HCC, Minnesota State, and Minnesota West.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at HCC, Northland Community and Technical College, Minnesota State, and Minnesota West.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Rasmussen • Mankato, MN
Studying Health Information Technician (completion in 2010)
• 12/20/2011
"I did not like this school. I could have just taught myself, instead of paying them outrageous prices. I should have taken online courses through some other university. Teachers did a poor job and I don't believe they were qualified to teach."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would never recommend a school that I disliked. I hope someday it changes and they hire qualified teachers. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I'm not sure what their reputation is. I know people who have been to the school and think the same things I have, but I'm not sure if companies that are hiring students from Rasmussen are aware of how the students are being taught. I have also heard credits are very hard to transfer from there. |
| Program Quality | 2 | I do not like the school I went to. I don't believe the teachers were very knowledgeable. I had a pathology teacher who only had a nursing assistance degree. I don't believe that is enough to teach that class, and you could tell she didn't have much knowledge on the topics. |
| Instruction | 7 | I taught myself most of the material. Going to a different school would have helped. The teachers didn't do too much to help; I did learn what I needed, but I had to self-teach. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I am interested in the field, so it was not too difficult for me. I could see how it could be, but when I am interested, material seems to be easier. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most teachers taught right out of the book and didn't know what they were talking about. However, there were some teachers who taught very well, who had projects, hands-on work, and slideshows. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | They told me there would be plenty of residential classes, but there weren't very many; it was mainly online courses, which they do not tell you in the beginning either. I am in the army and I get reimbursements if I have at least one residential class, and they had a problem making this work for me, even though I was promised in the beginning that this would happen. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | They did have enough computers. The building was very nice, and for the amount of students, it worked. However, it is an extremely small school (which is probably why they offer basically only online classes) and the library is tiny. |
| Social Life | 4 | No school spirit. Some get-togethers and small meeting-like parties to hand out awards. Occasionally, there is an ice cream or pizza party. This college was smaller than my high school. |
| Placement Services | 1 | Many people have told me they do not help. They do as much as a search engine does; they just tell you what jobs are out there and you are basically on your own. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I complained a lot about the teachers, but it didn't seem to matter. They had a lot of financial problems with the students. They didn't seem to help very much. |
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