Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Network And Systems Administrators
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College, Berkeley City College, and Moorpark 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 Mt Sierra College, Bethesda Christian, Cal State L.A., and Cal State Stanislaus.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Advanced.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider ICDC, Rio Hondo College, Cal State L.A., and UC Riverside.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Palo Verde College, Mendocino College, Coastline Community College, and Merritt College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Santa Clara University, Southern Cal, USF, and University of Redlands.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Simpson University, Point Loma Nazarene University, UC Irvine, and Concordia.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Southern Cal, Cal Berkeley, UCLA, and Santa Clara University.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Cal Berkeley, UCLA, Cal State San Bernardino, and Southern Cal.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Pacific, Claremont, Southern Cal, and Santa Clara University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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St. Mary's • San Diego, CA
Studying IT (completion in 2012)
• 6/26/2011
"Like I said, my school was good but there was too much of a focus on athletics."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | It didn't focus on IT. It focused on sports. |
| Program Reputation | 2 | My school isn't exactly known for IT, and so not many people recommend it. |
| Program Quality | 2 | My school wasn't too supportive for IT. It focused on Sports too much. |
| Instruction | 8 | Our instructor didn't know much, but he tried his best. I liked him a lot |
| How Difficult | 10 | As I didn't have much support, I had to do everything myself. It was very difficult |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Everything was taught through books. There was very little hands-on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | It was good. We could choose our own classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | It didn't have much in the way of technology, but it had good athletic facilities. |
| Social Life | 10 | Everyone was friendly. There were only a few bullies and very strict teachers. |
| Placement Services | 1 | It does not offer any job placement services. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | My school was good, but it focused too much on sports. Otherwise, I liked it. |
San Jose State University • San Jose, CA
Studying Civil And Environmental Engineering (completion in 2010)
• 6/26/2011
"I am very satisfied with the engineering program that they have there. If I had to do it over again, I would certainly come back."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Their professors are very knowledgeable of what they are teaching. They have prepared me for everything that I have encountered so far in the real world. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The engineering program in SJSU is one of the best in the bay area. Lots of people that I work with right now graduated from San Jose State University. |
| Program Quality | 10 | San Jose State University has one of the best engineering programs in California. They were able to prepare me for almost anything that I have encountered so far in my career. |
| Instruction | 9 | The professors at SJSU are very knowledgeable of what they are teaching. Most of them have been teaching in the University for about 10-15 years. |
| How Difficult | 9 | It is a very challenging program. I was up all night for a week straight at one point during my last semester trying to finish my senior design project. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The method of teaching that they use is a mix. They try to use both a hands-on and a book learning approach. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Due to the budget cuts and furloughs, the university does not offer many classes on a regular basis. Some classes are only offered once every year. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | They have very good facilities and computer labs. They have a fully functioning gym and they also have good food on campus. |
| Social Life | 10 | I enjoyed my time at San Jose State. The only thing lacking at the school is that they do not have a good athletic program and the school spirit is not that good. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They do not have good career service assistance. Most of their databases are out of date as well. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | There are not that many alumni that helped me on my career path. Most of them just move on after finishing their degrees. |
Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo • San Luis Obispo, CA
Studying (completion in 2002)
• 6/24/2011
"I loved going there so much. I'd recommend anyone go there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If you love computers, then go. If you want a high paying job, then definitely go. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Cal Poly is a very well-recognized school. You will hear great things about it. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The curriculum was great. My professors were very interesting. |
| Instruction | 8 | The instruction was very intriguing. We had lots of hands on experience. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was very difficult to learn. I enjoy challenges, which is why I did so well. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We are very hands on there, which is the best way to learn things. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | If you are a full time student, you shouldn't rely on flexibility. Monday through Thursday is a common schedule, with classes all day. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The facilities are very nice. They are state of the art. |
| Social Life | 8 | Lots of different people attend my school. I am a social butterfly, so I met a lot of people. |
| Placement Services | 2 | There is none. You get your degree and you get a job on your own like most people should. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | There are a lot of commuters. There is very little alumni support. |
Van Nuys T.I. • Van Nuys, CA
Studying Novell/Networking (completion in 1998)
• 7/6/2011
"I was satisfied in that I received exactly the education I had been led to believe I would; and all commitments made were adhered to. Further, the staff was highly motivated and extremely willing to go 'above and beyond' the requirements of their employment - they took a personal interest and were not afraid to give their time and effort."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Although I'm not familiar with what has happened in the intervening years, at the time I attended it was a very adaptive institution for the career enhancements I needed. I would suggest that investigation be made before enrolling to pursue a new career or career change - I was already working in the field before I enrolled. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | I have no knowledge in this area. Following my completion, I had no occasion to have any further contact with them, and have not. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The program dealt with network implementations that existed at the time. The program was lacking in addressing future (projected) technologies. |
| Instruction | 6 | At the time I attended, networking was in its infancy, with Novell being 'state of the art.” Accordingly, most of the instruction focused around the ipx/spx implementations, and very little information was placed on the then emerging Microsoft netbios (remember that one) implementations or the ongoing RFP process to standardize internet functionality. |
| How Difficult | 4 | The program was highly structured. As a highly structured program, deviation from the core curriculum was extremely limited. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Hands on work was an integral part of the environment. It was a natural development after the initial book-learning phase. It was used both to 'lock-in' the learned information, and to expand/enhance the correlation with other aspects of the program. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | There was a marginally flexible attitude. My schedule was clearly dictated by my work requirements except in those situations where my work requirements were dictated by my schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | facilities were adequate. Upgrades had just been performed during my enrollment, and were an ongoing process. |
| Social Life | 7 | Ah, I fondly remember my lab partner Jennifer... but besides that, I never attended any school 'social' events. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I have no knowledge in this area. Following completion of my course of study, I had no occasion to utilize these services. I was employed at the time, and my continuing education was work-related. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I have never participated in the alumni network. They have never made any attempt to contact me. |
UC Irvine • Irvine, CA
Studying Information And Computer Science (completion in 2007)
• 6/28/2011
"I had a great time and believe I came out with a large amount of knowledge. It allowed me to be placed in a position quickly."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The job I'm currently in is rewarding and fun. I feel like each day I'm at work I'm accomplishing goals that are serving the greater good of my company. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | It's seen as one of the top UC's for network admin / comp. sci. It receives high accolades from companies throughout the country. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The degree program was challenging and provided sufficient knowledge to drive in to the Networking field when I graduated. My only complaint is that some of the material was antiquated. |
| Instruction | 8 | Our instructors were very good for the most part and knew what they were doing. There were a few that seemed too caught up with their research, however, and couldn't care less about the classes they were teaching. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was challenging at times, but very rewarding. It wasn't anything unattainable. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Labs and home assignments were well mixed. Some classes had more of one or the other. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Many options became available throughout my tenure. Online options became more available closer to my graduation. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Comprehensive computer labs were available. Many resources were available in these labs, as well as educated faculty. |
| Social Life | 5 | I didn't venture out much. I lived in the dorms but wasn't the most social. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I didn't get to use this service much. Many resources were available for job placement, though. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | We had a dedicated department for network issues. Many students, including myself, worked for that department. |
Institute Of Technology • Clovis, CA
Studying Network Software (completion in 2003)
• 7/2/2011
"I would say average. All vocational schools are out to make money. They don't take into consideration that they flood the market, making it hard to find a job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I feel for the amount of money you pay, it would be better to go to a traditional school. The time spent here is too short. |
| Program Reputation | 2 | I think it is poor due to the fact that they are looked at as a Degree Mill. They are just out to make money. |
| Program Quality | 3 | Anyone that went graduated even if they had bad attendance. I feel this took the Integrity out of my Certificate. |
| Instruction | 6 | The quality of some instruction was great. A few of the teachers were very bad. |
| How Difficult | 4 | It was not easy. If you went to class everyday it was a challenge, but you could do it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was very hands on. We were provided with a laptop. There was also plenty of labs and work stations to learn on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | They had morning and evening classes. They did not have any online options. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The facilities were above average. The computer resources were good and there was plenty of space. |
| Social Life | 5 | I was involved with the student activities dept. I was also involved in the social events. |
| Placement Services | 1 | The job placement was not helpful at all. The career services assistance provided help with a resume, and that's it. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I had no contact with them after graduation. They did not contact me after graduation. |
UC Irvine • Irvine, CA
Studying Informatics (completion in 2010)
• 6/27/2011
"Overall, I loved my decision to go to UC Irvine. Amazing faculty, a beautiful campus, and a perfect area for networking with people in industry in Orange County. I was very satisfied with my education and my experience at UCI."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | My school has everything you would want to study technology. I would definitely recommend it to anyone pursuing a career in IT. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | My particular major is somewhat new with only a few graduating classes, but the program has a very good and growing reputation with many reputable faculty, graduate students, and alumni in the industry. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I loved Irvine. They provided me with the tools I needed to pick up on new technologies and paradigms quickly. The faculty and my peers were exceedingly bright and my experience there was invaluable. I had many choices when deciding on a school and I can easily say that I would have made the same decision all over again. |
| Instruction | 9 | My professors were very good. The curriculum reflected much of what I am experiencing in industry and I felt prepared coming out of school for the most part. Although it did provide me with a large amount of hands-on experience, it was mostly conceptual (besides the actual programming) and it might have been good to have a few more classes with more hardware and networking, but then again, I wasn't Computer Engineering so I shouldn't complain. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was challenging at times but not impossible. Again, it prepared me very well. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My program (Informatics) is very very conceptual. Besides programming, you are mostly learning about the tools and methods in the classroom setting. But this is unlike many of the CS and CSE classes, which are much much more hands on. There are tons of hardware and networking classes to choose from. If you are interested in studying technology and its effects on society, culture, corporations, and politics, ICS and Informatics have a lot more of those classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The schedule itself is doable in 4 years but it is difficult to fit in any other majors or activities. If you miss a class or fail one it is somewhat difficult to get back on track. But for most students, it works out just fine. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The faculty and staff are extremely helpful and available. They are there for you through everything and take your personal experience to heart. Facilities like computer labs are bountiful (hundreds of workstations) and many of the machines are state of the art. Though the majority of them are P4+ with a few gigs of RAM, all of them have at least 19 inch displays and run the most common OSs (Windows XP, 7, OSX, and some Linux). |
| Social Life | 9 | I enjoyed my time socially at UCI very much. I met the most friendly people there. I felt most people had a good balance between school and social life. There is a great deal of Greek life on campus and there are many clubs and organizations. There are numerous on-campus activities and plenty of ways to meet and get to know people. If you want, that it is definitely there for you. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The career placement services are exceedingly good. http://www.career.uci.edu/ |
| Alumni Network | 10 | I hear it is excellent from all of my professors and other alumni. I have yet to have the time to become much of a participant. |
San Diego State University • San Diego, CA
Studying Information And Decision Systems (completion in 1999)
• 7/10/2011
"I received a good education from SDSU. It enabled me to continue to enjoy high salaries and gain valuable industry experience."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It's a great program combining IT and business knowledge and it prepared me well for working in large companies. Overall, it was a good experience. Perhaps I knew a little more than my professors at the time, but IT in general was still exploding in advances. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | A friend of mine recently completed the same degree. She was very happy with the program and is currently pursuing a career in IT support for the Grossmont Union High School. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My major at SDSU in 1999 was very well crafted for my career level. I have no idea how they've modernized their program but for me at the time, I was extremely well educated because personal computing was still gaining its current huge popularity. |
| Instruction | 8 | I was very well prepared for my career I took networking classes and classes in programming languages (including cobol, visual basic and C+). My management and communications classes really prepared me for working for a global corporation. |
| How Difficult | 10 | I felt that some of the statistics and finance courses, although necessary, were difficult. I know I needed to be exposed to those concepts and classes, but in reality as an IT Network Admin, I have never had use for statistics. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Excellent mix. Some of my classes required me to perform labs and analysis with real world situations. For example, I had to create a vb program from scratch that dialed a modem. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I had normal class hours. Mostly I went to school from the morning hours, say from 9AM, though I did take some evening classes. During that time I also worked part time. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Since this was 1999, things have probably changed. Back then they had some fairly decent personal computers on a good network for labs and classes. I'm sure (or I hope) that they've maintained the current standards. |
| Social Life | 4 | I was pretty heads down. SDSU has a reputation as a party school but between classes and working, I had little time for social activity. |
| Placement Services | 9 | Job placement at SDSU was amazing. Within the first few weeks after graduation, I had a full time job offer. It was a desktop support position that eventually became a full fledged NT Network Admin job. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I haven't really had much contact with SDSU alumni. So it's a little difficult to answer this question. |
Mira Costa College • Oceanside, CA
Studying Network Administration (completion in 2012)
• 7/19/2011
"I am satisfied with the education I got at Mira Costa College. I feel that I was challenged in many areas that can be applied to real life scenarios."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend Mira Costa College to others interested in pursuing an Associates degree in Network Administration. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I am not sure what the reputation is out in the marketplace since I have been working as a Network Admin at the same place for 7 years, but from what I have heard from others, the reputation is fair. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The CSIT program at Mira Costa College was challenging and even though I have been working with computers for over 20 years, I learned new things that I can use on the job. |
| Instruction | 9 | Martin Parks was a great professor. He is a soft spoken intellectual who cares about people and their success. He works with the students to make sure they understand the material. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The classes were challenging and the workload was sometimes difficult, but it wasn't impossible. That is as long as you came to class and paid attention and kept up with assignments. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The classes in which I took were a good mix of both book and hands on learning. All of the computer classes I took were a mix of lecture and hands on, where the majority of the work done in class was hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Class flexibility is good, although I wish they offered more evening and online classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Mira Costa College has an excellent library. They also have computers that students can use. The professors and students are very helpful. The accessibility of professors varies, but usually they have office hours posted prior to class. |
| Social Life | 5 | I did not attend any social events at school. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I haven't used any of the job placement services, but I do know that they have this service available to students and alumni. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I have made many friends at Mira Costa college and keep in contact with them. The network and support are great. |
New Horizons Computer School • Anaheim, CA
Studying A+ Network+ (completion in 2008)
• 7/25/2011
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, without a doubt. The cost was very reasonable. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | I never found anything to discredit their program. A friend referred me and said they were great |
| Instruction | 10 | The staff was very helpful and attentive. I thought it would be very difficult, but they taught it in a way that made in not that way. |
| How Difficult | 6 | |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The mix was perfect and prepared me for being in the field. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Online classes allowed me to still work and go to school at the same time. This was the reason I chose them. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The facility was clean and the instructions were very knowledgeable. |
| Social Life | 10 | They did not have these events. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I had a job within two months thanks to their excellent placement program. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I don't have an alumni program. |
City College Of San Francisco • San Francisco, CA
Studying (completion in 2014)
• 10/6/2011
"Some of the bureaucracy and academic instruction is strange and hit-and-miss."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It totally depends on the subject, one's background, and ,mainly, geographic location. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | For a lot of things, like continuing education and vocational programs, there isn't a lot of choices that are affordable and nearby. |
| Program Quality | 3 | The school is better than DeVry, but underfunded and ridiculous in some ways. |
| Instruction | 5 | It's a community college with 100,000 students. The old maxim about "pleasing everyone" applies to this situation. |
| How Difficult | 3 | Most classes can be passed with an A by simply doing the homework and getting C's on tests. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The hardware exposure is better than working in a simulator, which is what you do for a lot of things. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Weekend, online, and short term classes are available to those interested. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Tons of interesting equipment, subjects, and other applicable things. |
| Social Life | 5 | I mainly took some vocational classes here. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | Support does exists, but it is spartan. It's not comparable to a regular university. |
University Of California San Diego • San Diego, CA
Studying Networking (completion in 2002)
• 10/27/2011
"The school gave me a good education, but had some minor flaws. Some professors were not clear."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The school gave me the education I needed to be successful in my profession. I highly recommend it to any other students looking into going into computer science. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The school is ranked 14th in the country. They also have some famous professors. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The program is one of the best in the state. I got a phenomenal education there. |
| Instruction | 10 | I learned a lot at the school. I went in knowing little to nothing about networking and came out as one of the best. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The work load was hard at times but nothing too extreme. I took classes that were pretty straightforward, though. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was some hands on, but it was mostly book learning. If you were unclear of something you had the option of receiving hands on assistance from the professor. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The class schedule was somewhat flexible. I had a tough time on some days of the week due to the closeness in time of certain classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The school has great facilities. It had a beautiful library on campus as well as tutoring if needed. |
| Social Life | 5 | The social experience wasn't all that great. I made many friends but the school was not in to sports. There were occasional small parties, but that was it. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I knew I was going into networking from the start, but some of my peers say the career help is amazing. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The alumni support was incredible. The financial aid was what got me through the payments. |
Coleman University • San Diego, CA
Studying Computer Networking (completion in 2005)
• 10/28/2011
"They were very flexible with me. Helped me get a raise after finishing and eventually a promotion."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Anyone looking to switch careers for a faster path to a degree can look here. Very flexible schedules for those that already work. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Very reputable in the San Diego area. Not so much outside of that area, though. |
| Program Quality | 8 | School was great at getting people into IT careers. Very flexible, thus helpful to working adults. |
| Instruction | 8 | Prepares you for an entry level career in IT. Some of the equipment was older, though. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Those with experience will find it pretty easy as the courses prepare you for an entry level position. Workload is very manageable. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Very hands on with equipment to reinforce what is learned in the books. Equipment was old but still decent to work with and get points across. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They are very flexible. Provide day and night courses for working adults. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Facilities were average when I attended. They moved to a new campus recently that looks much better. |
| Social Life | 2 | Small technical school that didn't offer much in terms of a social experience when I attended. Focus is getting students a degree and into a job. |
| Placement Services | 8 | Helpful looking for a job in the San Diego area. Once I moved away, not as helpful. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | Never hear from them. Small technical school, so not a huge network. |
UCSD • San Diego, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2005)
• 10/16/2011
"In hindsight the theoretical base UCSD provided has enabled me to take on advanced development positions and lowered the bar to my understanding new technologies. The most valuable classes where I learned the most turned out to be the classes where I earned a C or B which seems like a problem since I was paying to prepare myself for a career, not purchasing grades."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Since UCSD is a non-party school, I think it helped me focus more on why I was there. The campus is beautiful and I still feel that "anything is possible" excitement when I walk on campus. Plus, San Diego is an awesome place to live. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The Computer Science program gets a lot of credit and is seen as the best CS school in San Diego. Major companies (SAIC, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, etc.) surround UCSD and actively recruit. Some professors also worked at the big tech companies and picked up students. |
| Program Quality | 7 | Schooling was mostly theoretical which has allowed me to adapt quickly to new technology. A theoretical education made it hard to get a job upon graduation, though. |
| Instruction | 6 | Some professors understood the latest trends in industry while the rest of the professors seemed more interested in getting back to whatever they do on the side. Experienced computer science courses that pretty much ran on auto pilot and most class mates focused on cheating and passing the test versus learning the material. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Coding and studying non-stop. Most classes had big books and two tests to base your entire grade on. This made it difficult to balance learning the material and trying to get a passing grade. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Depended on the class. Most CS courses had coding assignments coupled with intense book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | All comp sci classes started in the afternoons. A lot was offered during the summers, too. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Multiple computer labs to access. Library had a ton of resources and books. Library also allowed checkout of certain CS books. I never had any complaints about the equipment. Apparently UCSD was sponsored by Sun in the past as most computers were SPARC systems. |
| Social Life | 6 | Played sports so I had fun within my social group. The population of UCSD is very skewed towards Asians and a lot of the social things that went on were Asian only (aka not in English). In general UCSD is not known for being fun socially, so most non-Greek students went off campus for parties. |
| Placement Services | 3 | Didn't have any success using UCSD's career services. Personally, I had better luck getting my foot in the door of various start-ups and building my career skills that way. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | Does not exist. Lack of sports translated into a lack of alumni and I have yet to utilized UCSD's network. Looking back, resume help was pretty poor and the techniques taught are not something I replicate today. |
Coastline Community College • Garden Grove, CA
Studying Computer Information Systems (completion in 2007)
• 11/30/2011
"It gave me what I needed to advance me in my career. The facilities were nice and well kept. The coursework was relevant, and the classes change to stay up to date with current software and hardware systems."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It was cheap, the teachers were knowledgeable about the real world, and the classes were about today's systems. There's also flexible class schedules that are available for working students. I use what I learned from there just about every day. |
| Program Reputation | I don't know what their reputation for it is. It was a community college as opposed to a technical school, so it's not heavily advertised. | |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school had up-to-date equipment. It also had a good range of courses to choose from, not just one or two classes. |
| Instruction | 9 | The instructors brought real-world experience into the classroom as they were still working professionals. The courses were also about relevant computer systems, as opposed to going over OS's that were highly outdated. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I was already running a small network, so I had a good idea going into these classes as to what was going on. The workload wasn't too much as it was for working people. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had a lecture hour, then a lab hour. We would go over the previous chapter, and then get on the computers to actually do what we went over. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I took night classes and online classes. They also offer weekend accelerated sessions. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The classroom had current computers for every desk, running current operating systems. The rooms had plenty of room and equipment for everyone. |
| Social Life | I never participated in any of this as I was taking night classes. The school was mainly focused on providing classes for working people, so they didn't have much of this from what I can recall. | |
| Placement Services | Again, I didn't take advantage of any of their services in this area as I was already working in the field. | |
| Alumni Network | I never took advantage of anything they have. I don't even know if they have anything like that. |
Sierra College • Rocklin, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2009)
• 1/26/2012
"Very satisfied. They provided me with everything I needed to get my certification and now I am working professionally."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Definitely go to Sierra College if you have an interest in computers. Their staff is professional, the equipment is decent, and the opportunity to learn is all there waiting for you. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I feel that the school is not very well known for computer science, but that it's one of the most sought-after majors that they have to offer. There were always full classes and people wanting your seat! |
| Program Quality | 8 | The professors, teachers, and aids were all very helpful and knowledgeable. When one of us knew more than the teacher, the teachers were more than willing to hear what we had to say and learn our methods. |
| Instruction | 7 | Well, our professor was a huge C++ fan (who isn't, right?) and that was the language that he was instructed to teach. One day I mentioned that I have been learning python and that it's very easy and more powerful than C++ and he spent the rest of the term learning and comparing notes with me. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The work itself was fairly simple. I have had my own computer since I was in kindergarten. I learned HTML when I was in 7th grade and went up from there. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This entire class was hands-on learning. There were a couple times where we loaded a Google book of a lesson plan or a C++ for dummies, but for the most part it was trial and a lot of error. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I had two classes from 9-11 and 11:45-3 and they were awesome. If I ever had to miss a class, they were offered online and my teacher personally emailed me the "lectures" and notes that he had taken. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The computer lab at Sierra College was awesome. When I was there, there were easily 50 computers in just the main lab, with multiple libraries and resource centers available. |
| Social Life | 3 | I didn't really talk to many people during my tenure there. I went to class, did my work, and went home. I'm sure other people have differing opinions. |
| Placement Services | 1 | They never provided me with a job or work experience. I started working before I went into college and once it started, I continued building websites for people. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I haven't had many run ins with the school other than my past teachers. They were helpful, but I don't know of any past alumni or students that I graduated with that I still talk to. |
University Of San Francisco • San Francisco, CA
Studying Computer Programming (completion in 1999)
• 1/14/2012
"I had the best four years of my life there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It was a good school with good instructors. |
| Program Reputation | I am not quite sure. | |
| Program Quality | 10 | We had very qualified instructors and a good syllabus. |
| Instruction | 8 | My school provide good career preparation and I learned a lot from the books and got an opportunity for hands on experience. |
| How Difficult | 9 | It was rather difficult and challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was an even much of book and hands-on learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I had a part time job and my class schedule fits perfectly. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | All the facilities are nice. |
| Social Life | 8 | There are many events for students with a range of interests. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I guess they are still pretty good. When I was there, I attended some of the job fairs. |
| Alumni Network | I don't participate in the alumni network so I don't know. |
De Anza College • Cupertino, CA
Studying Business Systems Support (completion in 1998)
• 2/26/2012
"The school was good and did give me exposure to a few new ideas. I primarily was after a degree that showed what I had already learned."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It would depend on where people were in their careers. If they were just starting and trying to figure out if it was right for them, I would recommend it. If they knew for sure this was what they wanted, I would probably suggest more of a technical school. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | When I was going through the program, it seemed to have a pretty good reputation. I have not followed up to know where it is now. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It gave a good baseline. As I took the classes, I could see the information was starting to fall behind the curve of what was happening at work. |
| Instruction | 9 | Most of the classes were taught by professionals in the field. Sometimes could have been better served with more polished instructors. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The subject matter could be challenging. I had already had some exposure, so it was easier to pick up. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program had a fair amount of hands-on training, but few classes had lab components associated with them. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I remember taking most of the classes at not prime times. I know there were a couple that I had to miss some work for, but they were not at all unreasonable. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | Most of the classes were done in a classroom setting. The lab work was done as self-paced and was done in a lab available to everyone attending school. |
| Social Life | 5 | It was a community college, so it did not have the campus life associated with a four-year school. There were numerous clubs and associations available to take advantage of. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I was already in a job, so I did not make use of it. I do not remember it being offered. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | As it is a community college, I do not expect much alumni support. I have moved around, so it may not have caught up with me. |
California State University, Long Beach • Long Beach, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2010)
• 2/26/2012
"A great undergraduate education with plenty of available resources. Not a good choice for master-level work, but a great (and cheap) place to get the foundation down."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Great education for the money. Undergraduate coursework is similar at all CSU and UC schools. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | One of the better departments at the school. Part of the engineering department, which is very prestigious/money-making. |
| Program Quality | 5 | Some coursework focused on computer administration, though programming (as opposed to scripting) and software development were too highly considered. In general, more relevant information was learned from self-study and other students than the class work itself. |
| Instruction | 5 | Curriculum was not very relevant, save for a few classes. Overall broad knowledge of how computers work was useful, however. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Much higher workload than most majors. Assignments could take 10-20 hours each for just one class. Half of the class time was dedicated to lab work, which helped ease the time burden. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most classes use a book as supplementary material, with teacher notes filling in the gaps. Homework was usually based upon real-world or academic challenges, rather than textbook questions. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I was usually able to get all the classes I wanted. Summer and online coursework was lacking. Due to state budget cuts, many class sections were closed down. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Advisors, library materials, computer labs, etc., all helped. Classrooms themselves were often uncomfortable, but the labs were spacious. |
| Social Life | 7 | Organized events fail to hit the spot, but the school has a very social and party-like atmosphere. Like most places, it's there if you want it, out of your way if you don't. |
| Placement Services | 4 | Most jobs passed on to students are outside their abilities (e.g., require 5 years of experience). Interview practice and resume-building workshops help in the general case. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | Most people seem to just be happy to get away. I do not know any alumni, other than those I graduated with/near. |
DeVry University • San Diego, CA
Studying Network And Communications Management (completion in 2008)
• 3/21/2012
"Gonna go middle ground on this. I don't feel like I learned a TON in school and it was absurdly expensive, but having a degree has opened up a lot of job opportunities for me and allowed me to draw a much larger salary."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I wouldn't give a straight recommendation. I would give the pros and cons that I experienced and let the other person make their own decision based on what I've told them. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I'm just going to mark this one as average. I don't know what the world thinks of DeVry University and I don't really care. I got my degree and it has improved my life, the opinion of the school doesn't mean a thing to me. |
| Program Quality | 7 | My school did manage to teach me the basic concepts of being an administrator. They taught me about networking, AD, and general hardware support, but the classes were taken online and the opportunity for learning in a hands on environment was severely limited. |
| Instruction | 5 | The quality was as good as you made it. The classes I took were primarily online, and as we all know, online courses are much easier than traditional classes. If you want to learn and excel, you have to put the work in. |
| How Difficult | 7 | If you went into the education program with a general understanding of computers and networking, it wasn't too hard. Especially with the online courses, you just needed to do your homework and participate to get good grades. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Primarily book learning. Sometimes they would run some virtual lab environments to teach you about Cisco IOS commands or active directory, but the material was a little dated. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | DeVry has a vast collection of online courses in all kinds of subjects at completely different times. It was easily the best feature. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | I'm giving this one a low rating. I did my classes online mainly and so we had to utilize virtual environments for our testing. My hands on experience with networking equipment was very limited. |
| Social Life | 2 | My classes were primarily online, so I didn't interact with the other students much. A few courses required us to work in groups, but the distance between the students and having never met face to face really detracted from the social experience. |
| Placement Services | 4 | All of the job fairs that popped up were typically too far away and the school was of no great help with my career acquisition. |
| Alumni Network | I can't really give a good answer to this question. My school promised me job opportunities and guaranteed X amount of dollars after graduation, but all of the jobs I've had since 2008, I have hunted down and acquired on my own. Their post graduate support consisted of job fairs that were 200 miles away from me. |
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