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 Gainesville State, Kennesaw State, Georgia Highlands, and South Georgia 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 Armstrong Atlantic State, Clayton State, Georgia Highlands, and South Georgia College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Fort Valley State, Paine College, Savannah State, and Albany State.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Dekalb, Flint River Technical College, Lanier Technical College, and Central Georgia Technical College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Paine College, Georgia Highlands, Mercer University, and University of Georgia.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Fort Valley State, Savannah State, Paine College, and Reinhardt College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Georgia, Mercer University, and Georgia College & State University.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Reinhardt College, Albany State, Paine College, and Fort Valley State.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Paine College, University of Georgia, Reinhardt College, and Georgia College & State University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Georgia Tech • Atlanta, GA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2014)
• 5/3/2011
"I had a good time in college. Now I have a decent job in my field, unlike half the country."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It's a good place to go if you're from the area. But there are better technical schools in the country. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It's a technical college, so the computer science program is pretty well respected. Also, it's one of the only real technical colleges in the south. |
| Program Quality | 8 | They taught practical applications for real world employment in the computing field. They also had good career placement services. |
| Instruction | 6 | The professors always were current back then. They always tried to incorporate relevant examples to supplement an aging curriculum. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I partied all the time and did the bare minimum to complete my assignments. I still graduated with a 3.6 GPA, although that might be because I'm smart. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was about 50/50. The mix was nice. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I don't know about this. I was a main campus Monday through Friday student and never looked into it. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | New computers had just been placed in the labs. There were always quiet places to study the few times I needed them. |
| Social Life | 8 | Good school spirit. The tailgating scene was a lot of fun. I always had somewhere to be with a beer in my hand! |
| Placement Services | 7 | I had a job the day I graduated. Granted it's not my current job, but I didn't get stuck in the rat race like everyone else. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | Too many people went to Georgia Tech. I'm just one of hundreds of thousands of other people in the alumni network. |
Clayton State University • Morrow, GA
Studying Computer Networking (completion in 2007)
• 6/29/2011
"I am not very satisfied with my school experience. I did not learn much that has helped me in the real world. I have learned the needed skills mostly on my own."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would not recommend Clayton State because it focuses more on book learning. This may be fine for other programs, but for computer/networking related courses it fails to provide the adequate problem solving skills required in a real I.T. career. |
| Program Reputation | 2 | Other than fellow students, I have not heard of anyone with an opinion of Clayton State. It is known by students as a lower end state school. |
| Program Quality | 5 | Clayton State offered very little in terms of technology classes. Computer networking was the only technical class that was available at the time that I attended. |
| Instruction | 4 | Clayton State professors taught directly from books and teaching materials. This did not encourage problem solving and real world situations like a more hands on approach. |
| How Difficult | 3 | The course work was very easy. Most of the classes and course materials were online and open book. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Clayton State taught mostly straight from books. Several classes were more hands on oriented or had an accompanying lab class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Clayton State offered night and summer classes which I attended. I was unable to access the offices during the evenings. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Classroom space and labs were adequate for the program. Lab equipment was aging slightly. Equipment was several years old. |
| Social Life | 5 | I am rating this as average as I did not participate in many school activities. Much of the school's activities happened during the day and I attended night classes. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I am rating this as average also because I never participated in any job placement or career services. I am not sure if they were even offered at Clayton State. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I rated this questions as average because I have not participated in any alumni activities. I don't even know where to go to obtain any alumni information. |
Southern Polytechnic State University • Marietta, GA
Studying Network Engineering (completion in 2009)
• 8/30/2011
"This was the best school I found when searching for a tech school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend this school for anyone in IT. You can get your degree pretty easily in just 4 years. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | They provide excellent instruction. They are one the top schools in the country for technology. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The professors were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The school is one of the best tech schools in the country. |
| Instruction | 9 | They were all very helpful. If you needed any extra help, they were there for you. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Some of the math is tedious. Everything was pretty simple. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | They have a perfect balance. They mix in the perfect amount of book work with actual hands on work. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | They are pretty flexible when it comes to scheduling. A lot of people are easily able to hold full times jobs and still come to class. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | They have a great library. They also have an online database that you can use that is fantastic. |
| Social Life | 7 | They have a lot of social events and also throw some great parties. |
| Placement Services | 7 | They try to get you a job pretty quickly. Unfortunately they don't always seem to be on top of things. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | They try with the alumni network. However, not many alumni seem to be interested in anything after graduating. |
Georgia Institute Of Technology • Atlanta, GA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2008)
• 10/7/2011
"I wanted to get a good education in IT and then a good job in IT. Georgia Tech helped me do both."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If I were hiring for my job, and you were a Georgia Tech grad, I would hire you. Unless you were my roommate. Seriously though, Georgia will give you a background you won't match at an online college. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The franchise schools like University of Phoenix and DeVry, steal a lot of thunder from traditional tech schools. I don't care though, I made the right decision. |
| Program Quality | 9 | It's a very solid program that prepared me for my job. I audited a few schools and I'm confident I made the right choice. |
| Instruction | 8 | Instructors are fantastic. Some of the stuff we covered wasn't current by the time I graduated (we covered Collaboration Suite a ton but now everyone uses Beehive). I don't think you can really help that, though. |
| How Difficult | 10 | Comp Sci is hard. Otherwise everyone would take it and I wouldn't have a job. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It's a technical school. Getting hands-on with technology is why you go. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | Not so flexible. Computer Science is pretty demanding; you have a lot of classes and you need to be punctual. I got dinged a few times on that. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | You get all the resources you need to do your work and pass with flying colors. Faculty keep good hours. |
| Social Life | 8 | School spirit is crazy at Georgia Tech. Getting all fired up at a game helps take the edge off of three sleepless nights of term paper writing. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Fantastic. I got a job almost straight out of school. The staff and faculty were really helpful with contacts and references. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | You never really stop being an Engineer. I know my friends and professors will be lifelong contacts. |
Georgia Perimeter College • Lawrenceville, GA
Studying Networking Specialist (completion in 2008)
• 10/17/2011
"I feel my time wasn't wasted, and I learned many valuable skills. Like all things, it will depend on how much effort you put in."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend it if the costs or time requirements of a 4-year program are prohibitive. Otherwise, you might consider a more prestigious degree. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | My degree has afforded me a job, so I can't complain. However, a 4-year degree would probably secure more pay and a better position. |
| Program Quality | 7 | My instructors were competent and provided good training. However, career placement assistance was a little lacking. |
| Instruction | 9 | My instructors provided real-world examples of network problems (i.e., routing issues and NAT table inconsistencies). I felt their instruction was of high caliber. |
| How Difficult | 6 | It wasn't extremely difficult, if you studied the material. The instructors were very helpful. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A bit more hands-on material might be nice. However, this is really down to personal preference. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | As a commuter school, they were very flexible. The program has enough instructors to allow flexible class scheduling. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The instructors had relevant materials for instruction. Some of the materials are extremely expensive, and other choices could be used in order to defer costs. |
| Social Life | 6 | As a commuter school, there wasn't much of a "college atmosphere." However, the students were all friendly and very helpful. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I felt support was lacking in this area. The options provided were extremely entry-level, without commensurate pay, given my degree. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The support for issues within the curriculum was good. However, I had some issues with career assistance. |
Kennesaw State University • Kennesaw, GA
Studying Information Systems (completion in 2010)
• 1/18/2012
"I was generally satisfied with KSU for my program. It is one of the best in the area for this field of study."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If a student is looking for hands on, technical training this is not the school. However, if someone is looking for a theory based, management oriented school, KSU is perfect. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | KSU has an average reputation for the program. However, other technical institutions in the area are better known for technical instruction. |
| Program Quality | 5 | KSU offers some technical classes related to network administrative tasks. However, most classes are geared towards theory and the high level aspects of information management. |
| Instruction | 4 | Career preparation was minimal since very little was related to technical matters. However, instructors taught in a way to encourage students to find the answer themselves. |
| How Difficult | 8 | My program was difficult due to my work load. I worked full time while going to school. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | As a university, most lessons were theory based. Only one out of ten classes offered hands on lessons. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | KSU offers a flexible schedule. I took all of my classes in the evening or online. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The school is constantly adding facilities or expanding current buildings. Most facilities are related to academics as opposed to sports. |
| Social Life | 4 | School spirit at KSU was limited at best. A lack of traditional sports limited school spirit activities and participation. |
| Placement Services | 7 | The school's career placement services go out their way to accommodate students. The school has a good reputation for placing 90%+ of students. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | KSU provides average alumni support. Meetings are held monthly but, as with most institutions, the alumni associations seek monetary contributions. |
West Georgia Technical College • Carrollton, GA
Studying CIS: Networking (completion in 2012)
• 3/20/2012
"Given the cost and ease versus what I learned and can apply, I am quite satisfied. Social experiences are not necessary for me. The school did what it set out to do, did it effectively and cheaply, and I can't ask for more."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If they can afford more, perhaps there is a better choice. For someone who needs a leg up, but can't stop working or afford huge loans, this school is definitely an option. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | It is a state-run college in a somewhat bad part of town. It does not have a good reputation. |
| Program Quality | 5 | Initially, I felt the school was poor and that I learned nothing. However, once I secured a job, all the classes and exercises began to come back to me and it has helped significantly. |
| Instruction | 7 | The teachers were all professionals in their field previously. They were quite knowledgeable, if hamstrung by budgets and course plans. |
| How Difficult | 1 | This is not a top tier school. I received only two B's, both by the same teacher. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school was quite hands on, but of course the book was used as well. The hands on portion was very helpful in preparing for this type of job. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The school has summer courses as well as night time courses. I felt I could always work around my schedule, even if some classes had limited availability. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The computers were decent but not stellar, the OS was outdated but still relevant. The books were reasonably up to date as well. |
| Social Life | 2 | There is almost none. I believe there is a single basketball team for this school, nothing else. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I was offered no assistance with job placement. Upon inquiring, the staff seemed unknowledgeable. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | There is almost no assistance or contact with the school once I graduated. They offered no services that I could see. |
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