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 Des Moines Area Community College, Kirkwood Community College, Hawkeye Community College, and AIB.
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 AIB, Iowa State, University of Iowa, and Northern Iowa.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Drake and Upper Iowa University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Mount Mercy College, Saint Ambrose University, and Southeastern Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Drake, Dordt, Luther, and Loras.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Loras, Dordt, Central College, and Luther.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Iowa, Iowa State, Drake, and Luther.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Loras, Luther, Mount Mercy College, and Dordt.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Kirkwood Community College • Cedar Rapids, IA
Studying Computer Support Specialist (completion in 2009)
• 6/24/2011
"It was fun, I met a lot of cool people. Most of all I learned what I needed to know."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It was a good school. I enjoyed the teachers for the most part. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The school's reputation as a whole is very good. The program itself is like any computer program in that you can pretty much get a job anywhere if you put your heart to it. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I was able to obtain my degree quickly and efficiently. I also had a lot of fun doing it. |
| Instruction | 5 | Teachers could have held me more accountable for my actions. In school I got away with a lot of laziness and it would have been more beneficial to be held accountable. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I didn't have to do a lot of studying. Homework was mostly done at school itself. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | IT was a mix of hands on and book learning. A lot of book learning does get over the top, so they mix it up. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I was able to move into a different class because of a life change that occurred. This helped me to be able to keep my job. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The school had everything I needed. It had very good trainers and a good scheduling system. |
| Social Life | 8 | I made a lot of good friends. I was able to socialize during lunch hours. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I had to job search myself. It was not that difficult to find a job, however. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I haven't gone to any reunions. The support from the alumni was good and they did donate a lot of time to the school. |
Iowa Western Community College • Council Bluffs, IA
Studying IT With Networking Emphasis (completion in 2007)
• 2/11/2012
"I am very satisfied as I immediately got a job out of college. I am applying what I have been learning from college."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Definitely I do. Small college, big city, lots of internship opportunities, low tuition. That's all a student needs until he/she is in a professional career. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Well, the college does not have any ranking because it is just a community college, but in the local community and in nearby states everyone knows it. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The college is great. Small classes, especially in IT, so we got more attention and one-on-one interaction. |
| Instruction | 7 | Classes are mostly online, but the courses are taught by very experienced instructors and they know the stuff very well. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It is not very difficult but you definitely need to know parts of a computer, such as the NIC card, and terminology (IP, TCP, DHCP, VPN etc.). |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Hands-on study without a doubt, but it's up to you what emphasis you choose. If you want practical experience, you will find it enjoyable. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | While you are in college, you get on campus jobs where you can learn about computer hardware and troubleshooting techniques, which are very useful in the networking field. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Facilities are great, lab resources are sufficient, and classes and labs are open all the time. |
| Social Life | 8 | Not much, but Omaha is close by for night life and the local community is great. |
| Placement Services | 8 | The college helped me tweak my resume and contact an employer and schedule an interview. Other than that, the college also helps by footing the bill to go to other cities if necessary. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | Not much support from the school once you graduate, but while in school there are lots of career fairs and such, so it is not hard to get a job. |
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