Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Sales Managers
- 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 Morningside College, Drake, Western Iowa Tech Community College, 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 Emmaus Bible, Drake, Dordt, and University of Dubuque.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Emmaus Bible, Loras, Dordt, and Central College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Iowa, Iowa State, Coe College, and Luther.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Maharishi.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Loras, Emmaus Bible, Clarke, and Luther.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Iowa State University • Ames, IA
Studying Business And Communications (completion in 1995)
• 5/7/2011
"I loved the size of the school. I thought we had great resources and awesome teachers in a top notch program."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I think that not only is the academic experience excellent, but the potential career opportunities that the school offers are fantastic. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Iowa State's business program is one of the best in the nation and many businesses are hiring its graduates. They give the students a lot of great opportunities. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I thought that the majority of the classes within the major were very relevant to what I am ultimately doing as a sales manager. I thought that they were interesting and very insightful. |
| Instruction | More than 5 years ago | |
| How Difficult | 6 | |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The first few years, we had huge classes. But as we got deeper into the major, we had smaller classes that were more conducive to hands on learning. We had a ton of internship opportunities and were able to work in the community. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | This is a big school, so there were a number of the same class offered multiple times. If I didn't want to take a 8 am course, then I didn't have to. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | We had a huge library with a great amount of resources. There were also huge computer labs and plenty of office space. |
| Social Life | 7 | I was in choir, theater, and I was the floor president in my dorm. I liked to have fun with my friends and was always involved. |
| Placement Services | 2 | ISU is a huge school and I had a lot of people in my program, so maybe that is why I fell through the cracks. I was younger and really didn't know how to go about finding the resources the school had to offer for career services. I think that they should have "advertised" quite a bit more. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I received a letter soon after I graduated and I also get e-mail updates. Other then that I don't receive that much information from my school. |
Ashford University • Clinton, IA
Studying Logistics And Chain Supply Management (completion in 2011)
• 9/7/2011
"I would rate this a 10 if I had a great job after graduating. I learned a lot and really enjoyed it, but I wish that the job market was better."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Sales management is a great career path, but it has some drawbacks. I have long ours, and rarely take vacations. The pay is minimal but ok. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The school has a great reputation, but it is often compared to other "online" schools due to its online offerings. I learned a lot, so I believe it to be a great source for education. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I really enjoyed getting my Masters degree. I received a better education than I originally anticipated. It was a fun and exciting program as well. |
| Instruction | 8 | I received a great amount of career preparation. I was ready to hit the job market. If only the job market was ready for me, it would have worked out a lot better. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Logistics is a difficult area to study. With modern technology and older equations governing the study, it doesn't leave a lot of room for error. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school is based around book learning. I really enjoyed this due to being able to read on my own time. It would have been a lot more difficult if I had to be in a lab or classroom every day. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The school allowed for maximum flexibility. Students had all week to send in papers and have discussions with classmates. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The school had a great number of useful online library sources. These aided me in completing my degree. |
| Social Life | 3 | Other than graduation, I did not see many social activities at the school. Most were student planned and orchestrated. |
| Placement Services | 1 | What job placement? I only wish this was an option. I have applied for over 200 jobs in the last 2 months, with no return calls. I wish my school offered assistance. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | The alumni network has not been very useful. I believe our Facebook pages to be more essential. |
Ashford University • Lincoln, IA
Studying Journalism (completion in 2011)
• 9/9/2011
"I wish I had had a more fulfilling college experience. I would have liked a more active social structure on campus and a more supportive learning environment."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | My major and college experience did not prepare me for my work at all. I should have opted for a more practical major or a better program. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | To my knowledge, Ashford is not hailed for any program, let alone journalism. Nobody had ever mentioned the program to me before I registered for the major. |
| Program Quality | 4 | The journalism program was minimal and not exactly enriching. I felt like I just pumped through the program to get a degree. |
| Instruction | 4 | There was very little discussion about the subject matter during class. The text we were asked to read was formulaic and I did not feel like I learned how to be a journalist. |
| How Difficult | 4 | I went to school full time and never studied and barely ever did homework. I graduated with all As and Bs. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Absolutely no hands-on learning. All of our classwork was done with digital testing and e-books. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I was able to drop or replace classes as many times as I needed. However, I was unable to change my major a second time. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | The library was horribly disorganized, and there were no study groups on campus. My academic and financial advisers were very difficult to get in touch with. |
| Social Life | 2 | There are no student organizations or unions. There are no encouraged Greek groups or student activities. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I received no assistance looking for jobs after graduation. I had never been to the career services center, but only because I had not heard of one on campus. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I have never heard of alumni activities or even reunions. I was never contacted by an alumni group after graduating. |
Drake University • Des Moines, IA
Studying Marketing (completion in 2012)
• 10/15/2011
"Hindsight is 20/20. It's too late to change my decision."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | There are easier and cheaper schools to attend to get a career started. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The reputation is above average because of the school's history. There have been a few good leaders that have come from the school, but the current crop of students is lackluster. |
| Program Quality | 4 | I believe that my secondary education was far over priced and unnecessary. I have learned a large part of my job from previous managers and have learned a work ethic and common sense will get you farther than book. |
| Instruction | 4 | I believe there were a few things I was able to apply to my career, but there were a lot of topics covered that could have been acknowledged without the in depth classes. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Marketing is not the hardest program in the world, although, similar to other areas, it just clicks for some people. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Only a few classes I attended were hands on. This is even more disappointing as I move up in the working world. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The classes are offered at a variety of times through the day and year. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I would not rate them above average at all. Nothing I saw was "state of the art." |
| Social Life | 3 | It was a private school with little school spirit. Most of the students were larger fans of the public schools. I did not attend many parties because there were only a few bars in the area. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I attended one job fair and is seemed absolutely useless. I found my own job through my own networks. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I believe this is poor because I only know 2 alumni. One is a family member and the other is a family friend. |
Ashford University • Clinton, IA
Studying Business (completion in 2008)
• 10/14/2011
"I loved the flexibility. Plus, it wasn't very difficult."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | While I did enjoy the flexibility, it was hard to really learn what I needed to. I would suggest attending a physical campus. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | It's average I suppose. I haven't really looked into it. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I attended classes online. This was very beneficial to me because of the flexibility. |
| Instruction | 7 | Being online, it's difficult to have one-on-one learning. While I learned the general knowledge for my job, there was a lot that I had to learn on the job. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I didn't find it too difficult. Being online, it was probably a lot less difficult than other universities. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There were no lectures. We learned everything from the book. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | It's online. You only have to log on twice a week. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Being online, you have everything at your fingertips. They also provide a lot of resources. |
| Social Life | As I didn't attend the campus, I wasn't involved in any activities, though I think they probably have social events at the campus. | |
| Placement Services | 8 | They do have great job placement services. I didn't use them, though. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I haven't used any support. I'm not even entirely sure if there is a support system. |
University Of Iowa • Iowa City, IA
Studying Liberal Arts/US History (completion in 1994)
• 11/4/2011
"I was satisfied with earning a degree. I wouldn't change much if I had the chance."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If I had the chance to discuss school options, I'd make sure the incoming student understood their long range goals. I'd recommend they don't look at 'just earning a degree,' but make sure they have a vocation in mind. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The UI, as far as I am aware, is not well known for their Liberal Arts program. The UI is more known for its' College of Medicine. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I enjoyed the school and the teachers/professors. I learned a lot about being on my own. |
| Instruction | 3 | I didn't study business in college. I didn't see myself going in to sales as a career. |
| How Difficult | 5 | All classes build on each other, so topics of discussion were easy to pick up. I was able to get good grades with a minimal amount of studying. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My degree was based on book-learning. I rarely had an opportunity to work 'hands-on' with anything in my course of study. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I had no trouble getting into the classes I needed to graduate. I was able to take classes on weekends and in the summer. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I don't recall a large amount of resources going towards the Liberal Arts program. Classroom space and advisors were at a minimum... |
| Social Life | 8 | I met a lot of people and was able to do a little networking. I attended a lot of sporting events and enjoyed the Big 10 atmosphere. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I didn't have any assistance with job placement. The job fairs that were held when I was graduating did not have a wide variety of options. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | There seems to be a good alumni network. However, the network seems to gravitate towards those in better socio-economic areas... |
Iowa State University • Ames, IA
Studying Engineering (completion in 1990)
• 11/27/2011
"Great people. Great knowledge."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | You have to be dedicated to get the degree at ISU. It is a lot of hard work. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It has always been considered one of the top engineering schools. Most of the alumni that I've contacted, all have positive thoughts for ISU. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Engineering background has allowed me to relate to customer's requirements. By using statistics, I've been able to identify strategic accounts. |
| Instruction | 5 | College is what you make of it. The instructors, the course selection, etc. make up a program. What you take away from it is all on you. |
| How Difficult | 10 | I think the Engineering program is definitely the toughest way to prove your worth. I also think Engineers make the best sales people. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | You don't need hands-on for everything, it is very much a book-oriented program. Besides, 99% of what you really need to know is on the job. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I was able to continue my education utilizing the online program. It is somewhat limited in course offerings. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The campus can only be explained by visiting. It is the best. |
| Social Life | 7 | I spent too much time socializing my first few years. Great friendships were made that have lasted a lifetime. |
| Placement Services | Didn't utilize the placement program. | |
| Alumni Network | 5 | Although I utilize the LinkedIn network of ISU alumni to open the door at strategic accounts, it's kind of a hit and miss approach. I don't really see much other benefit to the network. |
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