Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Secondary School Teachers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Montgomery College, Towson University, The Community College of Baltimore County, and UMUC.
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 Coppin State, Morgan State, Bowie State, and UM Eastern Shore.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider College of Notre Dame of Maryland.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Bowie State, Morgan State, Coppin State, and Prince George's Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Anne Arundel, Hood, Carroll Community College, and Montgomery College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Johns Hopkins, Maryland Institute, Goucher, and Loyola.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Mount St. Mary's University, UM Eastern Shore, Goucher, and Loyola.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, UM Baltimore County, and Loyola.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, Coppin State, and Morgan State.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Morgan State, Goucher, Maryland Institute, and Mount St. Mary's University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Johns Hopkins • Baltimore, MD
Studying Government (completion in 2009)
• 12/14/2011
"I don't regret UMD or Hopkins. But again, nothing really prepared me for teaching, other than experience."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | My schools were sufficient, but not stellar. So I'd have to talk with someone about my experiences in more detail. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins have high reputations. I am happy about that. |
| Program Quality | 5 | For undergrad, there's no real classroom training until senior year. They did not prepare me for teaching that well but perhaps nothing can teach you like field work. It was just sufficient, not exceptional. |
| Instruction | 5 | My instructors seemed to be phoning it in. Good instructors were rare. |
| How Difficult | 4 | The portfolio was time consuming. Otherwise, not too challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Not too much hands-on. Student teaching was hands-on, but this occurred during the final semester. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I had lots of choices. As an athlete, I never had huge scheduling conflicts. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | University of Maryland resources were excellent. The library system was always helpful and easy to use. |
| Social Life | 7 | I was older than other students and this hurt me socially. I was unable to live on campus. I made the most of it. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The only reason I have a job in MCPS is because of their connection with University of Maryland. Student teachers automatically have a right to an interview. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I do not take advantage of alumni offerings. No time, not a lot of extra money. |
Salisbury University • Salisbury, MD
Studying Physical Education (completion in 2004)
• 2/19/2012
"I loved almost everything. Due to the antiquated facilities I would rate less than a ten."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I think the school has a great reputation. My program followed a rigorous curriculum and I felt it prepared me for my career. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Most PE teachers got their degree from one of two schools, Salisbury being one. I also have heard students who want to major in PE say they want to go to Salisbury. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I felt I was given great instruction. I wish there would have been more instruction on teaching methods. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors were great. I would have liked more instruction on teaching methods. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I have a passion for PE so many courses were easier. However, there were also difficult courses that Pre-Med students also took, due to the nature of my degree. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | In the intro courses, it is definitely more book oriented. In the later courses, it is more hands on. Research papers were always required in courses. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The courses were usually offered throughout the day. Higher level courses part of a degree program were usually scheduled to not conflict with other similar courses. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | My program's main building was one of the oldest on campus. The school was rebuilding facilities during my time there. |
| Social Life | 10 | There was always something going on. Our school has a ton of spirit, and everyone could find something to do, regardless of personality. |
| Placement Services | 6 | I felt like I was trying to navigate my way through this process with a blindfold on. It took many phone calls and trips to the student affairs office to get my transcript, recommendations, etc. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | They have many activities at homecoming time. They seem to only reach out when they want your money. |
Towson University • Towson, MD
Studying Biological Sciences (completion in 2006)
• 3/22/2012
"I got into a job that I love and I have the certification that can take me anywhere. I loved Towson and the friends I made. There are many aspects that could have been improved, but overall, it was a good fit for me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It was great and has a very good reputation in this area of producing great teachers. It is a great way to get something good on your resume, but you will have to find the jobs mostly on your own. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I think Towson is known for being a "teacher college." That is why I chose that university to attend. It was one of the few schools that had a student teaching part of the program that left you with a state certification to teach in the state. I ended up teaching in a private school, but it was good to know I had the options. |
| Program Quality | 5 | I don't know many programs at other colleges to compare it to, but I felt that my coursework at Towson prepared me well for the subject matter I would be teaching. |
| Instruction | 7 | I felt I learned a lot on my own during my student teacher experiences. It is hard to learn the lessons about teaching in a classroom from another teacher - I felt the most information was gained from my own dealings in the field. |
| How Difficult | 6 | It was challenging and I was busy a lot. I still had a very active social life, got very good grades and was a successful field hockey player. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I would say it was more hands on than book. We had to do more activities, including video taping ourselves teaching and going to do "bit-teaches" in the different schools that Towson had a relationship with. We had to do more creating than really reading and learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | All the education classes tended to be at the same time. They all started at 4 pm, which is a tough time to get to if you are only taking morning classes or if you are currently working. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The facilities were nice. The library was not open 24 hours a day. The teachers were all mostly accessible using email, but not if you wanted to see them in person. |
| Social Life | 4 | I had a great job at college, because I played field hockey, which gave me a great group of friends instantly. There isn't much social stuff at Towson. There is no Greek life supported by the university. Most of the students who attend Towson are commuters, which makes it difficult to find people to hang out with on the weekends. |
| Placement Services | 1 | Towson did nothing to help me find a job after my student teaching. I got offered a position at the school where I did my student teaching because I did a good job, but that had nothing to do with Towson University. I had to find my own job, and when I couldn't find one, I had to go into the private sector. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The only thing I hear regarding the alumni is when they are asking me for money. I feel like this is very typical of many schools, but I don't feel very supported as far as teaching and knowing what the other students who went through my program are going through. I hear the most about them from Facebook. |
McDaniel College • Westminster, MD
Studying Secondary Education (completion in 2006)
• 3/31/2012
"I don't have many complaints. I wish that all education preparatory schools were more well-rounded and inclusive of what teachers will need once left alone during the first year of teaching."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I think that for me, changing careers was a bit of the reason I chose my program. The hours were convenient and others in the program were in my shoes. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I have run into many others who have studied education at my college. Many have turned into successful teachers. |
| Program Quality | 6 | I don't feel that the education I received completely and fully prepared me for all aspects of being a teacher. From teacher parent conferences to developing disciplinary policies, I had to figure out a lot once I got on the job. |
| Instruction | 7 | The professors were highly knowledgeable in their content areas. Everyone was excited about what they were teaching. |
| How Difficult | 8 | At times, the pacing was difficult even if they content itself wasn't terribly challenging. There were only a few classes that I really didn't get. Everything else just required a lot of work, even if that work wasn't necessarily difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The balance in learning was not completely evident. Most time was spent in the classroom and many assignments were book derived. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Most classes in my graduate program were offered at night as to accommodate those working during the day. There were limited daytime courses to select. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | I felt that the classroom environment was inviting. When using the lab space, we used updated technology that never failed. |
| Social Life | 8 | In college I was a member of several organizations including athletics and the arts. My college was a liberal arts school that welcomed students into many areas of campus life. |
| Placement Services | 7 | I was placed at a high school for my internship that was 30 minutes from campus. No issues with the school, but the mentor teacher wasn't incredibly helpful. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I never heard from or met an alumni in my area of study. I'm not sure what alumni networks are in place. |
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