Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Software Engineers For Systems
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Ivy Tech Central Indiana, Purdue, IUPUI, and Indiana University.
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 Purdue Calumet, IU Northwest, Purdue North Central, and IU South Bend.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Saint Mary's College and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Calumet College, Vincennes University, IU Northwest, and Ivy Tech Northwest.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Ivy Tech Whitewater, Ivy Tech Kokomo, Ivy Tech Northcentral, and Ivy Tech Northwest.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, Taylor University, and Valparaiso.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Goshen, Manchester, Saint Mary's College, and Trine University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Notre Dame, Rose-Hullman, Indiana University, and Butler.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Notre Dame and Marian.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Notre Dame, Rose-Hullman, Butler, and Saint Mary's College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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ITT Tech • Indianapolis, IN
Studying Computer Forensics (completion in 2009)
• 7/31/2011
"Overall I would have to say it was a great and unique experience. The classes where fun and educational, and the teachers and materials were great."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Recommending the school would all depend on the person, as it is not the right choice for everyone. If the person showed they where truly looking to pursue a degree in a learning environment such as this, then sure, I would recommend it. But if somebody was looking for all hands on or all book, or strict hours, then this would not be a place I feel would be appropriate to recommend. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The school has a well known reputation. You can find their commercials on almost any network and see their ads all over the internet. There is much said about the school and many people know of it. Most likely, at least one or more people you know have heard about it as well. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The schooling itself was great, and the learning materials actually presented a bit of a challenge. However, the administration there is not the greatest. |
| Instruction | 10 | I believe overall everything up until now has helped me prepare for my next job working in Networking in the United States Army. This, of course, is going to begin next year as my enlistment is just starting. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I found some materials challenging, however I had a bit of a head start. I have worked in computers for a large portion of my life so most material I knew. However, what I did not know, to my surprise, was a bit of a challenge, which I enjoyed. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | They will give you a 50/50 balance of the two, and I think this is great for many students. Using a teaching strategy like this I think helps all students learn and doesn't focus on a specific set of students. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The school is extremely flexible with its schedule and the staff think of you not, themselves. When it comes down to it, as long as you can manage the workload, you only need to attend two days of the week and any hour of the day or night you want. They don't mind as long as you get your work done. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | As I have stated before, the materials they give you are outstanding and the learning environment is great. The labs you have to do for school work are amazing. It is all virtual, but goes into detail with 3D models and all sorts of materials so that it makes you feel like you're actually doing the job. Of course, although it's virtual, you can still fail! |
| Social Life | 8 | I spent a small amount of time socializing as I was more into studying and the learning experience. There were, however, a lot of ways I could communicate with classmates if I had wished to do so. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I have heard great things about the career services, however I had stumbled across my jobs on my own. I have to admit, though, that having the educational background of a well known school most certainly helped. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | You can contact anyone just about anytime, and the teachers get back to you quickly. They also have tons of study materials, software, books, virtual libraries, and much more. |
Earlham College • Richmond, IN
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2005)
• 7/29/2011
"Though the focus wasn't actually what I was looking for, the social aspect made up for it. I also got a double-major in psychology, which was a great program and a lot of fun."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | It's a great school socially, and other programs are very good. It also might be good for someone who is planning on going to grad school in computer theory, but not great for someone who just wants to work. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | I am not sure if there is a reputation for this program at this college at all. I attended EC so that I could get a liberal arts education. |
| Program Quality | 5 | Too much emphasis on theory. I prefer the hands-on work, and feel that it is more applicable to the real world. |
| Instruction | 5 | My professors were knowledgeable, and were willing to answer questions on a personal basis. I still feel that the entire curriculum was too focused on theory rather than application. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The assignments and reading material moved at a fast pace. There were fewer papers than there were in other majors. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Lots of book learning in the classroom, including lectures. Also, lots of hands-on assignments outside of the class and for homework. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | As a small liberal arts college, you really had to take the class when it was offered, and plan ahead to get everything in. Most 300 and 400 level classes were only offered once a year, at one time. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Earlham has two great libraries: one general and one specifically for science. There is a lot of classroom space, with most buildings specifically designated to a subject. |
| Social Life | 8 | I went to a small college, because it was a lot like my high-school, where everyone knew each other. I liked knowing everyone in my class. The athletics weren't that good. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They maintain an office on campus specifically for this purpose. I haven't taken advantage of this program, however, because I have not had any problems getting a job. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | EC maintains a very good list of alumni who are willing to take new graduates under their wings. I have never accessed this list, however. |
Purdue University North Central • Westville, IN
Studying CIT (Computer Information Technology) (completion in 2012)
• 10/12/2011
"My school has helped me get off the ground with my career choice."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The school is small so you get focused attention, and the degree is one of the best in the country. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | One of the top 10 schools in the country. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The school is small but nice. It needs some newer technology for my department as we use some outdated software and technologies. |
| Instruction | 8 | The school has excellent professors. |
| How Difficult | 9 | You have to want to be in this field of study. You have to want to show up to class every day or else you will not pass any of the courses. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My classes are very mixed, with plenty labs and lecture. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | It depends on the courses and who is teaching them. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Very lacking in technology for my department. We use old software to code with. |
| Social Life | 7 | The student body is well connected. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They have helped me get jobs, build resumes and gain knowledge on what will be needed for the IT workplace. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | This lacking due to the school being small. |
Indiana University • Bloomington, IN
Studying Informatics (completion in 2006)
• 10/27/2011
"Indiana University prepared me for many potential jobs. Moreover, the campus was beautiful and very active."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Indiana University's alumni program is still considered one of the best in the field. On top of this they have continued expanding into wider markets such as app and video game programming. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The courses were challenging and often used real world examples. By the end of the program, we were required to prove our abilities by taking part in a semester long real world problem. |
| Instruction | 7 | The instructors were all charismatic and taught us what we needed to remain on the cutting edge of our field. However, much of that is ignored as a way to cut corners and save time and money. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The programming courses often times required outside reading that went above the information given in class. This was eased some by the instructors being available nearly at all hours. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most Informatics classes were hands on based. The few times books were necessary, they were more often than not supplemental and not completely necessary. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Nearly all courses were offered multiple times of day and on different days. The upper level classes that did not have the same flexibility were rarely at the same time or even scheduled close together so students could manage them all. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Informatics had multiple computer labs specifically for the program. On top of this the facility had plenty of space to study quietly and without disturbance. |
| Social Life | 5 | I was not an overly social person. However, with my housemates and other close friends, I had many good times. |
| Placement Services | 3 | There was a job board that all students had access to and was very helpful for searching out internships. The jobs for students not remaining in Indiana, however, were sparse to non-existent. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | The alumni network only helps with job placement in the area and not much further. On top of this, the only time they contact me is to ask for money. |
University Of Evansville • Evansville, IN
Studying Computer Engineering (completion in 2000)
• 1/13/2012
"I paid more for a private university. Looking back, I probably could have received a comparable degree from a lower cost state college."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It is a good school, however tuition is much higher than a state college. However class sizes are smaller as a result and you get more time with your instructors. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | They have a very good reputation for their engineering program. I have heard in recent years they've updated their program to keep up with current technology. |
| Program Quality | 6 | I would say that the program was slightly above average. Most of the courses taught were behind the times. I learned 95% of my programming skills from the Internet, new technology books, and peers. |
| Instruction | 8 | Given that the program was behind the times, the instructors did a good job. They taught principals behind software development that gave me the ability to adapt to pretty much any programming language. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was a rather challenging program given it was a double major of Electrical Engineering and Computer Information Systems. It was challenging, I enjoyed it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had a good mix in the field I was in. There was more hands on work than regular book work. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I would say this is average. Given the types of classes I took I wouldn't expect there would be a whole lot of flexibility. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | At the time the technology was way behind the times. I have heard recently that they have been doing a better job of staying up to date. |
| Social Life | 5 | I was a geek, I didn't really do much other than play with computers. Never attended any athletics, there were a few social events I went to. |
| Placement Services | I didn't use these services. By the time I got out of school I was already employed through my own contacts. | |
| Alumni Network | 3 | After graduation, I really haven't heard much from the alumni network. There are some but they are not very strong in this area of study. |
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