Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Teacher Assistants
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Moraine Valley Community College, Joliet Junior College, Oakton Community College, and College of Lake County.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Prairie State, South Suburban College, and College of Lake County.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Frontier, Lincoln Trail College, South Suburban College, and Olney Central College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Danville Area Community College, Lewis and Clark Community College, Olney Central College, and South Suburban College.
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Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Concordia University • River Forest, IL
Studying Music Education & Parochial Education (completion in 2003)
• 11/18/2011
"Overall, I loved my experience at my university, both academically and socially. I wasn't as thrilled with the cost of the university, however, and its lasting impact on student loans almost 10 years post classwork."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | For anyone seeking to pursue parochial education or pre-seminary work, Concordia is an excellent choice. If someone loves music and is looking for a smaller campus to be very involved in a high quality performance group and studies, Concordia is also an excellent choice. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | My university's musical groups are known world wide for their excellent performances. They regularly participate with composers in debuting new works and presenting symposiums for others in the music education field. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My university was well known for its music department and parochial teaching training. I enjoyed my time participating in coursework there and felt that I learned a lot. |
| Instruction | 8 | For teaching in a large city school, my university did substantial preparation. If you were planning to teach in a more rural public or private school, they were lacking in the coursework to guide students in how to deal with challenges often faced such as low budgets, lack of emphasis on the particular field, etc. |
| How Difficult | 9 | My university expected the highest quality of work on every subject, not just that which pertained directly to the degree emphasis. The work load for a Music Education degree and parochial certificate required 5 years of full time study at my university compared to 4 years at a public university for the same degree. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Hands-on learning depending on the type of class. It was a very good mix. Music courses, physics and sciences, public speaking, and computer courses were all hands on. Other courses, such as algebra and theology courses, were very book oriented. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | When I attended CURF, there were not any online offerings for coursework. Correspondence coursework was limited in availability and didn't offer much in the way of financial savings. Summer and evening offerings were limited largely to classes which could be taken at a community college for less money per credit hour, so they weren't widely utilized. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The music department at Concordia was very well equipped. The building for the music department itself was equipped with pianos, organs, rehearsal studios, two large rehearsal rooms for the larger performing groups, and small practice rooms. Additionally, adjunct faculty who taught private lessons and specialized classes were also the best in their fields as performers (my percussion instrumentation professor was the timpanist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra). Professors who were full time were easily available most days of the week, even outside class time, for assistance. |
| Social Life | 9 | I loved my social time at my university. There was a wide variety of service organizations and worship opportunities every day of the week. School spirit was strong because of the tight knit, close community of our small campus. Dorm life was very active and involved as well. |
| Placement Services | 5 | My school focuses largely on career placement for those going into full time church work or parochial education settings with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Additional job placement is weak. |
| Alumni Network | I have not actively participated in the alumni network for my university because I am not physically close to where my university is located. They annually hold a fundraiser for scholarships and a reunion, but I have never attended. |
Northern Illinois University • Dekalb, IL
Studying Finance (completion in 1999)
• 12/2/2011
"I got a degree that helps me get paid a reasonable salary. However, I don't feel like the school truly enriched me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I didn't go to school for my current career. I went to school for a career in finance and now work in education/psychology. Other schools would probably be better for my career. |
| Program Reputation | 2 | I've never heard anyone talking about NIU for Finance. But then again, I don't hear anyone talk about Finance. |
| Program Quality | 5 | I didn't know what to major in in college, so I just picked something that would get me a well-paying job. I didn't really enjoy it, since I picked it for the wrong reasons. |
| Instruction | 5 | I learned about finance, but it was long ago. I don't remember much of college, and I don't use much of what I learned, ever. |
| How Difficult | 6 | It was the average college course load. I crammed for finals and was assigned a moderate amount of homework during the week. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I only remember cramming for exams by burying my head into the books. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Less technology existed back then, so there wasn't much flexibility, simply due to technology. It was sometimes hard to get my schedule to work. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The school had all the things I required for study. But I wouldn't say that went above and beyond requirements. |
| Social Life | 8 | I made great friends and had great times at college. But I feel like every college kid has this experience no matter where they go. |
| Placement Services | 4 | The school didn't help much with finding me a job, but it prepared me well. I got a job right out of college. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I've never received any information about alumni relations. I wasn't even aware that schools usually keep up alumni relations. |
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