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.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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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. |
University Of Illinois • Urbana-Champaign, IL
Studying Elementary Education (completion in 2001)
• 12/24/2011
"U of I was a good school in every way, from the academics to its reputation to the social life. It could have been more challenging academically, but I also could have put more effort and passion into my studies. Everything I expected from the college experience, I received."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would want to know how sure they were of being a teacher. I think there are more cutting-edge schools for people wanting to be teachers. I would want to know if the person was more focused on an overall college experience (U of I provides that!) or a very academically focused experience. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | University of Illinois is a great school, and many people who graduate from the education program go on to great careers. Employers seem to look at a diploma from U of I as an impressive thing. I think other schools spotlight their education program much more than U of I does. |
| Program Quality | 7 | It's a good program. The student teaching aspect was beneficial and well organized. The background the program provides in different subject areas is thorough. I developed close friendships with the other members of my cohort. |
| Instruction | 6 | I never had a strong bond with any of my teachers. The classes were varied and seemed to cover all of the areas that go into teaching. I found them easy and maintained excellent grades with little effort. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The only difficult part of the program was being engaged in the student teaching and still taking classes in the final semester. It took a great deal of prep work. Otherwise, I did not find the program difficult at all. I prepared little for tests or class, and excelled grade-wise. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school was following the trend of getting away from book learning, when I attended in 2001. Obviously, teaching is a field where you need hands-on training; student teaching was the perfect forum for that. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | U of I seems to be following the norms as far as providing alternative ways to get your education, besides the traditional approach. I personally was a very traditional student, and now that I am trying to pursue a more nontraditional route (part-time or online), I would not choose them for further studies. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | As far as facilities, U of I is huge and had it all. The education building itself was just like a haven of everything you could need, and the libraries on campus are large and exceptional. |
| Social Life | 7 | At the time, I was very happy with my social life. In looking back, I feel I could have engaged more and met more people. My senior year was the most satisfying in terms of meeting a wider group of people than in previous years. I do feel that the school too highly regards joining the fraternity/sorority system. |
| Placement Services | 4 | I had no help from my college at all as far as job placement. I don't think I was made aware of any opportunities that existed, but if I had pursued them on my own, I would definitely have found them. U of I is such a large school that it has a lot of resources. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I know the alumni network exists, but I have no connection with it. I think they reach out in an adequate way; I just feel no passion for being involved as an alum of the school. |
University Of Illinois • Urbana-Champaign, IL
Studying Elementary Education (completion in 2001)
• 12/24/2011
"U of I was a good school in every way, from the academics to its reputation to the social life. It could have been more challenging academically, but I also could have put more effort and passion into my studies. Everything I expected from the college experience I received."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would want to know how sure they were of being a teacher. I think there are more cutting-edge schools for people wanting to be teachers. I would want to know if the person was more focused on an overall college experience (U of I provides that!) or a very academically-focused experience. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | University of Illinois is a great school, and many people who graduate from the education program go on to great careers. Employers seem to look at a diploma from U of I as an impressive thing. I think other schools spotlight their education program much more than U of I does. |
| Program Quality | 7 | Its a good program. The student-teaching aspect was beneficial and well-organized. The background the program provides in different subject areas is thorough. I developed close friendships with the other members of my cohort. |
| Instruction | 6 | I never had a strong bond with any of my teachers. The classes were varied and seemed to cover all of the areas that go into teaching. I found them easy and maintained excellent grades with little effort. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The only difficult part of the program was being engaged in the student-teaching and still taking classes in the final semester. It took a great deal of prep work. Otherwise, I did not find the program difficult at all. I prepared little for tests or class, and excelled grade-wise. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school was following the trend of getting away from book learning when I attended in 2001. Obviously teaching is a field where you need hands-on training. Student-teaching was the perfect forum for that. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | U of I seems to be following the norms as far as providing alternative ways to get your education besides the traditional approach. I personally was a very traditional student and now that I am trying to pursue a more non-traditional route (part-time or online) I would not choose them for further studies. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | As far as facilities, U of I is huge and had it all. The education building itself was just like a haven of everything you could need and the libraries on campus are large and exceptional. |
| Social Life | 7 | At the time, I was very happy with my social life. In looking back, I feel I could have engaged more and met more people. My senior year was the most satisfying in terms of meeting a wider group of people than in previous years. I do feel that the school too highly regards joining the fraternity/sorority system. |
| Placement Services | 4 | I had no help from my college at all as far as job placement. I don't think I was made aware of any opportunities that existed, but if I had pursued them on my own, I would definitely have found them. U of I is such a large school that it has a lot of resources. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I know the alumni network exists, but I have no connection with it. I think they reach out in an adequate way; I just feel no passion for being involved as an alumni of the school. |
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