Neumont Student Reviews - Answers on Yahoo

Yesterday, a prospective female student asked a question on Yahoo Answers that could be useful to all potential Neubies:

How is Neumont University?
Hello, I'm a senior in High and been looking at Neumont for quite some time. I'd like anything form STUDENTS about their experiences there. Classes, (I'm planning into going to the Gaming Program there) how does the "after school with a career" thing work, and just anything else positive. I'm seriously considering this school, and I want to hear it from "the mouth of the beast" My main reason is I found this site with horrible reviews on Nuemont and liked to know if their true or not, I don't believe them to be true, so I'd like to know from the actual source.

Click here to read all the responses, but a few excerpts that might be particularly useful are below:

Maverik posted:

I'm a student in my 6th quarter. I know what site you are talking about...it's called CollegeTimes. The site has been deleting every positive comment we students place on the site...and has now disabled comments. If you read some of the comments they even show that there posts missing that had legitimate questions.

As for how good Neumont University is, they had a 100% placement rate last quarter. 100% of people got a job in THIS economy. The school has some positives and negatives, but most of us are going to college for that very reason - to get a job. As stated, they are only nationally accredited, but they are working on regional accreditation. This means it will be difficult to transfer the credits to another university. However, if you can handle the workload, the payout is definitely worth it.

The choice is ultimately yours however, but I just wanted to make sure you heard from an actual student.

Dakotah writes:
Hi! I'm an actual student from Neumont University in my 6th quarter (graduating next spring) and Neumont actually is an extremely great school. Unlike other colleges, Neumont mainly focus' on what the industry actually wants from a developer. If it's the website I'm thinking of, they've been after Neumont for a while. Those reviews are usually left by students who dropped out/couldn't handle the work load so they didn't get what they wanted. The website I believe has actually threatened to sue Neumont if the school tried to get the horrible reviews taken down.
As for the education itself, I have honestly never been so involved with school in my entire life, or actually have never been satisfied with the amount of things that I've learned, until I came to Neumont. I learn something new everyday, and I guarantee if I had gone to another college, I would've switched majors loooong ago. We have some of the greatest teachers, who have years and years of industry experience teaching us, which is extremely great because rather than have someone with a teaching degree, we have someone that can actually tell us useful information about the industry. We work with many languages and rather than dip our toes into each language we jump in head first into the language.
As for the "after school with a career" thing, it's completely true. Neumont sets up tens of companies to visit Neumont and recruit workers. There's a new company here almost every week, and mostly the companies are returning just because we have some of the most dedicated and knowledgeable people leaving the school every three months. Basically, if you don't leave Neumont with a job blame it on yourself, and not the University. If you really want more information you can check neumont.edu and visit the forums where you can talk to students of all degrees or message Karick Heaton who's email address is on the Neumont website. Hope this helps!

Null Pointer dishes it straight with:

I'll give you my honest opinion:

Neumont is an awesome school. I've learned so much in my 10 quarters in the program and I don't regret coming here. The teachers are extremely helpful for the most part and even if you can't get help from a teacher there are tons of students that would drop everything to help you out. (Especially since you're a girl ;) )

I can't speak for the game degree, but I HAVE taken two game development classes from the instructor and he is amazing (I hope you read this Jamie).

I CAN speak for the Computer Science Degree and I'll say that it's worth every penny. When you leave this place you'll be more experienced & qualified than anyone from anywhere else. Our senior instructors are top notch and they will open your mind to things that you wouldn't learn for years or even ever. (I'm talking about you Halladay) You don't get 100% job placement by being a diploma factory & having a mediocre program.

That said, Neumont isn't a cake walk. From the beginning you'll be in class for at least 6 hours a day, there will be some days where you have to pull an all nighter to finish all of your assignments, you may even have to skip a weekend because you have so much homework.

Neumont IS hard work, but as you continue through the program you get used to the workload and things become easier. Don't think that you'll drown under the workload. I've been in the hospital twice in Mountain Biking accidents while at Neumont and I've STILL managed to stay here.

It's all about your determination. If you WANT to stay here. Nothing will stop you. That's life.

Socially, Neumont is perfect for just about anyone. The students here are very accepting, there aren't any 'cliques' per se...we have groups of people that hang out regularly but any group is pretty easy to get into. (Once again, it'll be much easier for you since you're a chick)

If you're more of an extrovert, SLC is FULL of attractions, and activities that'll keep even the most adventurous person occupied. Neumont also sponsors outings to various places. Just a couple of weeks ago, we took a trip to the Brighton Ski resort for a full day of skiing with lessons and rentals.

With any school, you're going to have some negatives, and I'm not going to BS you into believing it's all sunshine and butterflies. There have been some not so good teachers that have taught here, but they were quickly removed within a couple of quarters. If you're an activist (someone who likes to change things) you'll probably get frustrated with how slowly things change (if ever). The policies are pretty set, and unless there's some outcry things will probably remain as is. The administration USED to be really involved in student life, to the point that it felt like we were being babied. However, they have backed off since then(so don't believe those reviews that say we have no freedom). That's really all I can think of. I've never really had a problem with anything here, these are just things I've heard from other people (but they complain about everything anyway lol).

So, with all that said, unless you're getting accepted to MIT or something, I would definitely recommend Neumont to you. This place isn't perfect, but no school is. Honestly, I'd bet you $100 that you'll find some of the same complaints no matter where you go. It's just the way college is I guess.

Anyway, I hope this was helpful to you. Good luck in your college search and I hope to see you around sometimes.

Welcome Neubies

Thinking back to the days when I was a neubie, (Which was only one short quarter ago) I realize that things happened to be a lot tougher than I thought they would be. I struggled at first to keep up with the pace of things and I started to lose sleep due to procrastination. Well I turned my act around and was able to get myself on track and passed all of my classes like a champ. The purpose of this article is to actually inform all incoming students of the dangers that surround procrastination. It is the most volatile of the bad habits that college students seem to show during these few short years that we have together.

First things first, I would suggest doing all work the moment it is given to you. Work and it as much as you can but do not lose sleep over it. Here at Neumont sleep is a very important thing to students because if you start to lose it you begin to fall asleep during class and not keep up with what needs to be kept up with. Time management is important as well due to it encompassing all of the previous topics I have covered. All in all I would say that it is important to keep track of all of these topics and keep control on what you do and when. Do your work but sleep when you can, and play games to relive stress but do not focus on them to the point that your grades fall. A slogan here at Neumont is GB4G which stands for “Grades before Games” and if you live by this you will succeed here at Neumont.

Maintain your body and your time. A lot of students find themselves eating less healthy and resorting to junk food and mass amounts of caffeine. This is not a good habit to get into due to its effect on one’s health. Eventually it will cause you to not have as much energy and your physical properties will begin to lack and expand. I would say the most important part of eating healthy is what all of our parents have told us and that is to eat our vegetables and eat balanced meals. It sounds like a lecture but it is extremely important to follow if you want to stay healthy and not end up being that troll under the bridge who is a code monkey.

If you follow all advice given in this article and use common sense while attending this fine institution of learning then you will succeed and end up graduating in 2.5 years with a diploma that means around 60k a year depending on who hires you. Neumont is known for great coders and good leaders, so wouldn’t you want to be part of the legacy that Neumont is creating. While attending just remember to eat right, do not procrastinate, and manage your time effectively. Personally I have yet to grasp all of these 100% but since I am on my way to getting these skills to that point then I will one day graduate and be able to look back with pride. As a student that has already experienced Neumont for its level of hard work and dedication I openly welcome you to Neumont as new students on their way to a better future.

Neumont University welcomes Cohort 25

Cohort 25 - Class of 2014

On Friday, July 8th vans, taxis, busses, and loaded down sedans pulled into the roundabout at Neumont's student housing complex at Four Seasons South Towne.  Students were arriving from all over the country, with a variety of backgrounds, interests, and expectations.  But, they have one thing in common - a desire to surround themselves with all things tech at Neumont University.

The weekend of activities kicked off with Housing Check-in followed by a new student social and orientation on Saturday, July 9th, a morning hike on Sunday the 10th, and a LAN party Sunday evening - a weekend of events also known as Application Deployment.  This marks the 25th group to begin classes at Neumont University and we wish them the best. 

To commemorate this exciting day, and launch the 500 class-day journey the students are about to embarc on, Neumont took a Cohort 25 photo.  It will be exciting to watch over the next 2.5 years as these students are tested and challenged and overcome amazing obstacles on their path to join the nation's digital elite as members of Neumont's alumni community.

Wall Street Journal - Industry Puts Heat on Schools to Teach the Tech Skills Employers Need

For years, Neumont has been saying that our curriculum bridges the gap between what traditional universities are teaching, and what industry is looking to hire.  And, today's Wall Street Journal pointed out the exact problem Neumont was designed in order to try to addess:

Wall Street Journal Education Section, June 6, 2011
James Hagerty

Industry Puts Heat on Schools to Teach the Tech Skills Employers Need


Big U.S. employers, worried about replacing retiring baby boomers, are wading deeper into education and growing bolder about telling educators how to run their business. Several initiatives have focused on manufacturing and engineering, fields where technical know-how and math and science skills are needed and where companies worry about recruiting new talent. Their concerns are borne out by the math and science test scores of 15-year-old students in the U.S., which continue to lag behind China, Japan, South Korea and Germany, for example.

Photo: Wall Street Journal, June 6, 2011

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report in May that said higher education had failed to "tap the potential of digital technology" in ways that would "transform learning, dramatically lower costs or improve overall institutional productivity."The Chamber report praised Internet educational institutions like Khan Academy, which built its reputation on YouTube.com math lessons.

The National Association of Manufacturers is leading a drive, partly funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to establish standardized curricula at community colleges across the U.S. with the goal of preparing students to qualify for certification in industrial skills ranging from welding to cutting metal and plastics.

The association isn't pushing for an end to liberal-arts education, but has said bright students should be encouraged to consider alternatives that lead directly to jobs. "We need to move aggressively to competency-based education" based on mastery of skills at the student's own pace, rather than on an accumulation of credit hours, said Emily DeRocco, president of the Manufacturing Institute, a research arm of the group.

One such employer effort is the National Math and Science Initiative, launched in 2007. The program, with $163 million of funding commitments from companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. as well as foundations and the federal government, trains math and science teachers and gives more high school students a chance to enroll in college-level courses.

Read the Complete Article

Competency based education is what Neumont University is all about, although mixed in with the standard General Education courses students would take at any bachelor's degree granting institution.  Students work in project groups and are graded on project outcomes . . . how well can you apply what you've learned into building a REAL technology solution.  This ensures that students have not only the necessary theoretical foundations of a topic, but the applied knowledge of how those theories can be used in Industry.  This unique approach is changing the way the nation's employers look at the crop of 2011 graduates, and is just one reason 100% of Neumont's 2010 graduates accepted offers in field within six months of graduation.