How To Research Acupuncture Schools Online

The journey to selecting the right acupuncture school for you begins by gathering information online.

In this day and age, every acupuncture school should have a college website, an active social media presence (especially on Facebook), and a business profile listed in several online review directories, such as Yelp.

As such, taking a look at these different online sources will help you to learn more about its offerings, as well as give you an idea about the school’s culture.

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In this article, we will share tips on how to research acupuncture schools online, so that you can gather the appropriate information you need before taking the next step to visit in person.

College Website: Start by visiting the acupuncture school's website. Here, you’ll learn important information about the college itself, such as campus location, program offerings (i.e. Master's or Doctorate Degree in Oriental Medicine), accreditation status, tuition costs, and financial aid information.

Some of this information may enough to weed out a particular school from your interest list. For example, you may find that particular school may simply be too far away from your location, or that they don't offer the degree program you're interested in.

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Additionally, the school’s website may reveal something about its school’s culture.

For example, is information clearly presented and up to date, or do you have to look at buried pages to find answers to simple questions? If something is hard to find, then it could suggest that they are hiding particular information.

How easy do they make it to contact them? A good college website should make it as easy as possible to contact them through forms submissions, online chat boxes, and making the usual contact info, such as phone numbers, high visible.

If nothing on the college's website immediately disqualifies it as choice for you, then go take a close look at page for the acupuncture program that you're interested in.

The program page contain useful information about the program itself, rather than just the usual spiel about becoming an acupuncturist or it's particular class offerings. Here, you should be able to learn what its class schedules are, and whether that particular acupuncture program is ACAOM-accredited or not.

However, it is important to keep in mind that schools can control what is shown on their websites. To get a more objective picture about a school online, you should check out its social media profiles and read reviews about the college on different online business directories.  

Social Media: A good way to gauge a school’s culture and reputation online is by taking a look at the school’s social media profiles.

How active are they on social media? Do they post regularly or do they only post on occasion? An active social media presence suggest that a school cares about its reputation.

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What kind of content does that school post? Is it content that promotes the particular culture of the school, or is it mainly random fluff?

A good sign to look for on social media is the type of content that makes you think “I can see myself going there.”

Online Reviews: Similar, be sure to read online reviews about any school that interests you, especially on third-party sites, where schools can’t edit reviews.

Are there several reviews or just a handful? Schools with more reviews tend to have bigger reputations, which may be helpful when searching for employment after graduation.

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Read both the good and bad reviews. Are most of them positive or negative? Look for any trends in the reviews. For example, are several reviews left by graduates? If so, what did they say about their time at the school?

Also look for reviews from the community, such as school clinic patients, since their accounts typically to reflect their interactions with the student body and supervisors. Was their experience mostly positive, or are there several complaints?

While negative complaints are normal this day and age, what you want to be on the lookout for are patterns. Are the same kinds of complaints listed over and over again? If so, what was the response from the school? They did offer an apology/explanation, or was nothing specific said? Responding to negative views shows that the college is upfront and transparent about a situation, which is something good to look for in an acupuncture school.

Lastly, look at more than one review site to get a more complete picture of what people are saying about a school. Some websites to try are Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook.

Visiting an Acupuncture School in Person

However, there’s only so much you can find out about any college online. In order to really see what an acupuncture school is like, you will have to visit in person. In the next article, we'll cover what to look for in acupuncture school while visiting as a prospective student.

If you're ready to begin your career in acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, take the next step and schedule a visit to Acupuncture and Massage College in Miami, Florida. AMC is located at 10506 North Kendall Drive, Miami, FL 33176. You can schedule a visit to our Florida acupuncture school by calling us at 305-595-9500 or by requesting more info here.

Additionally, you can find out more about becoming a professional acupuncturist by downloading our free acupuncture career guide below!

Acupuncture-Career-Guide

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