Automotive colleges

hey im fairly new here....so my mistake if i put this in the wrong topic..but off topic seemed about right

im looking for a good automotive college to possibly go to, i live in the chicago area and i was thinking about UTI. it has an accelerated program so i can get the schooling done fast, and they have extra programs with many major automotive companies, BMW, VW, Ford, Toyota, Audi, and a few more i cant remember right now

so if anyone knows someone that has atteneded or has atteneded themselves and has a say about this school or any other that might be a good choice could you let me know. thanks

What aspect of the automotive industry are you looking to get into? If business, there is Northwood in the US and Canadian Automotive Institute (where I went) in Canada. If techincal, there's the GM college I can't think of the name of at the moment, or Wyotech...

I'm about near that time as well.

I'm looking not exactly for a mechanics school, but more for exterior and interior design (more on the side of styling, which is making me think of Rhode Island School of Design at the moment) as well as aerodynamics (more engineering aspect), ergonomics and making the driving experience better (Mechanical engineering?)


god....college is soo intimidating. I already can't believe im going to be a junior in HS. (sorry to semi-jack this thread, but it's like when I was younger, I thought it would be an eterinity before the moment I can drive legally would come or when I'd go off to college, anyone share that with me, aside to the autmotive college talk? lol)

Whatever you do, don't be a mechanic. Trust me.

Whatever you do, don't be a mechanic. Trust me.

Indeed, most mechanics I know hate the job. Unless, of course, they can spend infinite time and money restoring classic Astons or Ferraris or the like, then it's a high-pressure, low reward, dirty job.

Im also a JR. in HS, and was looking at a private college in Detroit. Its called the college for creative studies. It has an industrial designs course for transportation. I'll prolly end up going there eventually in my life, but i dont know it it will be right out of HS or not. I want to learn the mechanics of a car engine, and be more of an auto motive engineer, so i might just hit the Vocational school for welding, mechanics, painting, etc. then when i got that done, i'll head up to D-troit. I will someday build my own car, and hopefully own my own company, but i have a ways to go.

My friend goes to the UTI in Glendale Hieghts, IL in the diesel program. He's about halfway through I think and he still really likes it.

My friend goes to the UTI in Glendale Hieghts, IL in the diesel program. He's about halfway through I think and he still really likes it.
I have two friends that both graduated from UTI (Houston campus). They both enjoyed the school. One did the engine/mechanics side, he's actually now working for his finances custom pool company instead. But his knowledge helps him out on his own stuff. My other friend did painting. He's work for a Lexus dealership.

Whatever you do, don't be a mechanic. Trust me.
:iagree: to a point, but there will be an even greater demand for mechanics in the future due to the increasing complexity of the vehicles we drive. The industry has changed so much in the past decade to decade and a half. I'm now seeing more "specializing" going on with the type of jobs being created and available, (similar to back when there were mainly just doctors, general practioners, surgeons, and now there are so many specialists like cardiologists, dermatologists, etc.)My nephew is going to an automotive college in Conneticut this October, (can't remember the name,) but it's curriculum seems to be specialized in different fields of the automotive industry more than the colleges were when I went over 20 years ago.

Man I'm starting UTI tomorrow as a matter of fact.

I don't recommend you going to UTI unless you're ABSOUTELY sure this is the career you want to go after and you're going to put all your effort into doing your best at this school. $28k is a shitload of money to waste and then you find out this isn't the field you want to be in.

But if you're like me, you really want to work for Mercedes, BMW, or even Porsche. The money's there, you just have to make sure your determination is too.

Oh yeah, about the accelerated program, I'm going there for 2 1/2 years, I don't think thats all that "accelerated", lol. There's a couple of more automotive colleges that are a bit cheaper if you want to consider them, such as WyoTech and there's another I can't remember. Just do your research, and if your sereious, attend the next open house meeting your nearest UTI campus will have.

Whatever you do, don't be a mechanic. Trust me.
I don't know if I would say "don't be a mechanic" straight up. Some people start doing it and end up liking it. My dad is a mechanic and he's been doing it for probably 30 years. It just depends on the person:smile:.

My friend is about to graduate from UTI Orlando soon. I guess he was in the accelerated program, it only took him 1 1/2 years. He speaks very highly of it. I'm considering going to UTI Chicago after I'm finished with my bachelor's this year. As far as mechanics hating their job, I wouldn't know. I only know one mechanic who works for somebody else and he's only been doing it for about two years max, so I don't think he's gotten a chance to hate it yet. Everybody else works at smaller performance shops where its basically all a bunch of friends who work on their own cars while repairing other people's to earn money. So with them it doesn't seem like a job at all. That's more along the lines of what I'd like to be doing in the future. What are your goals for after you graduate UTI or wherever?

Man I'm starting UTI tomorrow as a matter of fact.

I don't recommend you going to UTI unless you're ABSOUTELY sure this is the career you want to go after and you're going to put all your effort into doing your best at this school. $28k is a shitload of money to waste and then you find out this isn't the field you want to be in.

But if you're like me, you really want to work for Mercedes, BMW, or even Porsche. The money's there, you just have to make sure your determination is too.

well trust me thats what i know wi want to do, i want to go for BMW. my cousin works on hotrods and he went to wyotech...he said that BMW is the best bang for you buck in the long run at UTI

I'm going to morrisville college wich is very good for automotive I'm doing general automotive though.I want to go into engineering though (FSAE).

well trust me thats what i know wi want to do, i want to go for BMW. my cousin works on hotrods and he went to wyotech...he said that BMW is the best bang for you buck in the long run at UTI

You can still attend the BMW STEP program if you go to WyoTech. It's not only for UTI students.