Did I make a wise college choice?

[Deleted member 4644]

I have heard of most of the bigger/better schools in the US, and I have never heard of Rowan University.... Based on that, I would say you have put yourself at a disadvantage compared to someone going to MIT, because like it or not, jobs will look at where you went to school.

That doesn't mean you are screwed for life.. esp if you want to go to a grad program...

But you damn well better get good grades at your school if you want to compete with MIT-types.

The reason being... honestly, better known schools do have unique oppertunities to network you and expose you to cutting edge things in a manner smaller schools just cannot match.

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: gopunk
were you accepted to MIT, ivys, or are you just hypothesizing?

I was accepted to some Ivys, though I didn't apply to MIT. I was rejected from Princeton though, but it probably didn't help that I sent my application in late and didn't put a serious effort into the essays. (I did them about 2 hours before the online deadline, my decision to apply to Ivy's was a last minute 'on a whim' decision that wasn't fully serious)

I don't buy that at all. Employers may look at the Ivy Leaguers a little harder than State Schoolers, but to say that students have more academic challenges at the former is asinine.

Really? I assumed the Ivy Leagues were harder.

 

[gopunk]

i'll be honest... i've never heard of rowan... in my opinion it would have been wiser to go to a school that perhaps didn't give you as much money but a recognizable name. there are plenty of schools cheaper than ivys that have good reputations. i don't think i would call your decision wise, but i wouldn't call it unwise either... just make the most of your education and go to a good grad school

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: LordSegan
I have heard of most of the bigger/better schools in the US, and I have never heard of Rowan University.... Based on that, I would say you have put yourself at a disadvantage compared to someone going to MIT, because like it or not, jobs will look at where you went to school.

That doesn't mean you are screwed for life.. esp if you want to go to a grad program...

But you damn well better get good grades at your school if you want to compete with MIT-types.

The reason being... honestly, better known schools do have unique oppertunities to network you and expose you to cutting edge things in a manner smaller schools just cannot match.

Well, put it this way, do a search for Rowan on the Princeton Review...they're not listed anywhere within the top 351 schools or whatever the PR list is. (that may only be college students who rank though?)

Rowan advertises being 3rd for Chem Engineering in some US News Weekly report, as well as a few other awards. That said, it was only maybe 5 or 6 years ago that their engineering program was even certified. They're basically the 'other' state school (compared to Rutgers).

The excerpt from the Rowan catalog is:

US News & World Report ranked Rowan University in the "Top Tier" of Northern REgional Universities. Kaplan included the University in "The Unofficial, Biased Insider's Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges." Also, Kiplinger's named Rowan University one of the "100 Best Buys in Public Colleges and Universities" and the Princeton Review included Rowan in the latest edition of "The Best Northeastern Colleges."

I believe the average SAT score at Rowan is like 1100, and the average for its Engineering college is around 1250.

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
At most Ivy League schools, all you're doing is buying the name. It's like comparing Levi's to A&F Jeans.. no real difference, except brand distinction.

I love the movie Good Will Hunting. Watch it. ($1.50 in late fees from the public library?)

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: Kauru
job interviewer:
to you: okay, let's see, you majored in EE from (your state school here)? I'll call you back
to MIT grad: you majored in EE from MIT? very impressive, you're hired.
(you never hear back)

College DOES make a difference. People do care where you go to college. Sure you're saving money now, but will you be earning money later? Perhaps not as much had you gone to a better school. Just consider it. A Brown education will get you a lot farther than a state college education. A friend of mine who went to Brown: making $75,000/yr out of college in San Francisco, another friend of mine (just as smart) went to the University of Maine and is not even making half as much.

In the end, it's your decision, but IMO, a better education will do you a lot of good in the long run.

GPA makes a difference.

Whether you've continued on to earn your master's makes a big difference.

I think an employer would rather see a Ph.D. recipient from the University of Central Florida (Mechanical Engineering) than a bachelor's recipient from MIT.

That's just me, and hopefully, I'll be doing some hiring of my own a few years from now when I start a car company.

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

Originally posted by: Kauru
job interviewer:
to you: okay, let's see, you majored in EE from (your state school here)? I'll call you back
to MIT grad: you majored in EE from MIT? very impressive, you're hired.
(you never hear back)

College DOES make a difference. People do care where you go to college. Sure you're saving money now, but will you be earning money later? Perhaps not as much had you gone to a better school. Just consider it. A Brown education will get you a lot farther than a state college education. A friend of mine who went to Brown: making $75,000/yr out of college in San Francisco, another friend of mine (just as smart) went to the University of Maine and is not even making half as much.

In the end, it's your decision, but IMO, a better education will do you a lot of good in the long run.

Who would want to work with an employer which is that shallow in their thinking?

certainly not me, but then again, having an "employer" means I'm working for The Man, something I want to avoid altogether myself!

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: Kauru

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

Originally posted by: Kauru
job interviewer:
to you: okay, let's see, you majored in EE from (your state school here)? I'll call you back
to MIT grad: you majored in EE from MIT? very impressive, you're hired.
(you never hear back)

College DOES make a difference. People do care where you go to college. Sure you're saving money now, but will you be earning money later? Perhaps not as much had you gone to a better school. Just consider it. A Brown education will get you a lot farther than a state college education. A friend of mine who went to Brown: making $75,000/yr out of college in San Francisco, another friend of mine (just as smart) went to the University of Maine and is not even making half as much.

In the end, it's your decision, but IMO, a better education will do you a lot of good in the long run.

Who would want to work with an employer which is that shallow in their thinking?

I was just making up a situation. If two people had the same credentials, but one went to MIT and the other went to a state college, who the hell are you going to hire? Unless the MIT grad is a complete ass, I doubt you'll choose a state schooler over an MIT grad. It makes a difference.

Screw these rich people. In my field (automotive enginering), I want the guy who spent his summers working as a mechanic instead of the kid who had all kinds of non-engineering extracurriculars just to pad his resume while his yuppie parents (doctor, lawyer, etc.) paid for his education. I'd rather see a guy who built a welder out of camera flash capacitors than the guy with experience on a particle accelerators from overly-funded schools. Which one is going to know more about cost engineering? Which will most likely treat his coworkers as equals and foster fellowship?

That's my opinion. If you don't agree, I don't care. This crap stirs me up something wicked, so don't fan the flames.

 

[Reckoner]

Originally posted by: kevinthenerd

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
At most Ivy League schools, all you're doing is buying the name. It's like comparing Levi's to A&F Jeans.. no real difference, except brand distinction.

I love the movie Good Will Hunting. Watch it. ($1.50 in late fees from the public library?)

I own it

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: kevinthenerd

Originally posted by: Kauru

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

Originally posted by: Kauru
job interviewer:
to you: okay, let's see, you majored in EE from (your state school here)? I'll call you back
to MIT grad: you majored in EE from MIT? very impressive, you're hired.
(you never hear back)

College DOES make a difference. People do care where you go to college. Sure you're saving money now, but will you be earning money later? Perhaps not as much had you gone to a better school. Just consider it. A Brown education will get you a lot farther than a state college education. A friend of mine who went to Brown: making $75,000/yr out of college in San Francisco, another friend of mine (just as smart) went to the University of Maine and is not even making half as much.

In the end, it's your decision, but IMO, a better education will do you a lot of good in the long run.

Who would want to work with an employer which is that shallow in their thinking?

I was just making up a situation. If two people had the same credentials, but one went to MIT and the other went to a state college, who the hell are you going to hire? Unless the MIT grad is a complete ass, I doubt you'll choose a state schooler over an MIT grad. It makes a difference.

Screw these rich people. In my field (automotive enginering), I want the guy who spent his summers working as a mechanic instead of the kid who had all kinds of non-engineering extracurriculars just to pad his resume while his yuppie parents (doctor, lawyer, etc.) paid for his education. I'd rather see a guy who built a welder out of camera flash capacitors than the guy with experience on a particle accelerators from overly-funded schools. Which one is going to know more about cost engineering? Which will most likely treat his coworkers as equals and foster fellowship?

That's my opinion. If you don't agree, I don't care. This crap stirs me up something wicked, so don't fan the flames.

i hate to break it to you, but most people that go to the expensive schools aren't planning on working in automotive engineering. the employers they will be applying to generally do value their qualifications... you're placing an unfair standard on them by judging them from the perspective of a field that they never had the intention of preparing for.

 

[Fox5]

certainly not me, but then again, having an "employer" means I'm working for The Man, something I want to avoid altogether myself!

As long as I don't end up working for a South Jersey company I should be fine. The few companies in South Jersey with a need for engineers don't appear to pay very competitive wages.
For that matter, at Rowan's orientation, they warned us that as engineers we can probably look foward to overseas employment in the future. I think they meant it in a positive way. Anyhow, I'm hoping they were referring more to the civil and mechanical engineers, I don't know if developing nations have much of a need for EEs.

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: kevinthenerd

Originally posted by: Kauru

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

Originally posted by: Kauru
job interviewer:
to you: okay, let's see, you majored in EE from (your state school here)? I'll call you back
to MIT grad: you majored in EE from MIT? very impressive, you're hired.
(you never hear back)

College DOES make a difference. People do care where you go to college. Sure you're saving money now, but will you be earning money later? Perhaps not as much had you gone to a better school. Just consider it. A Brown education will get you a lot farther than a state college education. A friend of mine who went to Brown: making $75,000/yr out of college in San Francisco, another friend of mine (just as smart) went to the University of Maine and is not even making half as much.

In the end, it's your decision, but IMO, a better education will do you a lot of good in the long run.

Who would want to work with an employer which is that shallow in their thinking?

I was just making up a situation. If two people had the same credentials, but one went to MIT and the other went to a state college, who the hell are you going to hire? Unless the MIT grad is a complete ass, I doubt you'll choose a state schooler over an MIT grad. It makes a difference.

Screw these rich people. In my field (automotive enginering), I want the guy who spent his summers working as a mechanic instead of the kid who had all kinds of non-engineering extracurriculars just to pad his resume while his yuppie parents (doctor, lawyer, etc.) paid for his education. I'd rather see a guy who built a welder out of camera flash capacitors than the guy with experience on a particle accelerators from overly-funded schools. Which one is going to know more about cost engineering? Which will most likely treat his coworkers as equals and foster fellowship?

That's my opinion. If you don't agree, I don't care. This crap stirs me up something wicked, so don't fan the flames.

i hate to break it to you, but most people that go to the expensive schools aren't planning on working in automotive engineering. the employers they will be applying to generally do value their qualifications... you're placing an unfair standard on them by judging them from the perspective of a field that they never had the intention of preparing for.

True. Those Ivy guys always seem to do theoretical physics and electrical engineering.

Edit: w00t! post number 1337

 

[anno]

Originally posted by: Kauru
job interviewer:
to you: okay, let's see, you majored in EE from (your state school here)? I'll call you back
to MIT grad: you majored in EE from MIT? very impressive, you're hired.
(you never hear back)

College DOES make a difference. People do care where you go to college. Sure you're saving money now, but will you be earning money later? Perhaps not as much had you gone to a better school. Just consider it. A Brown education will get you a lot farther than a state college education. A friend of mine who went to Brown: making $75,000/yr out of college in San Francisco, another friend of mine (just as smart) went to the University of Maine and is not even making half as much.

In the end, it's your decision, but IMO, a better education will do you a lot of good in the long run.

but where is the maine person working? half as much in maine probably supports a higher standard of living than 75k in san francisco.. especially if that half as much is debt-free while the 75k is paying back 100k of student loans..

too many variables, there are no across the board yes or no right or wrong answers to this question.

anno

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: Fox5

Originally posted by: gopunk
were you accepted to MIT, ivys, or are you just hypothesizing?

I was accepted to some Ivys, though I didn't apply to MIT. I was rejected from Princeton though, but it probably didn't help that I sent my application in late and didn't put a serious effort into the essays. (I did them about 2 hours before the online deadline, my decision to apply to Ivy's was a last minute 'on a whim' decision that wasn't fully serious)

I don't buy that at all. Employers may look at the Ivy Leaguers a little harder than State Schoolers, but to say that students have more academic challenges at the former is asinine.

Really? I assumed the Ivy Leagues were harder.

Generally speaking, they are... but there is alot of grade inflation in places like Yale/Harvard, but I know from people that MIT is extremely difficult as is UPenn. Going to an Ivy League is an investment, and you do get better opportunities at a private than a public school. The name is important no matter what people say, as they are very well established schools. If I had the choice between a public/private school in your situation, it would really depend on how much money I would save from financial aid/scholarships as well as how I like the school. Of course, if you're happy at the school you're at, I would say that you made the right decision.

 

[DaWhim]

should've gone to an ivy. do you know that if you go to private school, you get more financial aids? well, you can always transfer as long as you keep a good GPA.

while you have money sitting around, make sure you also take out the federal sudsidized loan to invest it. FREE MONEY.

 

[Rayden]

I decided to go to a very small privat engineering school and will have huge loans. I got some scholarship money.

I don't think I would have been challenged at a state school. That and I wasn't accepted to UCSD due to stupid transfer requirements.

 

[KillerCharlie]

First of all, here's the scoop on undergraduate universities for engineering/CS. Schools like MIT and Stanford are BAD places for undergraduate education in engineering. Most MIT classes are taught by graduate students instead of professors. This is what a friend who goes there tells me and what some of my managers have told me. Stanford doesn't even have undergraduate degrees in many engineering areas (such as aerospace). However, for graduate degrees they're the best. (Except Stanford... it's pretty much just turned into a MS factory).

As long as you go to a top 20 university, you're fine.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: kevinthenerd

Originally posted by: Kauru

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

Originally posted by: Kauru
job interviewer:
to you: okay, let's see, you majored in EE from (your state school here)? I'll call you back
to MIT grad: you majored in EE from MIT? very impressive, you're hired.
(you never hear back)

College DOES make a difference. People do care where you go to college. Sure you're saving money now, but will you be earning money later? Perhaps not as much had you gone to a better school. Just consider it. A Brown education will get you a lot farther than a state college education. A friend of mine who went to Brown: making $75,000/yr out of college in San Francisco, another friend of mine (just as smart) went to the University of Maine and is not even making half as much.

In the end, it's your decision, but IMO, a better education will do you a lot of good in the long run.

Who would want to work with an employer which is that shallow in their thinking?

I was just making up a situation. If two people had the same credentials, but one went to MIT and the other went to a state college, who the hell are you going to hire? Unless the MIT grad is a complete ass, I doubt you'll choose a state schooler over an MIT grad. It makes a difference.

Screw these rich people. In my field (automotive enginering), I want the guy who spent his summers working as a mechanic instead of the kid who had all kinds of non-engineering extracurriculars just to pad his resume while his yuppie parents (doctor, lawyer, etc.) paid for his education. I'd rather see a guy who built a welder out of camera flash capacitors than the guy with experience on a particle accelerators from overly-funded schools. Which one is going to know more about cost engineering? Which will most likely treat his coworkers as equals and foster fellowship?

That's my opinion. If you don't agree, I don't care. This crap stirs me up something wicked, so don't fan the flames.

So you're assuming that all people who go to Ivy Leagues aren't qualified for the job, and all students at state schools are?

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: DaWhim
should've gone to an ivy. do you know that if you go to private school, you get more financial aids? well, you can always transfer as long as you keep a good GPA.

while you have money sitting around, make sure you also take out the federal sudsidized loan to invest it. FREE MONEY.

The max schools seemed to be offering was $20,000/year, though I didn't explore all avenues.

Anyhow, I'm not quite sure how the federal subsidized loans work, are they 0% interest loans? I only qualified for $250worth of the at the school I went too, which doesn't seem worth it at all.

I'm not sure how I feel about the school I'm at, I'm having a good (but not fantastic) time here, but it seems a little lacking in nerds. There doesn't seem to be that many people here that can talk about theoretical physics or really anything, sound interested, and sound like they know what they're talking about. I wasn't that big into all that in high school, but it's wierd finding that even my minimal interests make me pretty much the biggest nerd at school. (except for things like the physics club with memberships of around half a dozen)

(Except Stanford... it's pretty much just turned into a MS factory).

As long as you go to a top 20 university, you're fine.

What's MS?

And Rowan's not a top 20. According to USNews, it's #33 as far as Northern Universities go, but I have no idea what the report is based on.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Not sure how you ended up applying to ivy league schools, but not the best engineering schools, but I'd think anyone who can get accepted into (and afford) collegs like MIT or CalTech should definitely take advantage of the opportunity.

 

[miniMUNCH]

I went Cal Poly POmona for undergrad in Chemical Engineering and had a little trouble finding my first job (took 6 weeks)...but 1 year later I was pulling in 55k per year (this was in 2000). In 2003 I was making 75k plus stock options which were worth another 25-50k per year and then I decided to go to grad school. In hindsight, I was making good money and had a lot of stock that would be worth good cash now...so maybe it wasn't the best financial decision but now I'm having a great time. I have about 2.5 years left before I get my PhD then I want to work at a national lab. BTW, I'm at a top 10 or top 20 (depending upon who you sak) ChemE school and tutition is free and I get paid enough to live on.

At any rate, I've worked with ChemE grads from Berkeley, MIT, Stanford, and so forth...there is no noticeable different in our education. In many cases. we used the same book for the same class.

Bottom line: Your education (and your future earning potential) is up to you and it is all about what you learn and can do. You don't learn something any better because you go to MIT...MIT may push you to learn more in each area of engineering or science but, in comparison, I have not found that to necessarily be the case.

OP, you made the right choice IMO. 50k is a nice down payment on a house someday. And being debt free is beautiful thing.

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: PowerEngineer

Not sure how you ended up applying to ivy league schools, but not the best engineering schools, but I'd think anyone who can get accepted into (and afford) collegs like MIT or CalTech should definitely take advantage of the opportunity.

I didn't take much interest in the college application process, so I really only knew of the most famous schools. (I knew of MIT, don't remember why I passed on it)

OP, you made the right choice IMO. 50k is a nice down payment on a house someday. And being debt free is beautiful thing.

It sure seems like it, even comparing average starting salaries of graduates from different schools it seems like it would take between 10-20 years to make back the difference. However, I'm not sure how rate of advancement between graduates compares.

 

[mercanucaribe]

You made a mistake. With an Ivy League, you'd be almost guaranteed an exceptional future. You'd be among the best of the best in the WORLD. As it is, you're not guaranteed anything, and will be lucky to get just a regular tech job. Sorry.

 

[ed21x]

Originally posted by: miniMUNCH
I went Cal Poly POmona for undergrad in Chemical Engineering and had a little trouble finding my first job (took 6 weeks)...but 1 year later I was pulling in 55k per year (this was in 2000). In 2003 I was making 75k plus stock options which were worth another 25-50k per year and then I decided to go to grad school. In hindsight, I was making good money and had a lot of stock that would be worth good cash now...so maybe it wasn't the best financial decision but now I'm having a great time. I have about 2.5 years left before I get my PhD then I want to work at a national lab. BTW, I'm at a top 10 or top 20 (depending upon who you sak) ChemE school and tutition is free and I get paid enough to live on.

At any rate, I've worked with ChemE grads from Berkeley, MIT, Stanford, and so forth...there is no noticeable different in our education. In many cases. we used the same book for the same class.

Bottom line: Your education (and your future earning potential) is up to you and it is all about what you learn and can do. You don't learn something any better because you go to MIT...MIT may push you to learn more in each area of engineering or science but, in comparison, I have not found that to necessarily be the case.

OP, you made the right choice IMO. 50k is a nice down payment on a house someday. And being debt free is beautiful thing.

This man speaks the truth. I graduated from engineering at a top ranked institution, and don't really see any significant difference in knowledge from someone in a supposed "lower ranked" engineering school. After your first job, college becomes only a second priority on your resume.

 

[Fenixgoon]

yeah, 20k/year isn't always a full ride.. i have 15k/year, and i still owe about 13k/year

for undergrad, unless you pick a really crappy school, you'll be fine regardless (academically) and heck, some state schools are really good. my brothers both went to UMD, one was aerospace engineering and UMD's head of aerospace eng. transferred to some top position in the air force