Did I make a wise college choice?

[totalcommand]

Originally posted by: Fox5
I could have gone to basically any school I wanted, including Ivy Leagues. In addition, I could have had $20,000/year in scholarships to virtually any school I wanted. I chose to go to a state school, and I actually get around $500 back a semester do to having more scholarship money than the cost of the school.
An alternative would have been to go to a roughly $40,000/year school. I had around $50,000 in savings for college, so I would have had to come up with another $30,000 in the end to pay for college.

My major in electrical and computer engineering, though my personal interests and aptitudes are more towards computer science (which I'm attempting to minor in). Well, I'm apparently also good at creative writing, but it's not a big interest of mine.

It was both an economic and a personal decision for me to go to a state school. I'll come out of college with >$50,000 in cash, while I would have owed $30,000 at other schools. That, and I wasn't the hardest worker in high school, and didn't view myself as a typical MIT "I've successfully designed and built a helicopter" type student, and I didn't know if I'd be able to hack it, or if my education / experience would be $80,000 better. I didn't want to waste money on a chance.

So as it is, I'm going to a state school, majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering, tentatively minoring in Computer Science (though, physics seems to be a more natual fit for the field from what I've seen, much less classes too), and with an Honors concentration. It seems I will also have a 4.0 GPA as of the end of the first semester, and I'll graduate with >$50,000 in cash.

So, did I make the right choice or no? Any comments?

i'd say no. you didn't factor in how much a degree from MIT can mean when getting your first job. and your first job is the one that gets you your next job, and that job gets you your next job, and so on.

i'd suggest that you find a very good job during the college school year to make up for lack of prestige in your school

 

[Deleted member 4644]

Now that I've learned a bit more about Rowan, yes you did make a mistake... *IF* you really could have gone to a top 20 engineering school. However, like I said before .. your life is not over. Just work hard, be at the top of your class, and you will still do well for yourself.

 

[Sephy]

Seriously, with EE you're almost guaranteed a 50k job right out of school if you don't screw up no matter where you go. If you aren't interested in grad school, you made the only choice. Even if you were, a state school isn't that prohibitive unless you're looking Ivy later on anyway.

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

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

yeah, thats like an employer who doesnt hire you because you arent wearing an Armani suit.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Fox5

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.

Wow, that sure makes me feel less sure about my decision.

I have to tell you the same thing. I just got a job with arguably the most prestigious investment bank in the world and quite honestly all the interns there were from top 20 schools.

I just remeber talking to the guys at the interview... harvard, princeton, CM, MIT, brown, you name it. It didn't take too long to notice how the things work. Also companies tend to recruit heavily in brand name schools.

 

[z0mb13]

going to an ivy leauge is not only about the name (but that part is HUGE), its also about networking

generally you will be hanging out with smart kids or rich kids from rich lineage

if you can still transfer to an ivy league, do it. you wont regret it later

 

[elmro]

I have a BS in CS from SUNY Buffalo, am 24 years old, make 80k this year and will make 85k next year. Don't let these people scare you, I think most of them are just trying to justify their huge student loans. Going to a state school is not a poor decision. However, since money is a non-factor here, I think you should transfer to the Ivy League and use the name recognition to your advantage.

(First post! Long time lurker)

 

[Ready]

your first mistake is deciding to goto college. If money is your concern you'd definitly make ALOT more pimping yourself out as a male whore

 

[gk1998]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Fox5

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.

Wow, that sure makes me feel less sure about my decision.

I have to tell you the same thing. I just got a job with arguably the most prestigious investment bank in the world and quite honestly all the interns there were from top 20 schools.

I just remeber talking to the guys at the interview... harvard, princeton, CM, MIT, brown, you name it. If you want to work for a top notch company, you pretty much have to go to a brand name school.

I agree. A good undergrad will help you enormously in getting into a good grad school. I'm currently in B-School, more than half of the class went to schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford for undergrad and worked at companies like GS and McK after undergrad. The reputation of your undergrad matters a lot. You also build networks with people who have a high probability of being leaders in their field. This does not mean that you cannot achieve the same thing witout an Ivy League degree, but it is significantly harder. Look at the resumes of the C-level execs of Fortune 500 companies or people who have leadership positions in 'hot' fields such as Venture Capital, Private Equity and Hedge Funds. There is not much diversity there in terms of which schools they went to.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: 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

True; if you want to have the same standard of living in San Fran as in Maine, you'll need to be paid at LEAST twice as much. Housing is still ridiculously expensive in many areas of California.

 

[Turnpike]

Getting a phat job is all about networking. That is something state schools are horrible at. Ivy league school grads get job hookups. The 30k difference is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of it all.

 

[CanOWorms]

If you're going to be an engineer and you have a close to 4.0 GPA, I wouldn't worry too much if you went to a less prestigious school.

I myself went to a top 20 school, but I know of a lot of people that went to no-name schools and do well, especially in engineering. If you graduate with a bad GPA, then not having the school name would hurt.

 

[GoSharks]

Originally posted by: Fox5
Really? I assumed the Ivy Leagues were harder.

I do not attend an Ivy League school, but am at one of similar calibre. The elite schools ARE harder, in terms that you will be competing against students that will be more enthusiastic and/or more talented. The grades you receive in such an elite school are not directly comparable to less "rigorous" schools becuase of this.

In other words, you may (or may not) be reviewing the same material, but in a more elite school, the students will likely understand the material better and affect the grading curve, such that an A student in a "lesser" school will be perhaps a B student at the elite school.

 

[cchen]

If your career goal is to stay in engineering... it really doesn't matter what school you went to, just as long as you do well...

 

[JS80]

Ivy League > *

An ivy league school will open up many more opportunities than a state school. The sheer networking power of an ivy league school will get you interviews on that alone. A state school is worthless on that regard. Of course this comes with a price, literally.

Also, never pay cash for education. There are loans out there where the interest is subsidized by the government. Also, educational loans have a lot lower interest than traditional loans. I graduated with approximately $16k in loans at 2.3%. I am actually way ahead considering inflation is approx. 3%.

 

[HamSupLo]

I think the OP shoulda gone to the IVY league, especially when he got in! what are you thinking man!? I think you based your decision too much on money. What's an extra 20k a year when you have your entire life ahead of you to pay it? Think of it as an investment. I'm sure a non name state school can land you a well paying job, but your education shouldn't be entirely about learning xyz and graduating and entering the work force. I believe the caliber of people at better schools is higher and you'll be challenged more. Plus there are ample research going on in these place. Plus, the IVY league takes care of their own so the network will be much deeper. They will help you get in on the careers at the national and international levels.

 

[Syringer]

Name brand state school = best opportunity/cost ratio :thumbsup:

Going to a known school is definitely opening up more doors for employment than if I had gone elsewhere, with the number of job recruiters that come here outnumber most other schools..

That said, I don't feel having gone here made me learn any more, be more motivated, or end up any "better qualified" than if I had gone to a lesser known school. The type of person that goes to the high end schools generally will be more "intelligent" than their "lower end" counterparts, and if you're qualified enough to get into an ivy league you'll end up on that same level eventually..

 

[LS20]

depends on what you study... does the field i work in depend on name recognition? YES. all the companies ive talked to (and that is many), when they disclosed 5 schools that they were recruiting at, i would hear 3 names over, and over, and over, and over again. none of the names mentioned was an ivy.

my grades were pretty poor. personally, i think i got my position both from a combination of the school that i attend, and my networking (i happened to be acquainted with the interviewer--coincidence)

if i was looking for an engineer, given that everything else is the same, would i give an edge to a brown grad over one from michigan, or wisconsin, or from gtech? yeah...right

to say Ivy league > * would be making a FALSE sweeping generalization




edit: though, really, all of this is relevant for ones FIRST job. pick the right school for the EXPERIENCE--that cannot be duplicated. 100k over 4 years can be made-up easily. if you have the experience, skills, drive, etc... you'll get to where you want to be regardless of where your degree is from. what you cant do is turn back time and repeat the 4(+) years of your life

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: 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

Agreed. One anecdotal piece of evidence is not a substitute for broad statistics.

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: 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?

Is that what I said? Read again.

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: 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.

You're living in a dream world portrayed to you by movies and the PR departments of such schools. Life is what you make it at every step of the way. There are no guarantees.

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: z0mb13
going to an ivy leauge is not only about the name (but that part is HUGE), its also about networking

generally you will be hanging out with smart kids or rich kids from rich lineage

if you can still transfer to an ivy league, do it. you wont regret it later

I could use some networking.... I wonder if I can find some investors for my car company???

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: Turnpike
Getting a phat job is all about networking. That is something state schools are horrible at. Ivy league school grads get job hookups. The 30k difference is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of it all.

What if you're in a state school as an undergraduate, working on research? (I'm going to hopefully attend an ASME conference in Ireland in the spring!)

 

[EmperorIQ]

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've always told myself that, but ALL employers are that shallow in their thinking, at least the ones who pay high.

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: EmperorIQ

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've always told myself that, but ALL employers are that shallow in their thinking, at least the ones who pay high.

Forget about the money. (If you don't believe me now, you will later in life.) Get a job that you love, and the money will come. You'll be happier that way.