Importance of undergrad degree

[veggz]

To all you people who have graduated from college and have/are looking for a job or graduate school, how much importance would you attribute to the reputation of your undergraduate college? For example, do you think that a recent graduate from a top tier school, say Wharton (UPenn), would be much better off than one who went to a lower tier school? Feel free to share where you got your bachelor's and how much of an effect you think that has had on your present success (or lack thereof 😉 ).

 

[DaveSimmons]

My guess: Depends on the field.

My experience: Software development

I'm on the other side of the desk, a lead software developer who has plowed through resumes to hire developers at my last 2 jobs.

A top 10 CS/CE school like the University of Washington here in WA will give you an edge over someone from a lesser university, but not a huge edge, and only for the first year or two after college. And GPA can shift the balance: A 3.9 from a random state school would impress me more than a 2.9 from UW.

top school > state school > > 2-year program > > > > > > > > > ITT tech

For CS/CE your work experience is much more important, once you have some.

 

[Jassi]

Does ITT Tech even qualify as an education? I laugh when their commercials come on TV.

 

[Aznbruin]

In my honest opinion going to a better school will help you out no watter what industry you are in. Going to a better school will allow you more opportunities in the workplace and also networking.

People may disagree but if i were to choose someone that went to MIT/HARVARD/YALE rather than someone from a state school I would automically hire someone from the ivy league school. Not to say there are some gems in state school, but employers look highly upon undegraduate name.

I'm currently in business school and the admissions directors have stated to me in confidence that the location of your undegratuate degree is very important.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: Jassi
Does ITT Tech even qualify as an education? I laugh when their commercials come on TV.

I did consider putting something like "slept at that hotel chain" above them in the ranking 🙂

 

[timosyy]

something i'm wondering as well ...

out of state for the name + much more money (UIUC/Purdue)

in state for still really good engineering + much less money (VTech)

.. that is, assuming I get into VTech, of course. I'm in the other two already -_-

 

[veggz]

I think that the assumption that state school is inferior to private school is not necessarily always correct. For example, certain California state schools (i.e. Berkeley, LA) are widely regarded as superior to most private institutions. However, I have been told that more weight is placed on the location of your graduate degree when searching for a job, though I am not sure if this is completely accurate.

and by the way, congrats on getting into school tim those are great schools 🙂

 

[apac]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
My guess: Depends on the field.

My experience: Software development

I'm on the other side of the desk, a lead software developer who has plowed through resumes to hire developers at my last 2 jobs.

A top 10 CS/CE school like the University of Washington here in WA will give you an edge over someone from a lesser university, but not a huge edge, and only for the first year or two after college. And GPA can shift the balance: A 3.9 from a random state school would impress me more than a 2.9 from UW.

top school > state school > > 2-year program > > > > > > > > > ITT tech

For CS/CE your work experience is much more important, once you have some.

So will my 1+ year of a CS internship make up for a 2.8 GPA at a state school? 😀

 

[SuperTool]

If you have graduate degree from Wharton, noone is going to look at your undergrad degree. However a good undergrad degree will help you get into Wharton.

 

[timosyy]

veggz: thanks 🙂

Always assumed if I got into UIUC I'd go ... but now I'm wondering if I got into VTech ... hmm.

More scenic, closer, cheaper, friends ... (though I kind of do want to get out of this state, and meet new people instead of be confined to those I already know)

Any more input on the thread question ? Seems like it would have a rather large bearing on my decision.

Oh, and expect a post about this again if I get into VTech and need to decide 😉

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: apac

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
My guess: Depends on the field.

My experience: Software development

I'm on the other side of the desk, a lead software developer who has plowed through resumes to hire developers at my last 2 jobs.

A top 10 CS/CE school like the University of Washington here in WA will give you an edge over someone from a lesser university, but not a huge edge, and only for the first year or two after college. And GPA can shift the balance: A 3.9 from a random state school would impress me more than a 2.9 from UW.

top school > state school > > 2-year program > > > > > > > > > ITT tech

For CS/CE your work experience is much more important, once you have some.

So will my 1+ year of a CS internship make up for a 2.8 GPA at a state school? 😀

More like my 4+ years of an EE internship will make up for a 2.8xx GPA at a state school😉

 

[cressida]

Again, it all really depends.

 

[Siddhartha]

After I got the job, my boss said that where I went made a difference.

Where I work now, they only recruit from three or four schools. Most of the people run the company, in marketting and management, have degrees from Ivy League schools.

 

[Whisper]

I'd have to say that it'd really depend on the field, and more specifically on the company. As one of the above posts mentions, certain corporations/businesses will sometimes only recruit from top-tier schools, which of course gives the Ivy-leaguers an edge. Business in general seems to be one field in which it's fairly important what school you went to. I don't think you'd be automatically rejected if you went to a state school (especially if you're applying in that same state), but Harvard or Yale gards always look nice on paper.

Beyond that, once you have a graduate degree, where you got your bachelor's doesn't matter much at all. But the importance of your graduate institution can be pretty severe, especially if you're planning on working in an academic or research setting.

 

[veggz]

So does the actual quality of the school matter more or the reputation of the school? What I mean is, do employers actively research the quality of schools from year to year or do they just assume that an Ivy League education will always be superior to any other? In the US News and World Report undergraduate school rankings (I know, a very subjective source) certain schools that are not Ivy league are in the top few schools such as Northwestern University and Washington University at St. Louis. Do you think that degrees from these schools, ranked higher than Ivy Leaguers such as Cornell, hold as much value as more academically reknown schools?

 

[Chaotic42]

My physics professor said not to really worry about what school I get my Bachelor's at (note that I'm a physics/math major). I guess it's the school you pick for your Ph.D that matters.

 

[shopbruin]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
My physics professor said not to really worry about what school I get my Bachelor's at (note that I'm a physics/math major). I guess it's the school you pick for your Ph.D that matters.

you usually put the last school you went to at the top of your resume for education.

 

[AtlantaBob]

Originally posted by: veggz
So does the actual quality of the school matter more or the reputation of the school? What I mean is, do employers actively research the quality of schools from year to year or do they just assume that an Ivy League education will always be superior to any other? In the US News and World Report undergraduate school rankings (I know, a very subjective source) certain schools that are not Ivy league are in the top few schools such as Northwestern University and Washington University at St. Louis. Do you think that degrees from these schools, ranked higher than Ivy Leaguers such as Cornell, hold as much value as more academically reknown schools?

As a small-school private liberal arts grad, I'd have to say that the quality of education is probably better at some of those schools than at Harvard, Yale, etc. Interaction with professors is a good thing, and you often don't get it at some of the "elite" educational institutions. Then again, you are guaranteed to go to school with very smart (or very legacied) people. Depending on how selective your liberal arts school is, the quality of your peers may vary. Of course, at the top of the list, you're getting people just as clever as Harvard, Yale, etc.

No one can deny that the social networking aspects of the Ivies is impressive, though. But hey, that's what grad school's for.

 

[veggz]

I have heard many people cite this "social networking" as one of the sole reasons it is desirable to go to a good school. But how much of a difference do your connections make? Aren't you all in the same boat looking for a job post-graduation?

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: veggz
I have heard many people cite this "social networking" as one of the sole reasons it is desirable to go to a good school. But how much of a difference do your connections make? Aren't you all in the same boat looking for a job post-graduation?

Rich kids go to rich schools and they have rich parents with rich connections. And also people that go to the better schools are more motivated (not always but its a trend) and they are also willing to work harder to reach their goals. Thats the people you meet at top tier schools as opposed to the stoners at state schools.

But theres always exceptions

 

[AtlantaBob]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: veggz
I have heard many people cite this "social networking" as one of the sole reasons it is desirable to go to a good school. But how much of a difference do your connections make? Aren't you all in the same boat looking for a job post-graduation?

Rich kids go to rich schools and they have rich parents with rich connections. And also people that go to the better schools are more motivated (not always but its a trend) and they are also willing to work harder to reach their goals. Thats the people you meet at top tier schools as opposed to the stoners at state schools.

But theres always exceptions

Quoted for truth. It's very easy to get an internship in England when your professor--whose house you've been over to dinner at--"knows someone's father who works for a firm who's looking for a nice intern". (just one example).

 

[imthebadguy]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: veggz
I have heard many people cite this "social networking" as one of the sole reasons it is desirable to go to a good school. But how much of a difference do your connections make? Aren't you all in the same boat looking for a job post-graduation?

Rich kids go to rich schools and they have rich parents with rich connections. And also people that go to the better schools are more motivated (not always but its a trend) and they are also willing to work harder to reach their goals. Thats the people you meet at top tier schools as opposed to the stoners at state schools.

But theres always exceptions

very very true my friend, i goto a "rich kid" school, and it seems to be that alotta kids here have connections so its kinda easier for them to score jobs internships

 

[veggz]

Good points. Do you think that the benefits from having an easier time landing an internship outweigh the cost benefits of getting a full scholarship to a second tier school?

 

[JDMnAR1]

IMHO, the reality of the situation is that it only matters if that is what the company you want to work for (or the field you want to work in) expects it. As was already mentioned, some prospective employers have preconceived notions about what kind of graduates come from these different "top tier" schools, but many employers just want to see that you have the desire/drive/dedication to actually complete a four year degree program at an accredited school, and they could generally care less where.