YAGT (grad school, with girl on the side)

[erub]

Engineers: does the name of the grad school you went to matter, or just the fact that you have a masters?

My situation: Going to be a senior Electrical Engineering major at #14 EE school (Texas A&M) graduating in May (with what I think as a pretty strong resume, good GPA, extracurriculurs, work experience) - been dating my girlfriend for over a year

But I'm not sure what I should do next..within the next few years, I want to get an MBA (from a top-20 school, preferably, cause those seem to be the only ones that are worth something)...maybe eventually start my own company.

Before this summer began, I had little interest in a EE masters, I don't really enjoy electrical engineering (its ok, but not great) and the strain of studying was starting to get to me..but having worked this summer, almost all of the people in my group have masters in EE, and my boss has advised me to get one (10-15K more salary) - I'm now considering it- I know that if I don't get one immediately afterwards, I will never want to go back to school to get it

About my relationship: My girlfriend is great, she has everything that I think I want for the future..it has been on the whole a really easy relationship..but we have never been in the same city..from the beginning up until May we saw each other pretty much every weekend..she had finished grad school in December and had been looking for a job, finally found something in the field she wanted..a two year internship at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln

After much discussion we decided to give it a shot - big reason for me that I said ok is because I know how hard she worked trying to find jobs near where I go to school (or in the cities nearby) - I know that she cares about me a lot.. we will probably get to see each other about a month..but I've begun to think about next year, after I graduate

From the way i see it, I have a few options:

Get a job in May:
Pros:
-get some real money comin in (although because I have no student loans, I could postpone it for a year without a problem)
-work experience, can get into the high quality MBA programs sooner (or can I?)
-probably can land a position with a good company (if not the company I interned with, another good one)

Cons:
-going to be at the very bottom of the food chain
-less salary than if I got the masters

Grad school in EE - I want to go to a place where I could finish quickly (1 year, or at the latest 1.5 years) - I don't think I could move up in the rankings and get the funding and stuff desired

Texas A&M:
Pros:
-continue where I am without moving hassle, plus I know I can take grad courses my senior year for 'double-dipping' for both, insuring that I could finish within fall-spring-summer term
-good ranking in EE
-existing friends

Cons:
-kinda getting tired of College Station, maybe ready for something different
-far from girlfriend for another year
-not sure about funding situation (although I think that they would take care of me)

Nebraska:
Pros:
-if chosen as an RA, they pay for all tuition plus a $1250 stipend (wouldn't go if they weren't paying) - free masters degree
-would finally get to try out what it would be like to live in the same city as my girlfriend - the ultimate test
-because its not so strong, might be willing to work with me to finish quickly

Cons:
-engineering school isn't nearly as strong as Texas A&M
-Nebraska??? WTH am i doing there? BRRRR (I've lived in TX all my life, hehe)

So tear me a new one, give me some advice

Cliffs:
1. Grad school vs. work?
2. Move for a girl?

 

[buzzsaw13]

let me be the first one to say cliffnotes please

 

[Leper Messiah]

Wrong YAGT....I came in here expecting something completely different...

 

[Koenigsegg]

Originally posted by: L3p3rM355i4h
Wrong YAGT....I came in here expecting something completely different...

You didn't read the whole post then.

 

[Praetorian7]

Gonna need some :camera:'s here to give quality advice.



















In case you don't post pics:
Be careful passing up your goals for this girl. Especially if you have never spent alot of time together. Maybe it will work, maybe not. My g/f and I have lived 2.5 hours away from each other for the past 3 years (only meeting on weekends and vacation time), abd she has stood by me for 2 deployments (Kosovo, Iraq). We are getting married next year. Just an example showing that long distance can work out.

 

[cchen]

Yes, the name of the school does matter (if you're not doing research), and you'd want a top 10 MBA program, not top 20. As for the girl situation, don't go to school at Nebraska unless you really want to. What if you guys break up? Nebraska isn't fun... and without her it will be much worse.

 

[Tiamat]

name matters. This is what I have been told by every single one of my employers.

Name does NOT matter for Undergrad degree however.

Even more so, if you get an MBA, name matters incredibly. Yale, Stanford, harvard, etc.


GPA doesnt matter as long as it is 3.0 and better. Between 2.2 and 3 you better have a real good experience on your resume, publications, patents.

Go to the top 1 or 2 school in the field you plan on getting your degree in.


I wouldnt move for the girl. Thats why she broke up with me.
I figure my career and life is more important than the whiny b1tch but everybody is different

 

[Leper Messiah]

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg

Originally posted by: L3p3rM355i4h
Wrong YAGT....I came in here expecting something completely different...

You didn't read the whole post then.

Hell no! I just kinda skim. Something that big has to have a good hook or cliffs.

 

[cchen]

Originally posted by: Tiamat
name matters. This is what I have been told by every single one of my employers.

Name does NOT matter for Undergrad degree however.

Even more so, if you get an MBA, name matters incredibly. Yale, Stanford, harvard, etc.


GPA doesnt matter as long as it is 3.0 and better. Between 2.2 and 3 you better have a real good experience on your resume, publications, patents.

Go to the top 1 or 2 school in the field you plan on getting your degree in.


I wouldnt move for the girl. Thats why she broke up with me.
I figure my career and life is more important than the whiny b1tch but everybody is different

Yale's business school is terrible

 

[white]

I actually read that all.

Do you see a future with this girl? It sounds like she's older since she's finished grad school and you're thinking about going. So there's less of a risk of her wanting some time away to "find herself" but it could still happen.

Regarding grad school, it's easier to decide which path to take if you know what you really want to do. It doesn't sound like you know yet. You're thinking about B-school in the future and/or engineering grad school right around the corner. You'll probably need some job experience to get into B-school and a master's wouldn't hurt. I would go to grad school and get the engineering masters. Now the question is which grad school? This brings you back to your relationship with your gf. How much do you want to be with her everyday?

 

[rgwalt]

Would your EE master's be a research masters or just a classwork masters? If it is a non-thesis masters (no research) you can pretty much count on being done in a specific period of time (as long as it takes to finish all your classes). If it is a research masters, you CANNOT count on being done on your schedule. Research just doesn't work that way. They can tell you that you'll be done after 1.5 years, but if your advisor doesn't think you are ready, there isn't anything you can do about it.

Have you looked into programs closer to Nebraska, but not at Nebraska? I would look at KU, K-State, Iowa State, Missouri, and anything else in the area. It never hurts to apply various places, and if you were only 2 hours away from Lincoln, you and your GF could drive to see each other on the weekends. I bet you would have good luck at KU, plus Lawrence is an awesome town and you'll get to see some great basketball.

Personally, I don't think a classroom master's is worth much. If you are going to get an advanced degree in science or engineering, I think you should do research for it. Also, no one will pay you to go to grad school to get a non-research master's. If you can afford to invest 2 years into a program, look at getting a research master's. Take your GRE this coming fall, and apply to schools in and around Lincoln. Tell them up front that you want to get a master's. Surprisingly, a school with a lower reputation will be more likely to give you a tuition waiver and a stipend because they tend to be desperate for American students.

Good luck.

R

EDIT: As for the MBA, I would wait and get some real-world experience (on top of that research masters). Perhaps you could get the company to pay you to go back and get the MBA... Also, I agree with others here on not moving to Nebraska. A $1250 stipend per month isn't that much, and I don't know what is typical in EE, but it is NOT competitive with ChemE grad schools. I suggest KSU and ISU because they both have strong programs, and KU and UM as backups. Heck, apply to Nebraska as a backup, but pick the strongest school weighed against your offers when making your final decision. If it is Nebraska, then fine, but don't move there for the girl.

 

[BigB10293]

Originally posted by: rgwalt

Personally, I don't think a classroom master's is worth much. If you are going to get an advanced degree in science or engineering, I think you should do research for it. Also, no one will pay you to go to grad school to get a non-research master's.

I've seen this posted before and it's simply not true. I'm a terminal non-research master's student with a full tuition waiver and a monthly stipend. This is at a top-5 engineering grad school too.

 

[Fenixgoon]

right now, my brother is worknig full time and taking classes part time. works pretty well for him (and his work pays for the classes!)

just listing another option for ya

 

[SilentZero]

Forget both schools and come to RPI!

 

[erub]

Originally posted by: white
I actually read that all.

Do you see a future with this girl? It sounds like she's older since she's finished grad school and you're thinking about going. So there's less of a risk of her wanting some time away to "find herself" but it could still happen.

She actually is about 7 months older than me, but finished college in two years..I dont think that there's chance she would want to find herself, I think she's very happy in our relationship..of course with women you never know

A $1250 stipend per month isn't that much, and I don't know what is typical in EE, but it is NOT competitive with ChemE grad schools. I suggest KSU and ISU because they both have strong programs, and KU and UM as backups. Heck, apply to Nebraska as a backup, but pick the strongest school weighed against your offers when making your final decision. If it is Nebraska, then fine, but don't move there for the girl.

Thanks for this advice, I bit the bullet and bought the US News rankings and checked them out..the only one that is sorta close is ISU is #39 for EE, not bad, and its 220 miles away (not that bad considering its always been a long distance relationship)..but the fact remains that if I want the highest rankings, I should go for A&M (#18 in EE) (or ones above)

for the poster above, RPI is #24, not to mention the cold...brrrr

 

[PowerEngineer]

Well, I'm a bit confused...or maybe it's you?

I don't see why you'd be interested in a masters degree in EE if you don't like it and want to move on into business administration.

Unless you do get into a top ten graduate school in either engineering or business, the top three considerations should be: location, location, location. Most graduates will find themselves recruited and working for businesses near the school (<100 miles). One can beat these odds (I escaped from the East Coast and RPI), but are you ready to settle for Nebraska?

She's have to be really something before I would!

Good luck!

 

[Battleangel3222]

Let me tell you one thing....all the crap your doing right now....will all basically ammount to.....nothing. After your first major job its all about references and past experience.

 

[miniMUNCH]

A couple of things.

1. I have a couple friends here @ CMU from A&M so UT Austin might be outta the question but UT is a solid, solid school.

2. I went to a POS undergrad school, and now I'm at a very solid grad school (carnegie mellon), albeit for chemical enigneering... Having compared notes with many students in many majors...course work is course work.

I got 98% of the undergrad education at Cal Poly Pomona (Cal St. system) that my friends from Cal Tech, MIT, whatever got...the courses are essentially the same, books are the same, homework and projects are mostly the same.

Maybe some stupid recruiter doesn't know this...but the education is more or less the same. After you get your first job and have it for 2-3 years after your BS/MS, no one should care where you went to school.

NOTE: the above does not apply to MBA...going to a recognized top 20 MBA program is paramount!!


So Neb. might not be so bad...good luck, bro!

 

[miniMUNCH]

Originally posted by: Battleangel3222
Let me tell you one thing....all the crap your doing right now....will all basically ammount to.....nothing. After your first major job its all about references and past experience.

Truth...I worked for 5 years prior to going to back for my PhD.

I was involved in our technical hiring process and interviewed people...I didn't give rats ass where they went to school (although I always read that part of the their resume) unless they were total rookies (which we, in general, never hired...training from scratch is damn expensive). We were most interested in what they have done in industry and what they can do...screw where they learned it.

 

[Rumpltzer]

I'd say don't move somewhere for a girl. If it's going to work out, it'll be there in two years or whenever she gets done with her internship.

I'd also say, though, that staying in school just for an MS in EE is not really doing a lot for you either. If you have some passion in EE that you want to persue, then get a PhD and move yourself high up in the food chain.

I say the school matters for that first job IF the school is ranked well enough and you're specializing in something relevant at that school. It depends, and you've really got to have targeted a specific job. I'd say it doesn't happen for most people.

I don't like any of the options you've laid ouy. I say that if you want to get an MBA, do it now and forget about the EE MS. If you really need "work experience" for the MBA to be relevant, then go get a job and let them pay for your MBA.

 

[EyeMWing]

A true quandary.
Move for the girl, risk the work future not being so good.
Or stay for the school, and risk the girl future not being so good.

This is one of those things that you have to make up your mind on when you're TOTALLY sh!tfaced and blasted onto another planet. Only then do the things that are truly important to you break through.

 

[Leper Messiah]

Roll a die. Leave it totally up to chance, if you truly cannot make a decsion.

EDIT: My grammar is the suck at 5:00 in the morning...

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: L3p3rM355i4h
Roll a die. Leave it totally up to chance, if you truly cannot make a decsion.

EDIT: My grammar is the suck at 5:00 in the morning...

1d20!

 

[gotsmack]

Stay at Texas and try your hand there since you can finish up in one year. Besides, they might not accept you into their program for whatever reason.

and if you drop out of the program because you don't have the resolve to do grad level work you can go to your GF in Nebraska.

 

[Pliablemoose]

My daughter is in College Station this week doing a Civil Engineering summer camp.

Poor thing, she's never been to a summer camp where they ride horses or swim or anything