I’ve been accepted to Cal Poly:SLO and I believe I have a high chance of being admitted into UCI. I’m pretty much entirely set on acquiring a degree in Aerospace engineering and working for SpaceX, Boeing, JPL, Lockheed, etc. My main thing when searching for a college is industry connections. I want to go to the school that will give me the most opportunities to get aerospace-related internships and ultimately land a job at the companies I have mentioned.
Stuff like location and price matters less to me. I just want an exciting career in my subject of interest. (Probably research oriented, but I am not sure. It depends on the workplace)
For those of you who are familiar with the two programs at Cal Poly and Irvine, which is a better choice for a future Aerospace student?
Have you visited both? That’s an important step. Next, have you looked at job placement (I’ll link CPs below). Lastly, no matter where you go, if you want to work at SpaceX, NASA/JPL, or Boeing, you are going to need top grades. Good luck.
I don’t work in this field, but my impression is that aerospace engineering is strong at Cal Poly. Bert Rutan is a high-profile graduate.
I looked in the College Navigator database for the number of degrees issued in “Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering” for 2014-15:
Cal Poly issued 106 BS degrees in this field. Aerospace was the fourth-largest engineering major; only mechanical, electrical, and civil were bigger. Cal Poly also issued 17 MS degrees. Aerospace Engineering is a standalone department.
UC Irvine issued 29 BS degrees and no graduate degrees. Aerospace was one of their smallest engineering programs; it is offered through a combined "Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering" department.
That link is nice. i got accepted into Cal Poly’s accounting program but I’m not really sure I want to work in the Bay Area which kind of puts me off after reading since most employers who recruit will want you there.
@OffToMars if those are the companies you’re interested in, then Cal Poly is a great choice. All of those companies frequent Cal Poly for the career fairs, and some outside of the career fair dates as well. I personally know Aeros and MEs who work at SpaceX, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin now. NG recruits heavily at Cal Poly, if you don’t get any other jobs for some reason you can count on getting a job there. SpaceX will recruit there but it’s up to you to get the extensive hands-on experience with projects to set yourself apart from the crowd of talented Poly students.
Another suggestion, if you have a LinkedIn (might work even if you don’t) try an open ended search with the filters set for Aerospace Engineering graduate, UCI/Cal Poly, and one of those companies you’re interested in. See how many students you can find from each school, in the Aero/ME majors, that work at those companies. What did their extracurriculars look like? GPA? Internships?
@schneybley I’m in the accounting program here at Cal Poly and while there is a big Bay Area presence for accounting they definitely won’t make or expect you to work there. All of the big firms will have offices all over the world and in both south and northern California. Our accounting program is very strong and we have many firms that come to recruit.
@85bearsfan Thanks for the input but so long as CSUN can closely match the financial aid package SLO offered I will probably go there instead. I had to think about it a lot but I like living in the Valley and CSUN seems to also have a solid program.