I currently have a 3.3 gpa and a 31 ACT at my local community college. I want to transfer to the best school for undergraduate business, with employment in silicon valley. My top choices are: Rutgers University, Texas A and M, San Jose State. Which of these would be best for getting a job in silicon valley and are there any better state schools?
Not an expert, but recently saw data on CC that San Jose State was pretty high on the list of schools whose students worked in Silicon Valley. I would guess that Texas A&M would be next on that list because of the very high number of well-prepared science/math/engineering students it produces. I imagine SV recruiters show up in College Station.
It’s difficult to be too helpful without knowing your state of residence and financial picture. At least two of the three schools you list will be OOS, with higher tuition? As a transfer OOS student at a public university, you would, generally speaking, be low on the list for financial aid, although there may be reasons you would be a good candidate for aid.
With that said, other schools you might think about are Purdue University and Santa Clara University. Purdue, like Texas A&M, is a top-notch public science/engineering school. I know someone who graduated recently to a six-figure starting salary (really bright, savvy young adult). Students definitely go to SV. I don’t know about your prospects of financial aid at SCU, but it is right in Silicon Valley and has a very strong business program. Like SJS, lots of its students find work in SV.
I’m not sure about your prospects for transfer admission at these schools. They are competitive. Not being negative, just don’t know. But you might think about some other schools, like the publics in Utah. They are very good schools; I believe cost is lower; and admission would be more likely. One other thought, University of Missouri (flagship in Columbia) is a quality state university. You may have seen it has had quite a rocky couple of years, and applications are way, way down. It doesn’t have any notable ties to Silicon Valley but would provide a quality education that you could then use to make your way to SV. It might be a good contrarian play.
Iowa State is another school with a strong engineering program that might place it more on the radar of SV companies.
I should add the University of New Hampshire, another quality state flagship, with a beautiful campus. Far from SV, but now we’ve raised possibilities in every section of this vast country!
Good luck!
It would be easier getting a job in Silicon Valley if you go to a Bay Area school, so in that respect SJSU would be better than TAMU or Rutgers.
I’d pick Santa Clara over SJSU, though.