@boneh3ad, I agree 100%. The question is…are those opportunities worth $80,000?
Right, that’s very much a personal question. I think my personal feelings on the matter are reasonably well-known at this point. Unless a student’s is to wind up in a non-traditional role like investment banking (ugh), then it usually isn’t likely to be worth it as long as whatever school they choose offers ample opportunity for things like undergraduate research.
I think that last bit is what some on here might find controversial, but most high school students have no idea if they are going to want to go to grad school or straight to industry or leave engineering altogether, so it’s always a good idea to keep options open, and having the opportunity for doing undergraduate research is a great way to improve your odds of getting into a good graduate school (or ruling out grad school for that matter). That is in addition to the educational benefit of actually applying what you learn.
The other consideration is how well a student fits into a program. Maybe $80,000 seems like too much of an added cost on its face, but if the student is going to hate being at the cheaper school, then it is unlikely he or she will perform optimally while there. Paying the premium might be worth it if the school is simply a better fit and sets up the student for success on a personal level.
Thanks all for contributing to the conversation.
Going to post up some information.
Also would like confirmation from @Gator88NE if these statistics represent starting salaries, please? Thanks Gator!
If you click this link (https://www.crc.ufl.edu/student-outcomes/), and click the third tab “Outcomes and Experiences”, then select only the Materials Science major, the “Average Salary” is listed as 69.5k.
IF this salary represents the average starting salary, then UF financially would be the better alternative, as the starting salaries for MSE at Georgia Tech are also 70k.
“MSE Graduates entering the workforce received salaries averaging 70K/year, according to Fall 2012 data.” accoring to: http://www.mse.gatech.edu/about/facts
This is 2012 data, so perhaps the current figures are slightly higher for Georgia Tech. But I have also seen figures saying that the average salary from GT for MSE is actually 65k, not 70k. So basically the salaries are in the same ballpark, as long as the figures provided by UF represent STARTING salaries.
Something surprising to me was that MSE majors from UF entering the workforce received, on average, bonuses of 30k!
If someone can confirm that these salaries listed from UF are indeed starting, I am probably sold.
Salary surveys are a bit soft. They are for the most part voluntary, not verified, and during any given year, a school might get a 50% response rate. The important thing is that 67K and 70K are probably the same, and 67K and 105K probably aren’t. This data is not very granular. It also simply represents the mean. Half will make more and half will make less. Where you land will depend on how well you do in school and what experiences you amass, and a bit of luck.
The far bigger factor than a thousand dollars here or there, is where you decide to live. A $65k job in the rural midwest is probably far better than a $90k job in San Francisco.
The Florida numbers are reported “at graduation” BTW. They also claim a 95% response, which is spectacular.
Good luck in the quest!
As @eyemgh said, you should keep survey data in context. These are responses of students, right before graduation, so it’s reflecting those students who’ve accepted a job offer before graduation. Others, perhaps weaker candidates may not get offers for several more months (at either school).
GT and UF grads usually end up working in the southeast, at many of the same companies. Many companies (including the companies that recruit nationally) recruit both schools. That’s going to tend to lead to very similar starting salaries (while the average graduate at UCLA, would earn more in CA, due to the higher cost of living).
Still, that graduation survey data can be very interesting…
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