<p>Basically the title says it all. I'm considering applying to SHC because I was extremely impressed by the research opportunities and Penn State in general. However, because I am out of state and will probably have to take out susbtantial loans to attend, I just want to make sure that my degree will be meaningful and will actually help me get into a top grad school or a solid job. Btw, I am going to be applying as an engineer, and will almost certainly be looking to attend grad school.</p>
<p>So, I had to take out substantial loans to get my degree from Michigan’s highly ranked BBA program, and I can tell you for sure that if you have a good in state option it will be much better for you, especially if you’re looking for grad school. </p>
<p>The thing is, masters and Phd programs aren’t really that concerned with which university you came from as long as its inside the top 100. I remember asking my counselor if law schools would take into consideration the difficulty of the program I was in when evaluating my GPA (which was considerably lower after I got into the business school). He said “No, not when they have applicants from Yale, Stanford, and North Western.” </p>
<p>Likewise, I have a friend who triple majored in the liberal arts and languages at Virginia Tech and got into UVA law (which is very hard to do). So, I guess bottom line is that unless you go to a top of the line Ivy school, going to an honors college or top public really won’t boost your chances at grad school because there are so many applicants from prestigious programs. I regret having invested so heavily in my undergrad, as its now hard to keep on my original timeline for grad school, and it limits my options financially. I would honestly say that the best thing you could do if you want to get to grad school is to get in and out of a decent but cheap undergrad as quickly as possible and with good grades and save that extra potential debt for a top of the line grad program.</p>
<p>thank you very much, i just have a hard time in going to a lesser ranked school just in case i decide for whatever reason to not go to grad school (maybe not right away)</p>
<p>What state are you from? </p>
<p>I mean, your best state school should be pretty good unless you live in like Alabama, or North Dakota.</p>
<p>i live in jersey, so the best state school is rutgers</p>
<p>Ya, Jersey’s a weird state in the north east because all of the neighboring states have great public options. That being said, Rutgers is still a really good school (top 60 i think), and they would likely give you scholarship money if you are at the upper end of their accepted class. </p>
<p>Getting a 3.8 from Rutgers will carry the same weight as getting a 3.8 from Michigan or a 3.8 from Emory, so unless you really don’t want to go to Rutgers, I would honestly consider it your best option, just because you want to go to a good grad school and that costs money. If you’re looking to go into the business world for a little while, Rutgers has a strong alumni network, so getting a job in your desired field won’t be too difficult, especially if you’re near the top of your class. </p>
<p>Best bet, get in and out of undergrad quickly and cheaply, then go for the prestigious grad school.</p>
<p>As an engineer you will be studying one of the most standardized college majors there is. Engineering programs are acredited by ABET, so you take the same general classes no matter where you go (although of course at a top school they are going challenge you more than at other schools). Do reasonably well in your courses, get involved in research, get to know some profs, and you’ll be fine just about school that has decent admission standards (eg. required more than a pulse to get in).</p>
<p>If you’re thinking about entering the workforce after undergrad for a while (or permanently) then you should find out what companies recruit at the school. That’s a great indication of what industry thinks about the school; if you don’t see many of the higher regarded employers visiting it could be because the school is a trek to get to, or because its not that highly regarded. In either case, more research is called for.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your replies. Schreyers students seem to be recruited higghly by employers from top companies, however that is what the school said, so I was wondering if anyone else had personal experience or friends who knew about it.</p>