<p>This I do not agree with. You are basically saying here that if you don’t hold an engineering degree at a “top” university then you will remain mediocre, what an absurd prediction. The OP is looking at UNDERGRAD schools, and I can assure you that your UNDERGRAD school is not going to define your life (your GRAD school will not either). Yes, one school may help give you a head start for your initial job, but then it all goes off of your experience in the actual workforce. I was telling my dad about how a kid at my school was going on about how great Purdue was and how it’s one of the best engineering schools in the country and that he is going there, my dad (who is a working engineer) responded “just wait until he finds out that nobody really cares a hell of a lot where you go to undergrad”. For the OP to go into 120K debt upon graduation to go to a top ranked school is ridiculous. </p>
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<p>This I do agree with. It is not the college that makes the person, it is what the person makes of the college that makes the person.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to go to Texas A&M. It is still a very well-regarded engineering school and you won’t be broke when you graduate (at least not as much). I also looked at UIUC, but ultimately turned them down and I’m in-state too. I wasn’t about to fork over 30K a year to go there when I could only be spending 8,500 a year (not even including work study). Good luck with your decision, but as a provost of a local college told my parents: “Go with the money”.</p>
<p>This has been so very interesting. Our DD has been accepted to UIUC Engineering, Purdue, Rose-Hulman, Iowa State, Baylor, and Alabama. Great scholarships at each school, full tuition at three. From the start, rankings held no interest for her. She wasn’t ieven interested in applying to some of the more prestigious schools after visiting. She didn’t buy the hype. She wanted a good quality of life in college because she knew she would be working very hard wherever she landed. She wanted to see smart, happy kids. She’s chosen Iowa State where the program, people, campus, residence halls, food, and fun factor all seem to fall in line. And now, I have had various college recruiters, professors, and counselors tell me to “go with the money” as well.</p>
<p>that is going a bit far. engineering gigs in large companies usually aren’t that picky, and will hire from almost any reputable engineering school. people from UTexas, Umass, MIT, and RPI can all be seen working as equals.</p>
<p>however, there ARE tracks that are prestige-obsessed that will be generally closed off from lower-ranked schools:</p>
<h1>1. top u-grad – elite business experience – top mba –> corporation leadership. this can be a “fast track” to the top, as you will gain both the skills and the network to succeed. going to an elite undergrad is often a necessary (but not sufficient) step on this path.</h1>
<h1>2. top u-grad – meet crazy smart/business saavy co-founders – start company. you are going to find more ambitious and well-connected people at the top schools, which provide a better “mixing environment” for startup scenes. Schools like Stanford and MIT have a major advantage in this regard.</h1>
<p>now if those paths don’t interest you, and you are happy being yet another dilbert or even pointy-haired-boss working for northrop grunman, then school doesn’t matter at all. in fact, if you go to MIT or Stanford and end up like that, you kinda wasted your money.</p>
<p>but if you are shooting for the cover of forbes, top school could come into play. </p>
<p>grad school kind of works like large companies. if you are excellent, you will be able to be admitted to great PhD programs (or MS) from MANY undergraduate institutions.</p>
<p>"Iowa State continues to enroll more Iowa National Merit Scholars than any other university in the country. Eligible Iowa residents may qualify for a full tuition scholarship over the course of four years (eight semesters) if they are named National Merit Scholars.</p>
<p>Students from states outside of Iowa who are involved in the National Merit Scholarship competition may be eligible for a variety of scholarship opportunities at Iowa State.</p>
<p>To become eligible, students must complete all of the following:</p>
<p>•Complete the Preliminary SAT®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
•Be named a National Merit Semifinalist.
•Apply and be offered admission to Iowa State University.
•Notify the National Merit Scholarship Corporation that Iowa State University is your “first choice college.”
•Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
•Become a National Merit Finalist.
Specific scholarship guidelines concerning the National Merit Scholarship Program are provided on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s homepage.</p>
<p>When you have questions about the National Merit Scholarship Program at Iowa State, please contact Jaclyn Tungesvik at 800 262-3810, extension 1363 or via e-mail at <a href=“mailto:jaclynt@iastate.edu”>jaclynt@iastate.edu</a>."</p>
<p>I went to Iowa State with my best friend and several high school classmates–before there was electricity. I rarely saw any of them. You can blend in to the university and make many new friends. Being a student will be different from being a local resident. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Where you go to school matters. Your school’s name will follow you in job search, social status, and career path. Others who just got into no name schools are posting here to make them feel better about themselves by misleading you to go to same school as they did or base the reasoning on just because my son/daughter is going there.</p>
<p>Gatech and UIUC is best choice in your list. But if you feel you don’t want to take out huge loan, choose Texas A&M. I never heard iowa state engineer program and I am sure there’s reason behind it.</p>
<p>^^Whenever I say I haven’t heard of something, I always add, “But that doesn’t mean much.” I am assuming that you are a high school student CSmajor5. Here is a tiny bit of information about Iowa State’s 150-year-old engineering school, again from it’s Web site:</p>
<p>"150 Years of Engineering at Iowa State</p>
<p>Built in 1897, the water tower was first elevated steel tank west of the Mississippi.When the Iowa Legislature chartered the Iowa Agricultural College in 1858, two curricula—agriculture and mechanic arts—were established. From the mechanic arts curriculum, several branches of engineering quickly developed. Iowa State’s first graduation class in 1872 included four civil and two mechanical engineers.</p>
<p>Today, with 4,600 undergraduates in eight departments, the College of Engineering is one of the 10 largest undergraduate engineering programs in the nation. In addition, more than 900 graduate students are working toward MS and PhD degrees.</p>
<p>The college receives high marks for quality and international impact. The 2007 U.S. News and World Report ranked the agricultural and biosystems engineering program 2nd in the nation and the chemical and biological engineering program 23rd. Iowa State’s overall engineering program was ranked 37th among programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and it is tied for 22nd among public university engineering programs. </p>
<p>As part of the first land-grant university in the nation, the College of Engineering has a rich heritage of discovering and sharing new knowledge and developing cutting-edge technologies to make Iowa and the world a better place to live. The college ranks 2nd nationally in R&D100 research and development awards, 5th nationally in patents awarded, and 12th nationally in start-up companies launched from its research.</p>
<p>As the pace of discovery quickens, the need for leadership in research, education, and government also increases. Iowa State has an envious record of graduating leaders who have gone on to serve as CEOs of innovative companies such as Lockheed Martin, Silicon Graphics, Texas Instruments, 3M, Rockwell Collins, and Monsanto."</p>
<p>I assume that you have heard of 3M and Texas Instruments. Iowans in general are not known to blow their own horns too much.</p>
<p>“Where you go to school matters. Your school’s name will follow you in job search, social status, and career path. Others who just got into no name schools are posting here to make them feel better about themselves by misleading you to go to same school as they did or base the reasoning on just because my son/daughter is going there.”</p>
<p>You are entitled to believe what you want to believe. Hopefully CC is still up and running so you can post how the industries and the corporate world actually works after you have some years in the workforce.</p>
<p>You do a disservice to GT my friend, and while it’s a waste of my time to even say anything else to you I’d like to put a few things in perspective.</p>
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<li><p>You’re abrasive, and this alone has put you in a position where nearly every person who’s posted on CC in the last week has had advice for you that you should seriously consider taking. Business, like everything else in life is built around people, and you don’t have even the slightest clue about working with them, giving constructive advice, or even just coexisting. </p></li>
<li><p>You’re misinformed, even I know Iowa State is a good engineering school – and I wouldn’t call myself an expert in this stuff.</p></li>
<li><p>Last but not least, people like you (undistinguished, un-liked, condescending, abrasive, misinformed, etc…) have been and will always be unsuccessful and mediocre. No degree, however prestigious, can change this. You should start getting used to the idea of working for someone like me, we’ll get you a nice place set up in the basement where you can crunch numbers - that’s about as far as you’ll ever get at this rate.</p></li>
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<p>Purduefrank, for someone who regret going to his own school and massing up 60k debt from Purdue with no job after school, I have no reason to listen to your reasons and advices. You didn’t try hard enough in high school and end up in under rated engineer school. Why don’t you leave the forum and stop misinforming student to go lesser prominent schools which will harm them from getting the job in the future. </p>
<p>GLOBALTRAVELER you can claim about where you go to school don’t matter but like BostonEng said, where you go to school matters in life. Your degree and GPA will follow you everwhere you go. I wonder when you switch job from your current position to another, you will have to submit your resume with what school you got degree with GPA and experience on it.</p>
<p>I will listen to advice of someone who have succeed in his/her life not some random idiots who ■■■■■■ in forum just because his school is offended by a guy who compared the schools with ranking and facts. Purduefrank grow up and stop giving CC a multiple choice question to jump off the cliff.</p>
<p>“GLOBALTRAVELER you can claim about where you go to school don’t matter but like BostonEng said, where you go to school matters in life. Your degree and GPA will follow you everwhere you go.”</p>
<p>I have been in I.T./engineering for 20 years. I have not heard one recruiter mention “GPA” in at least the last 16 years. I have not even filled the GPA column on an application in over 16 years. In the defense/INTEL world, they ask if your security clearance is current and that’s about it for senior positions. Oh…and do I know Oracle/SQL Server?</p>
<p>Like I said, you are entitled to your opinion, but after you have worked in the industry for years, come back and update us.</p>
<p>Now “success” is relative. Now if you want to know a thing or two about the DC area…you can look up Fairfax County (VA), Montgomery County (MD) and Howard County (where I live). Better yet, just do a quick search on Dice or Monster and type in “TS/SCI” and “systems engineer” or “database engineer” and read the results. Maybe you can get a visitor’s pass and interview with one of the U-Maryland, JHU or U-Virginia grads here.</p>
<p>"Whether you like it or not, most of the principal engineer holds degree from top engineer school. You live life once. Why don’t you give yourself a chance to shine instead of remaining mediocre. "</p>
<p>I will have to back up Global Traveler in this. I have 8 years experience in the industry and I will tell you after 2-3 years out there in the field the employers only care that you have degree not where you got it from. It’s funny that people have no clue what they talking about. I had 2 Principal Engineers in one of my previous jobs, guess what one of them had a MS in Electrical Engineer from Georgia Tech and the other a MS in Information Technology from Strayer Univerity (Online) they both had the same jobs and same salary.
Don’t cry for injustice when you graduate from MIT and your boss have an MBA from Phoenix Online, it happens all the time.</p>
<p>I would consider a $30k loan for four years of school, but not for one. Really, even for a subsidized loan, I wouldn’t take out more than I could pay off in a year or two of working. If you plan on making ~$60k with a BS, that’s a max of $60k if you save $30k for taxes, savings, and living expenses, which probably is a pretty mean life for a couple of years.</p>
<p>Now if you can make a substantial down-payment now and take out a loan for less, that’s an option. But I would be very wary of taking out big loans, particularly before you have high-paying jobs in hand.</p>
<p>Now, what you could do is work while in school. Tutoring is a good way for a smart person to make money. I used to make about $500/mo just private tutoring at $20/hr - $30/hr. That may not seem like a lot (it’s not) but I wasn’t working all the time, and I had other jobs getting more money than that. I could have realistically been making $1,000 a month working ten hours per week, and you probably could too.</p>
<p>( And there are lots of other jobs as well. )</p>
Your alma mater is helpful in terms of connections, but experience trumps everything. Nobody will care about your GPA; you can have a 2.0 in college and someone will hire you if you have a track record for getting things done in your previous jobs.</p>
<p>If you really did get into all the schools you claim, it’s a mystery how. Literally, you’re to thick to understand the point of the post you just misconstrued. </p>
<p>As far as regrets go, it’s more about passing on information I would’ve liked to know when I decided to take out the loans. </p>
<p>As far as having no job after school, like I said, you’re thick. I’ve had more interviews and offers than you or, quite literally, anyone else I know. </p>
<p>As far as not trying hard in high school, you’re right – I played sports and got laid, I don’t regret it.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to say that there aren’t some areas that become very competitive and so school ranking comes into play. But I have always been informed that if you go to graduate school, that is the school that is going to matter. I really don’t see why only your undergrad school will correlate to your success if you plan to attend graduate school, but I could be naive on this manner (I really just don’t know).</p>
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<p>You seem like one of those people who has been severely misinformed and is trying to justify being in large amounts of debt to go to some of the “top” ranked schools. As stated by people above who have been in the industry for many years, after 2-3 years working the companies will care more about that experience than where you got your degree from.</p>
<p>I don’t see myself as someone that’s going to be getting new jobs often. If I stay for a very long time with my initial job, then my undergraduate school will be making a difference in my life for a while. But it does make sense that your schooling looses value over time.</p>
<p>Coolbrezze, sorry, no. The cost of attendance is $45,952. My family would have to pay $42,291. Part of the financial award given is $3,000 work study, but I did not include that in what my family would have to pay. I probably should have put a minus sign instead.</p>
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<p>In the same vein as what I said before, I don’t think I could do contract work, but those numbers are reassuring. </p>
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<p>It does sound like how someone does depends on the person. However, I don’t think I could have been like your brother no matter where I went to school. I can work hard (in my biased opinion), but I don’t think I’ll be able to network well. I just have the impression that I’d be more likely to network at least a little at a more well-known school. </p>
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<p>Thank you for mentioning that. I had not heard of these benefits of a top undergrad school. They do not interest me, so I am more satisfied with not going to one of those expensive schools. </p>
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<p>I have found out that ISU offers fifty of those scholarships, and they have offered them out already. Three people have rejected. I think I might be too late for it now, but I won’t be deciding anything until I hear back from Texas A&M about a limited number of offers. How is being a student at ISU different from being a resident? I feel like I already experience parts of ISU through an ISU club that I’ve been involved with for six years, and ISU classes. Thanks.</p>
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<p>I was unaware of that. Thank you. Are non-security clearance jobs also like this? Is that a comment for me? I don’t understand why you brought up Washington D.C. and schools around there. </p>
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<p>Are you sure this happen a lot? Why do people go to highly ranked schools at all? </p>
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<p>I do have in-state tuition. It is $7,213 per year (3606.35 per semester). I wrote total cost of attendance because my parents don’t want me to live at home. AcessPlus tells me Room and board $7,472
Books and supplies $1,011
Personal expenses, transportation $3,440</p>
<p>AuburnMathTutor, what is a down-payment? I am hoping to work during school. I’m not very comfortable with the idea of tutoring, but I’m sure I’ll find something else. </p>
<p>Salve!, one of the problems here is that I don’t know if I will go to grad school. If I could plan for that now, my choice would have been a lot easier.</p>
<p>Thank you for all of your opinions. I feel better informed now, but I still have to consider some things before I can make my choice.</p>
<p>Well, I was more of responding to the CSMajor person. It’s early anyway to be thinking about graduate school. I would just say though that I personally see no reason for someone to be in even 50+K in debt upon graduation.</p>