<p>I am a senior currently living in the Silicon Valley and my dream is to work for one of the big tech companies here (Apple, Google, Facebook, ect). I'm planning to major in computer science and then get a MBA. During my college searches I have found Rice University to be my favorite, you could say its my dream school. I went to Discover Rice and had an interview. I love everything about it, except its location. By going there would I be greatly hindering my chances to find the job I want in the SV?</p>
<p>I know its silly that I'm already living in SV so I should just look at colleges here but Rice really does seem like the perfect school for me. I'm just worried about networking and being able to find a job back in California. I can't see myself actually living and working in Texas. I know that students that go to colleges here have alot more alumni connections to these big companies, so I was wondering will I really be hindering my chances by going to Rice?</p>
<p>My DS, Rice 2008, works for one of the companies you list, and lives/works in SV. Oh, and one of the guys who interviewed him before he was hired, who has worked for 2 of the companies you mentioned, is also a Rice grad. So… relax. :)</p>
<p>I think Google had something like 10 interns of various ages from Rice this past summer. Mostly CS, with maybe a couple ELEC and other. That’s just an example. All of the big SV tech companies recruit on-site at Rice, with the exception of Apple I think. </p>
<p>I’m assuming you’re an intended CS major, so I want to give you some advice that I think applies anywhere and will be helpful. A lot of people come in intent on getting a post-freshman internship at an awesome famous company because they know people who did. You may be really smart and really talented, but focus on working /anywhere/ for your first summer and don’t just hone in on the big ones. There are tons of awesome companies doing tons of fun things where you will learn so much. I have a friend who did Google’s EP program (for freshmen and sophomores without much experience), but no one I know who got a real internship at a big name company did that as their first internship. Also start really early, like when school starts. Good luck!</p>
<p>While I didn’t work for one of the big SV companies, I was able to get in on a SV startup for an internship (company was red hot and raking in VC funding). The Rice degree is known to those that need to know, regardless of location.</p>
<p>Stanford/Cal may have a slight edge in terms of connections, but you should be able to get through from Rice as well. Go where you feel like you will enjoy it the most and make the most of the opportunities there.</p>
<p>Also, having just been to homecoming this past weekend, there are a lot more people on the west coast in SV than I previously thought. Stanford GSB seems to be a pretty popular destination as well.</p>