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<p>so true my friend.</p>
<p>^ No that isn’t true. At least not universally. After you have your first job, then people rarely care where you went to school. What about getting that first job, though? People do care. Your ceiling for that first job is generally higher when you are coming out of a “top” program as judged by the companies in question. You aren’t likely going to get that job at Google or Intel right off the bat out of No Name U. if those companies haven’t already judged that school’s program of being of high quality.</p>
<p>Go to a school that gives you the opportunity to get the job you want. The chocolate you go to DOES partially help determine that for your initial job. If the job you want is the East Oklahoma Bread Factory, then your options are pretty wide open. If your goal is Google, you ought to be shooting for the CMUs and the UIUCs and the Stanfords of the world. It’s all about finding the school that will get you where YOU want to go for the best value.</p>
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<p>Ooh,what if you can’t go to Stanford because they destroy your chances because of their tuition??
I am feeling that good education is for rich people too and it doesn’t matter how smart/hardworking you are.!!!</p>
<p>Stanford covers unmet need. Below a certain family income, it is free. </p>
<p>The trick there isn’t the money, it’s getting in in the first place. They have so many fully qualified applicants that the difference between those who get in and those who don’t is, in most cases, simply luck.</p>
<p>M</p>
<p>I think the nature of work you do in your first job is more important than the company you work for. Getting a job at Google, Intel or Microsoft doesn’t necessarily mean you get to do exciting/interesting work. I have seen many who are stuck at places Microsoft and Intel doing paper pushing job (aka program management) after playing second fiddle during their initial years.</p>
<p>Oh I certainly agree with you there, UWHuskyDad. Awesome companies don’t always lead to awesome jobs, but if your goal is to get in with those kinds of companies, it will typically take a few extra steps if you come from a program where they don’t actively recruit.</p>
<p>My son will graduate from Cornell in May with a BS CHEME. I am absolutely elated with the quality of education my son has received. The CHEME department requires undergrads to take at least two CHEME graduate level classes. He has taken three and has greatly benefited from these classes as well as his UG classes… His most challenging period at Cornell was his sophomore and 1st semester of his junior year. This was mostly due to him taking classes without the appropriate prerequisites. This I believe has made him extremely strong technically. </p>
<p>He received an excellent offer from his dream company after his internship last summer. </p>
<p>The icing on the cake for our family is that Cornells financial aid was very generous. Please note that Cornell has a matching incentive as noted below:</p>
<p>Award Match Initiative
To improve Cornells competitiveness in recruiting and enrolling undergraduate students, Cornell will commit to increasing grant aid by matching the family contribution components and lower loan level of financial aid offers from other Ivy schools. We will also strive to match the family contribution components and lower loan levels of financial aid offers from Stanford, Duke, and MIT.</p>
<p>S just brought the award match to our attention. He did RD at Stanford and Duke. He did a week summer program at MIT and didn’t like the feel. We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst!</p>
<p>If your son is accepted to Duke, Stanford, or MIT I would strongly recommend attending the special programs for accepted students at each of these schools. At Cornell we were able to talk with the FA staff, meet with Cornell students during lunch (2 hours but only allotted 45 minutes), attend a class, spent the night in a dorm room, and met with faculty. Good luck!</p>
<p>sorry to hijack this thread. does anyone know when these special programs for admitted student are typically scheduled? we are only able to visit during 1st and 2nd week of April. we have to commit by May 1.</p>
<p>You should contact the admissions office. These programs are generally held the 1st and 2nd week of April.</p>
<p>FWIW, I currently have two sons majoring in Engineering; one at Cornell and one at Northeastern. Both have had great summer internships. My sophomore son at NU is currently interviewing for his first of three coops. I can tell you this: there are many awesome companies that hire NU students for Co-op - Goldman Sachs, State Street, GE, P&G, J&J, MIT Lincoln Lab, Raytheon, EMC, etc. He has an interview with Intel next week. They are indeed two totally different schools, but both excellent programs. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. :}</p>
<p>" After you have your first job, then people rarely care where you went to school. What about getting that first job, though? People do care. " - True.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that NEU engineering grads have typically had THREE six month co-ops before graduation. Some go on to work at one of the co-op programs, and others to elsewhere. NEU is not Cornell or MIT… but it has good programs (especially if in Honors). If job placement is the goal, then it should stay on your list.</p>
<p>@texaspg, page 3:</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s probably more doable than I imagine. I’m considered an independent adult but can live with my parents for free if I stick around, and GA has some good programs like the Hope scholarship, along with my Pell money and a few other things I’ve gotten going here, which make it plausible to graduate debt-free. If I can transfer to a school more like what I want (really Berkeley is the dream school for a hippie like me, not many others I’m excited by more than GT), I will certainly be tempted, but I doubt I will be as well-off money-wise there…I’m putting my debt threshold around $10K (for two years). We’ll see what happens, if I can get in at all. Thanks.</p>