<p>I have a question about prestige that's been asked multiple times, but since every situation is a little different, I figured I should ask this. </p>
<p>I applied to 6 schools for an MS in Mechanical Engineering: Georgia Tech, UIUC, Purdue, UCLA, UCSD, and UCI. I'm still waiting for UCSD and Purdue, and have been accepted into the rest. I'm planning on specializing in the thermal fluids (specifically in combustion, propulsion stuff)</p>
<p>I got accepted to UCI with a lot of benefits: full tuition, a stipend, and an opportunity to work in a well known lab doing combustion research with a really legit professor. Apparently this lab has good connections with GE, Pratt and Whitney, Siemens, etc. They also let me change my status to an MS/PhD student, so I can pursue a PhD in the future if I want to. And the lab community is pretty friendly and awesome. </p>
<p>But...I also got into "highly ranked" schools like GT, UCLA, and UIUC. I don't believe these schools will offer me any financial assistance, but I am pretty interested in the research at GT and would be interested in research with Purdue too (but I have to hear back from them). </p>
<p>My main purpose in going to grad school is to learn more and gain more experience, so it is very important that my education gives me a good foundation in engineering. I definitely don't want to go into teaching, but I know some hands on experience would be really good for my future. I also don't know if I'm putting too much emphasis on research (I don't know if I want to pursue a doctorate). There are plenty of grad students that do the non-thesis option, so I would like to hear your opinions on that, and how that affects the job search or applying for a PhD in the future. </p>
<p>Now, I don't want to go to UCI just because of convenience. I also don't mind working a little harder to find a research advisor and perhaps taking out loans to go to these other schools. But I really don't know what to do. Is the prestige of a school THAT important? If these higher ranked schools have a more challenging curriculum, I don't mind that at all. In fact, I kind of prefer it. Is it a "waste" to turn down GT and UIUC? </p>
<p>Please advise!</p>