<p>I received my acceptance letter to Purdue (engineering) yesturday, and I got into San Jose State University (Computer Engineering) about a month ago. I told my friends and family that I think I am going to go to San Jose State University instead of Purdue and most of them just gave me "that look" (except my mom, who gave a sigh of relief that I am staying close to home ;)).</p>
<p>I tried explaining that SJSU has the 5th best undergrad CompE program for Universities that offer BS/MS only (according to US NWR), and that its located in the heart of Silicon Valley. I think that its location will help me get the kind of job I am looking, and after all thats the main reason we go to college.</p>
<p>I really don't know. What do you guys think? Am I still sane?</p>
<p>Here's a quick pro vs con thing I got going on in my head</p>
<p>SJSU pro:
Cheap instate tuition
About 3 1/2 hours from home
Good, solid education
Located in the heart of a huge name in computers and technology
Great job placement after graduation
Typical big city social scene</p>
<p>SJSU con:
Not much name recognition
Due to the big city, not as much campus life
In the middle of downtown in a very expensive city</p>
<p>Purdue pro:
Great education
Great name recognition
Much cheaper cost of living
Bigger/better campus life</p>
<p>Purdue con:
Costly OOS tuition
Very far from home
Town is in the middle of corn fields
Unsure about job opportunities after schooling</p>
<p>I don't think your nuts at all! Purdue is a good school, but it's not perfect (no schools are!). If you successfully graduate with a Comp Eng degree you'll be all set - no matter where you got it from. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Sounds like a very wise decision to me. You will get a great education at SJSU, especially in your field. Plus, San Jose is a great city, the bay area is a great place, SF is only an hour away and SJSU has fabulous alums -- like me.</p>
<p>I dont see any advantage to your going to Purdue.</p>
<p>Well, kudos for creating a pro and con list. You've answered your own questions pretty well. You've found what fits you. </p>
<p>The problem is someone will always tell you "you should be XYZ university because you're so talented." What they're really saying "if I was as smart as you I would go .." However, it's easy to make that statement when you aren't faced with the decision. </p>
<p>I think you laid it out for you. That's what you want, the best for you.</p>
<p>We were bombarded with "you should go to an Ivy or standford" all the time. The problem for us was neither kid had any interest in doing the IVY or Stanford. We believe it's what you bring to the table in the equation that matters. So go where you'll be happy, because if you're happy with the place your at, you'll do better work. </p>
<p>I'm not very familiar with the schools, but you've obviously thought through your options and have convincing reasons for choosing SJSU. It sounds like you're making the right decision.</p>
<p>I think you are doing the right thing. Computer industry is probably less concerned about prestige anyway. My friend is in IT and his degree wasn't even in comp sci/engg but in chemE. As long as you are talented in code writing, many people don't really care even if you don't have a degree.</p>
<p>Hi Ratroll. I actually live in San Jose and am a computer tutor at my community college (which has one of the highest rates of SJSU transfers). While I do think your decision is well thought out, I do want to point out something about SJSU that you should take into consideration.</p>
<p>I don't know about computer engineering (and it seems that you've done enough research to know that it's a solid program at SJSU), but as far as computer science goes, it is not a good field to get into at SJSU. Many, many people I know are attending community college again to earn a second bachelor's because they were laid off in that industry. Computer engineering and computer science, however, are two separate disciplines...so saying this may be pointless. But I just wanted to point that out for you to take into consideration anyway (giving you the info that I do have)!</p>
<p>Other than that, I've met brilliant people who go to SJSU. Like you mentioned, it's in the heart of the Sillicon Valley, tuition will be way less expensive, and the campus is large and well-established (which should be no surprise, since it was the first CSU established). </p>
<p>I actually know people who were accepted into Berkeley but chose to go to SJSU instead for various reasons--they never regretted it. When it comes down to it, it's all about your personal taste and goals. Good luck!</p>
<p>i own a software development firm in California working primarily in the valley and Europe, and no one cares where i went to college, what they care about is what my firm and i can do for them, today! A hi-tech management consultant friend from Boston (who works primarily in the valley) tells me the further east you go the more important your college and family background becomes.</p>
<p>It's like the story (this was published in the Boston Herald) of an executive in Chicago asking his friend who lives in Boston for a reference on a young new applicant who is also from Boston. The friend lists out the young mans family attributes, his family’s accomplishments, his class ranking at Harvard, his club memberships, his family connections, etc. The guy in Chicago writes back, "hey, I just want to know if he can do the job, I don't want to breed him!"</p>
<p>Btw: my friend is one of the best management consultants I’ve seen, he blows away a lot of the guys we’ve worked with from the big name consultancies, and makes a little more than 1 mil a year in fees (income) for himself. He is at the top of his game in a highly competitive and super smart industry. He provides huge value to his clients. Guess where he went to college? He didn’t.</p>
<p>ratroll, my comment about my buddy from Boston doesn't mean I don't think you should go to college, definately go to college! pick the one that best fits your needs and you'll have the time of your life! also put off work as long as you can, there's a reason it's called work:)</p>
<p>btw: there are not that many people who have the brilliance and drive to drop out of college or not go out all and still become highly sucessful, although the hi-tech industry I think has more cases of it than other industries.</p>
<p>
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I think that its location will help me get the kind of job I am looking, and after all thats the main reason we go to college.
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wrong. Employers are looking for good workers, and spending a few thousand to relocate someone from anywhere in the US is a drop in the bucket compared to both their overall cost and what a top worker contributes compared to a mediocre one. Even for internships and coops they recruit nationally; I have seen several people from Cornell (about as far away from SJ as you can get) working for hi-tech firms over the summer and in coop jobs.</p>
<p>There are so many things I disagree with in your post, I'm not sure how many I have the energy to type in. </p>
<p>Lets take your depiction of San Jose as "typical big city". Wrong again, if you mean to compare it to SF, NYC, Boston, etc. San Jose is dead at night, and years of revitalization efforts have only made a small dent. Look at the rows of empty shops along the light rail line downtown, the lack of a night life, etc, and tell me what city it resembles.</p>
<p>As for your choosing a school based on your perceived strength in your major (if US News says it, then it must be true -- NOT). For one, odds are decent that if we look at a group of you and 9 other people majoring in CS or engineering, most of them will change majors. Pick a school you'd want to attend even if you decided to change majors.
[quote]
the majority of engineering undergrads drop out or flunk out of the curriculum within the first two years. With a few notable exceptions, U.S. engineering schools typically have attrition rates hovering between one-half and two-thirds.
<a href="http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=45200041%5B/url%5D%5B/quote%5D">http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=45200041
<p>Personally, I believe you should go to the best school possible with respects to relative cost and best fit. Most people change majors, in fact, I know about at least 40-60% of people who came into the college as science/engineering majors switch something completely different (ie Poli sci, economics, etc)</p>