Miami, as I recall your D wanted to major in marine biology but you worked hard to talk her out of it. What if that had been her destiny???
" as I recall your D wanted to major in marine biology but you worked hard to talk her out of it." - at the age of 14, yes. Not as a college applicant. She should be at her destiny wheel when she was 14? I do not think so. I thought that we are talking about High Schoolers here. I did not realize that we are going back to the middle school. Sorry for that, I take my opinion back. My opinion is that at 5 y o you can influence them in regard to their priorities in life and at 14 you can influence them in regard to their future career. My opinion is also that you should let them decide what school to attend as long as it is affordable, which we never had to discuss at all.
Of course, the following engineering post-graduation situations could have different school-prestige effects (mainly major-specific prestige, rather than general prestige):
- PhD program admission.
- Engineering employment where earning PE license is not eventually needed.
- Engineering employment where earning PE license is eventually needed.
It is commonly said that the effects of school prestige tend to be less (particularly after significant work experience) in engineering than in other fields, though not necessarily zero in every case. Of course, engineering graduates who go into finance or consulting may see much different effects of school prestige than those who stay in engineering. So would those who apply to law, medical, or other non-engineering professional school.
Not everyone wants to work for an elitist, prestige-obsessed company or organization though, that’s the part some of you don’t get. Most aspiring engineers aren’t that narrow-minded.
And as someone who has worked in engineering for almost 10 years now I can tell you there are very few companies like this anyway. Grades and experience are the key determiners of where you will be able to work. Employers don’t care if school A produces graduates who are 2% smarter than graduates coming from school B, so long as graduates from school B are hard working, and have a satisfactory knowledge of the material. That is the practical reality of engineering.
Why does any of this matter? If you understand that grades and experience (and not prestige) are the key drivers to success in engineering, a whole world of schools open up to you… ones you may never have even considered before.
Heck, I want to go to that school!! Don’t you? 
“Lots of engineers in my family. They didn’t go to college to ski and pick up a degree on the side.”
My ex’s parents were both engineers. Family vacations were planned around the ski season in the Rocky Mountains, and his mother was still ski racing into her 70’s (I don’t recall what the program was called). While his dad refused to pay for a degree in music (which permanently damaged their relationship, btw), he was ok with paying for an engineering degree at a “lesser” college near some of the best skiing on the planet vs. MIT. Ex didn’t get his degree on the side, he skied during you know, breaks. And weekends.
Despite the “lesser” college, my ex has worked for some of the biggest names out there and chances are that you’ve used some of his code. And lest you think that today’s big companies care only about the brand name of the college, he has been kept on during mergers with those top companies even as other, “prestigious college” graduates have been let go. Sure, it’s only one person’s story, but as others have said, a lesser school can still lead to great things.
And yes, @HRSMom , it sounds like a fantastic location. All we had for weekend fun at my flagship was cow tipping.
Me too!!
I went to CU. No one was skiing and getting a degree on the side, especially engineers. Most of us skied a few times a year, usually planned well in advance because of time and money. Even a friend on the ski team was a full time student most of the year and got in a lot of skiing in 3 months of the year.
My nephew goes to CU now, in engineering. His girlfriend has a family home in Vail and I think they’ve gone 3-4 times this year, mostly over breaks. He’s a student first, skier way down the line. Most students can’t afford to go skiing every weekend at $100/day. Even with a discounted ticket you still have gas, parking, lunch. And time. Time is a big factor.
My brother went to CU and skiied 80 days one year. But he was not an engineering major. 