<p>I'm trying to decide on some colleges. Putting aside cost as a factor for now, which colleges out of the list to follow would be the best in terms of reputation. I'm going to pursue Air Force ROTC in college so I will have a job as soon as I graduate, so I'm concerned with how the college I go to now will look on my resume for employers after my time in the service. I'm majoring in mechanical engineering by the way,</p>
<p>University of Michigan
Boston University
Ohio State
UConn
Clemson University
Syracuse University
Virginia Tech
Penn State</p>
<p>Assuming I were to get into all of them and I had my pick... what do you think? Also if you have any colleges to add to the list suggestions are welcome!</p>
<p>I can tell you that Virginia Tech has a great reputation. You could be proud of a degree from there. I would caution you from serving in the Air Force, if your goal is engineering. Most military engineers oversee contractors and don’t do real engineering. Of course, if you want to design military equipment, you should be fine.</p>
<p>The best of these school for MechE is probably UMich, but each is a good school in its own right.</p>
<p>How things look on your resumé hardly matters. Employers aren’t going to be all that concerned about where you went to school but with how you did there and what skillsets you acquired thru internships and research, how you might fit in with the team, things of that nature. </p>
<p>You want to be sure that the program is accredited in MechE and that a sizable number of employers come to your campus or your town each year to recruit. Check in particular with the more isolated campuses of UConn, Clemson, VTech, and PSU, just to be sure. </p>
<p>Dismissing your costs is just plain dumb. Whether you pay 50K/yr or 30K/yr, the job is still going to only pay you what it pays you, a rate determined by the region in which you work. </p>
<p>I’d say UM probably is strongest in engineering but they are all fine schools. Unless you are certain of a full ROTC scholarship, don’t dismiss price as a factor worthy of consideration.</p>
<p>If you were looking for an entry level job in our area, Penn St or Virginia Tech would be highly favored - very highly. If you prefer to eventually live in a different region of the US, other schools could be more favored.</p>
<p>Once you’ve completed your AF duty, I’m not sure how much that would factor in as it would depend upon your engineering experience on the job.</p>
<p>As an aside, doing AFROTC at Virginia Tech is a vastly different experience than your other choices due to their Corps of Cadets. I, personally, loved it as did my NROTC - current owner of his own Civil Engineering firm - hubby.</p>