<p>What are the major differences between going to a highly ranked state school and private school in engineering. Ex. Carnegie Mellon vs. Umich.</p>
<p>And among state school, what difference is there between a prestigous program and a not-so-known program. Is the difference worth the extra tuition? Ex. Umich vs. Ohio State.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance</p>
<p>Because we discuss these issues every week…</p>
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<p>It will depend on the schools, but usually private schools are smaller, have smaller classes, have higher tuition, and give better aid. State schools are bigger, have more majors, and are cheaper. State schools tend to be more research-driven rather than teaching driving, so there is usually more on-campus research and more opportunity for undergraduate research. Since private schools are more teaching-driven, you’ll usually get more individual time with instructors and more one-on-one counseling.</p>
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<p>Better programs provide better education and attract better employers.</p>
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That depends on what you want to do. If you want to design traffic flow for a small town, it doesn’t matter where you go. If you want to work as an analyst for an investment bank, you’ll only get interviews if you went to Michigan.</p>
<p>If you plan to work as an engineer and have to pay for school, I don’t know why anyone would want to go to a private school.</p>
<p>I vote for a state university.</p>
<p>I mean, Work = Force x Displacement cos (theta) in a private school and in a state school. I don’t see why one should spend around $50,000 instead of like $20,000.</p>
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<p>What if you want an engineering job or want to go to grad school?</p>
<p>We do seem to get these type of questions every week. I know some message boards really get on folks for not conducting a “topic search” on existing threads, but anyhoo…</p>
<p>Out of my 20 years in Engineering and I.T., this is what “I” have witnessed.</p>
<p>1) Where you went to school matters MORE if you are a fresh college grad.</p>
<p>2) Where you went to school matters LESS as you obtain more professional experience</p>
<p>3) Staying on the “cutting edge” and/or with the most in-demand technologies is what will allow you to STAY employed regardless of school or experience.</p>
<p>4) You will need very good grades to get into good grad schools if you do not have much experience.</p>
<p>5) If you have some years of good experience and a grad school allows you to take the first 2 or 3 grad courses of a program in “non-degree” or “provisional” status and you ace the courses…you still can get into grad school without a high UGGPA.</p>
<p>Background on myself…</p>
<p>I have a B.S. in Computational Mathematics from Michigan State…a state school not even ranked in the Top 50 (math or cs programs). I went to grad school at Univ of Wisconsin (ranked 15/16 in engineering) and grabbed a very broad M.S. Engineering. What REALLY keeps me employed?..the ability to keep up in trends with relational database systems (Oracle & SQL Server) and data warehousing.</p>
<p>IMHO I think that State schools are probably best for engineering because of all the funding and research that they receive. Just look at the top schools for engineering, most of them (sans Caltech and MIT) are public schools that are absolutely amazing for engineering…</p>
<p>I don’t think there will be ‘major’ differences for Mich vs. CMU or Mich vs. OSU. </p>
<p>How many people regret the alma matter they chose? Are these people that turned down expensive privates or people that turned down flagship state schools? Other factors are more important, what you yourself make of your time in college. </p>
<p>I’ve never met someone at my school that felt they didn’t get the big opportunities because they didn’t attend a prestigious private; those that work hard get terrific opportunities, those that don’t have only themselves to blame. There will be differences, but people are over exaggerating them.</p>
<p>imho, if you went to Ohio State you’d be pat yourself on the back that you didn’t go somewhere else…same goes if you went to Carnegie or Michigan. Why is this? because college is freaking awesome, your peers are smart, your professors are inspiring, and future opportunities are great if you make the commitment…pride, not regret, will result; i promise so long as it’s a school of the caliber you’ve listed it’s all on you. </p>
<p>by the way, bragging rights count for something : ) I’ve never been to a game here but that’s a big part of the experience, especially at mich and OSU</p>
<p>What about the non-top state schools?</p>
<p>But which look really good in terms of getting a lot of money for research?</p>
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<p>If were simply an issue of state costing x and private costing 3x, I would agree. However, financial aid is a wildcard and can make private education more affordable.</p>
<p>I mean state univs that aren’t globally known but get lots of grants for research. How do they compare with private univs?</p>
<p>Give me an example</p>
<p>Hi GP Burdell!</p>
<p>Montana state university.</p>
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<p>It was actually cheaper for me to go to CMU than it was for my brother to attend the University of Pittsburgh. And we’re from Pennsylvania!</p>
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<p>Hi. So you want to compare Montana State to which private schools? Or do you want to compare Montana State in general to private teaching colleges (schools with little to no research - say Carroll College in Helena)</p>
<p>I think he was saying Montana State University is a little-known college that has a relatively large research budget. I think that’s an accurate description.</p>
<p>As a Montana State University graduate who now works as a flight test engineer, I can say that I did fine with a degree from there. I didn’t do research as an undergrad and had a rough couple years right out of school, but I blame that on the economy rather than the college.</p>
<p>So is there any disadvantage of going to MSU rather than a private school, like say CMU?</p>
<p>@GP Burdell: Umm, I think in general to private schools…</p>
<p>Like I said, I have a cool job (flight test engineer) so I don’t think there is a disadvantage. Your mileage may vary.</p>
<p>Thanks Bigtrees, that is great to know!</p>
<p>I think one of the main differences is usually the companies that come to career fairs, the notoriety of your professors, and the other students that will be attending the school. If you want to stay in the region, a place that attracts employers from all over the country might not be preferred (I remember very few Pittsburgh companies recruiting at CMU, actually). Just because your professors may be more well known for their research doesn’t mean they’re going to be better at teaching. And different types of student bodies attract different people. CMU had a lot of very dedicated people that didn’t mind putting 10-12 hours into each assignment every week. That kind of environment may or may not be for you.</p>