Top vs state

<p>ok im a junior in CS at a local state school. I choose to come here because I could live here at home for free and the entire tution was cover by financial aid.
so its completley free even my books are covered.
what I was wondring was, does it really make a difference that I went to this school instead of say a more well know school.</p>

<p>Depends on what you want to do. </p>

<p>If you want to work for a highly prestigious employer, or attend a highly prestigious engineering graduate school, then I would say that it is probably better to go to a more well known school.</p>

<p>However, if you don't care about that, and you just want to get a regular engineering job, then I would probably take the state school and the money. The truth is, the graduates of the top engineering schools really don't make significantly more money than do the graduates of no-name engineering schools. For example, I posted before (and you can search for it ) that even the eng graduates from such lower-tier schools as Montana Tech and New Mexico Tech still make 50-55k a year to start, which is not substantially different than what the engineers coming out of Berkeley and Stanford make, despite the fact that Berkeley and Stanford engineers tend to work in Silicon Valley, which is an extraordinarily expensive place to live.</p>

<p>Remember that your destiny is not set in stone based on what college you attend. People can, and do, go from no-name-state-U into top engineering graduate schools. It might happen directly from college, if you are so inclined and have performed at the top of your current school. It might happen after some time in the work force. It also might happen, as sakky has said, that you have all the success you seek with your local state U degree alone.</p>

<p>My H went to a relatively no-name (at least at the time, maybe still) state school -his local - for EE. He later got his MSEE from a top-quality school. He loved every minute of his career in EE and doesn't feel his original school held him back in any way.</p>

<p>I am always impressed by a student whose decisions are sensible, as yours have been, rather than driven by prestige-mongering. </p>

<p>It is tiresome to read of students who disdain a school ranked "only" 31st in the nation. Don't be swayed by such things.</p>

<p>so what do you guys think would be better, gradude with my BS in 4 yrs and go to a state school, or spend an extra year with my undergrad, raise my GPA and try to go to a more well known school</p>

<p>anyone? i need advice please</p>