<p>I'm confused on where I'm heading to. I know I want to become an engineer, but I'm a bit concerned about the job search upon graduation.</p>
<p>Since you guys are hyping up on UC's, do any of you know why it is better to go to a UC? </p>
<p>I was thinking of going to Cal Poly SLO for Engineering, but it has a 33% acceptance rate. What if I don't get in?! And if I could just transfer to a UC through TAG I would do it.</p>
<p>If I do transfer to Cal poly, then my experiences will go up due to the hands-on activities that are incorporated with the learning facilities there.</p>
<p>Here is my concern: If I do end up at a UC, which is fine, but will quite hinder my experiential growth I will have a harder chance of finding a job. Here's my solution: I will try to find internships at school, but what are my chances? I don't know because I have never applied. </p>
<p>So, which is better? </p>
<p>Just ask me if you're unsure of what I'm saying. I haven't written something this long for months. Then I also couldn't get in English 1A this quarter! ahh!</p>
<p>I had a really encouraging post written out, and then my internet disconnected…</p>
<p>Here’s some of what I was trying to say:</p>
<p>I think prestige is overrated, and I’m a major prestige hoarder. </p>
<p>I don’t want to misadvise you on the particulars of your field and job market, so I’ll give you the advice that my physics professor tells his engineering students: Wherever you are, do well and success will follow. You shape your environment, not the other way around. Whether it’s Cal Poly SLO or whatever UC, make the most out of it.</p>
<p>My physics prof. went to Cal Poly Pomona. In terms of wisdom, I would put him over all of the the Fields medalists and Genius Award winners from the likes of MIT and CalTech I’ve seen or spoken to. </p>
<p>(I’m in the same position as you; not sure if I’m making sense but I’d be glad to clarify.)</p>
<p>Ever since I started college I leaned a little to job issues and whatnot, mainly because I work part time at a flea market. Very arduous work if you ask me, and quite frankly it have taught me quite a valuable lesson in life. </p>
<p>I did not mention that I’m trying to get my AA so I can get an internship at De Anza College for engineering. That’s how serious I am. </p>
<p>I honestly would not mind going to a state, but I’m not sure if I will get in Cal Poly. So, if I do end up at a UC, which is fine, then there’s so much to think about getting experiences.</p>
<p>See, the thing w/ prestige is that it may help you get that certain job, since it’s inherent in everyone. And Cal Poly has the prestige and the experiences. </p>
<p>Correction: Cal poly has a transfer rate of 13%</p>
<p>Er, do you have stats to show that prestige is a major factor? I’m consistently been told by professors (whom I’m inclined to believe, since they’ve been through the process for decades) that it isn’t. </p>
<p>You can get an Associates of Arts in Engineering? </p>
<p>You don’t have to convince me “That’s how serious I am.”, or that Cal Poly’s prestigious. I’m trying to figure out what tone to read that in. </p>
<p>What I’m trying to say is that I think you should focus more on what happens after you transfer.</p>
<p>ETA: Maybe these are better questions: Why are you going into engineering? Is it to get a great job, or is it for the engineering?</p>
<p>ETA2: Better thought: Just don’t pay attention to me. I’m going off second hand knowledge here, and I can only give a general opinion. </p>
<p>So I’ll just say…it’s not the end of the world if it’s not super prestigious.</p>
<p>Have you ever looked at a college/university diploma? Well, if you haven’t I’ll break it down for you. The school’s name is bolded in HUGE letters, and then your degree is listed very small on the bottom. Employers look at the name of the school, your experiences and how well the interview went. I don’t have any statistics, but based on the people who have done all of the college stuff, I’m also inclined to believe so.</p>
<p>You want to build your experiences throughout college, not just after transferring.</p>
<p>As for the AA degree, I’m not even sure…I flipped through my orientation book and it shows what I need to complete to get an AA. And since the engineering intern requires an AA, heck I’ll get an AA then. It’s actually two birds w/ one stone. I looked at it pretty closely and i’d say the GE’s for UC’s/CSU’s are almost the same.</p>
<p>Engineering is a love at first sight. And no, i did not choose engineering because of money. I’m just concerned about the quality of my bachelors.</p>
<p>You’ve missed one of my points. Transferring to Cal poly is somewhat hard, especially w/ 13% and of how engineering is super impacted. So either way, I guess only time will tell.</p>
<p>I sent you a PM, but I realize how hard it is to get in. I mentioned that I applied to two schools with ~2% acceptance rates, and I don’t consider myself a competitive applicant. So it hurts, but there’s not much to do but try. </p>
<p>I just want you to know that you’re going to be more than a BIG BOLDED name on a diploma to employers, and it’s your job to demonstrate that. In the environment I grew up in, everyone thought that engineering = money, prestige = money, so engineering + prestige = loads of money. I hope you understand where the cynicism is coming from. </p>
<p>The GE’s for UCs and CSUs might be the same but the major prereqs are extremely different. UCs require much more courses (science/math/physics) depending on what type of engineering major you are (assist.org).</p>
<p>So I don’t know exactly why you’re saying your experimental growth will be hindered, when there are clearly programs at the UCs as well as the CSUs offer that chance. But since you’re actually passionate about engineering rather than being in the major for the money, I have to say I’m pretty sure you’ll do well/find a job whichever school you go to as long as you put the effort into it.</p>
<p>A UC engineering program is going to be inherently more theoritcal than its CSU couterpart. However, at a UC there are going to be more opportunities to work in a lab as an undergraduate and also work on a competition project. These are great ways to get experience and standout in the application process for internships/jobs. I’ve had numerous internship interviews and can I definitely say that having the experience of working on a project (Micromouse) has given me great answers to the questions all hiring managers will ask. i.e. Give me an example of you overcoming an obstacle, What do you think is important in problem-solving, Tell me about a time you had to work in a group to accomplish a goal…</p>
<p>I just want to emphasize a strong point here: getting in cal poly SLO is extremely hard, especially w/ 13% acceptance rate for transfers and with a major like engineering it’ll be even harder.</p>
<p>I don’t know much beyond the world of community college, and I do want to know what UC’s can offer to engineering students, as I am inclined to believe getting into Cal poly will take more than just hard work.</p>
<p>I am no slacker, but I cannot compete w/ others on the EC portion, especially when there are many students who have the same activities as me.</p>
<p>Bottom line is, I am sure now that I have Uc’s to hold on it and not just Cal poly, even though it is beast at engineering. And as for the rest, all I can really say now is I guess I really have to find out what UC’s offer for engineering students, in terms of experiences and settling for jobs.</p>
<p>On second thought, thanks for the link. It’s very informative. I’ll read it later once I’m done w/ hw. :D</p>
<p>Edit: that link is very odd because it brought me to newsletter of the UC’s. I was looking for more like a brochure of thing. I guess I’ll Google.</p>
<p>Possibly, I can be of some help. I think that you are going in the right direction with regards to looking into a polytechnic learning environment. You did not mention your stats, but even if you think that you are not qualified – apply anyway. </p>
<p>A UC will give you a theory and research based education and a polytechnic school will give you much more practical experience. My kid has already chosen the polytechnic path because he wants a “hands on” experience. Employers love new grads that they can hire and get up and working fast without too much retraining. The Cal Poly’s (both SLO and Pomona) will give you lots of internship opportunities and if you perform well those firms often hire you prior to graduation. I spoke to one kid at Cal Poly Pomona on a recent tour there that told me that he has been doing an internship at Edison for two years and was offered a $70K starting salary beginning immediately upon graduation this year.</p>
<p>With regards to jobs prospects, Cal Poly SLO and Cal Poly Pomona are excellent. If you are unsure if you can get into CP SLO then apply to CP Pomona as well. I have spoken to several working engineers in the Los Angeles area who actively recruit new grads and both schools have a great reputation and actually pull starting salaries equal to, or in the case of CP SLO, exceeding grads from the UC programs. Additionally, in Southern California, CP Pomona has an excellent reputation and you will be considered on par with almost any other school. For example, I was told by one of the professors at CP Pomona that at JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) the largest contingent of staff engineers at the organization are CP Pomona grads. My point? Apply to CP SLO and also apply to CP Pomona. Get at least a 3.0 GPA by graduation and you should not have any discriminatory issues with your job search based on school name recognition. The son of one of my colleagues got his engineering degree from CSU Northridge – not a well know school for engineering. However, he went on to get his MS at Northwestern and has always had good jobs due to good performance. Just get your degree and if you still desire prestige than get a MS from a top school.</p>
<p>One more thing – you will have far more lab time at one of the Cal Poly’s than a UC. No idea about regular CSU campuses. As far as competitions go, I know for a fact that CP Pomona places extremely well in a global competitions.</p>
<p>Having worked in the “real world” (not academia) I can say that, unfortunately, prestige matters. There are two different things when it comes to “school”. There is education and there is accreditation. Education can be achieved without ever setting foot in a university. This is the information age and there are plenty of resources out there that will allow you to educate yourself virtually for free.</p>
<p>Accreditation is what you go to school for. This is that little piece of paper that says a particular someone thinks you know something. In this case, who the particular someone is matters a lot. For extreme comparison, if my dad says I know how to build a house that is very different from a world renown architect saying I know how to build a house. In either case I know how to build a house regardless of who is claiming it.</p>
<p>If you are looking for accreditation (which almost all university students are) then you should go to the most prestigious school you can get in to. You want someone of import claiming that you know something.</p>
<p>I could rant on here all day long about how broken the system is that rewards prestige over actual knowledge and how objective (i.e.: test based) accreditation is a far superior means of analyzing the skills of a potential employee. However, we don’t live in an ideal world and in the real world your employer is more likely to care about prestige than actual knowledge so I can only recommend shooting for prestige.</p>
<p>However, there is something to say for a personal portfolio as well. If you can go to an “easy” university and have free time to build a personal portfolio that may do you better than going to a hard university and coming out with no portfolio.</p>
<p>wow, you sure know your stuff. One quick question: what type of engineers are recruiters looking for(I’m referring to the intern at Edison)? My major is mechanical engineering, btw</p>
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