<p>My major is mechanical engineering and I got accepted into UCI for winter 09.</p>
<p>My question is how different is it to do engineering at top UC's like UCB/UCLA compared to UCI in terms of opportunities after graduation and quality of education. I'm thinking of applying to UCB for Fall 09 if there is such a huge difference.</p>
<p>Any input is appreciated.. thank you.</p>
<p>In terms of quality of education, its not going to change. the laws of physics are the same in Irvine as in Los Angles or in Berkeley. Or wherever else you go on earth. the difference will be whether or not certain programs are/arent covered by various schools (ie what about aerospace engineering?).</p>
<p>in reality, its likely all the same at the undergraduate level. my physics professor got a job at AMD (they make computer chips, like intel) when he graduated with two of his friends. one was an EE major, the other was an applied math major. and they all ended up in the same area.</p>
<p>As for jobs after graduation, i wouldn't worry too much. if you have a decent GPA (3.0+) you will be fine. a friend of mine graduated from uci with a degree in ME and got 60k a year from the start. he quit to screw around brazil for a while, but hes fine.
something of note: there are a lot of companies that have corporate offices in/around irvine which means it can be easier to get jobs in the irvine area right after.
again though, it shouldnt matter too much if you do well</p>