<p>Hey all to the College Confidential Community. I have been on this site multiple times but this is the first time I felt compelled to join and actually post my issue.</p>
<p>OK so here is my current situation. I am currently attending University of Houston as a sophomore in Chemical Engineering. Its a great program but I feel as If i could do better.</p>
<p>I want to either transfer to A&M or UT's Chem E program (UT preferably) because of the better career opportunities and credibility of the college. But, I am already in Sophomore year, and albeit I have applied for Spring 2011 for both colleges, I dont know if transfering is even worth it ( even if i do get in).</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<ul>
<li>More difficult coursework. The Chem E program at UH is not a joke. It requires hard work. I am doing average in this program and the thought of getting into a program that expects even more at UT or A&M leaves me with some self-doubts.</li>
<li>I have an overall GPA of 3.51 currently and I would guess it would only go down at A&M or UT( bad for prospective employers). City of Houston already has a great market for Chem E grads ( or so Ive heard).</li>
<li>Having to deal with the hassle of transferring internally if I get accepted into a different major, which in my case is very likely with a 3.51.</li>
</ul>
<p>Basically, what I would like input is on :</p>
<p>What do you feel about my chances of getting in to either of these schools? If you require further input from me (classes Ive taken, resume, etc) let me know and I'l edit it in.</p>
<p>Whether I should bother transferring If i do get into the engineering program at either schools based on the concerns that I advocated.</p>
<p>Whether I should bother transferring If I get into another major other than engineering and then try to internally transfer. I might do this for UT as I want to go there much more than A&M.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading. Any advice/suggestions are welcome</p>
<p>I would have to say that what BanjoHitter posted happens a lot in many cities.</p>
<p>When I was at Michigan State…MSU, Michigan and Michigan Tech were in the same pool.</p>
<p>When I lived in Pittsburgh…Mellon, Pitt and Penn State were from the same pool. Even satellite campuses of Pitt and Penn State (like Pitt-Johnstown and Pen State-Erie) were recruited.</p>
<p>When I lived in the Philly area…Drexel, Villanova, U-Delaware and Penn State were all from the same pool</p>
<p>and in the DC area…Maryland (both College Park and UMBC), Johns Hopkins, U-VA, Capitol College all are employed by the INTEL agencies.</p>
<p>I’ve seen it as well. It’s an interesting phenomenon that upsets the students from the “better” schools. “What’s the point of going to Difficult U when I could have gone to Easy State and gotten the same job?”</p>
<p>The advantage of going to the “better” school, however, is that you have more opportunities than traditional engineering and even if you do go into traditional engineering, you’re treated differently (especially in the higher levels). In engineering, one of the first things people ask when someone comes to work in a position is “where did she go to school?” If the answer is “CMU”, you’re treated differently than if it’s “Penn State - Erie”. Your actual performance in a position will change that perception, but a Texas A&M - Kingsville grad will need a better performance track record than an MIT grad to get the same respect, all else being equal, for about the first 15-20 years of a career.</p>
<p>Well I suppose that only applies to fresh graduates only, and we also need to take location into account. Cornell in the west coast? I remember someone asked the question before. LOL</p>
Not really. Once you are in the company, promotions are usually not based on the school you attended. I don’t know of many instances when any of my parents were asked what school they attended. I believe that work done is more important than school attended (though both are important). </p>
<p>However, I have heard that some companies consider lower tier schools (that are really a tier below – like MIT to UMass-Amherst/WPI/Northeastern or UMass-Amherst/WPI/Northeastern to WNEC) for different sets of positions. For example, as you mentioned, MIT students have easier access to the entire Finance door.</p>
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<p>First of all, I would say the advantage itself is diminishing. Companies want the best talent no matter where it’s coming from. Companies are startng to see that except for the most elite schools, HYP, the choice is often financial. Some would choose a full ride to Stony Brook over Cornell in the sciences (and I wouldn’t blame them) and some have chosen a large scholarship to WPI (my school) over “higher-ranked” schools such as the Ivies what not. At the end, GPA expectations may be higher from a lesser ranked school but to get a great job or one-up your undergrad institution’s reputation is certainly not that difficult for the intelligent and hard working.</p>
<p>Students should choose the college that they can afford, that is a good fit, and where they can get a great education. For many, the Ivies incidentally fit all three of these criterion. And if they plan to become employed, they should know that company recruiting preferences are different from US News rankings. </p>
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<p>Yes if the reputation gap is that wide, basically two tiers in reputation. And a student with a good GPA from Penn State-Erie can easily transfer to the main campus (I think it’s a guarantee). But let’s say it is between Pitt or Penn State-University Park and Carnegie Mellon, even for computer science, which is one of CMU’s specialties. Certainly Carnegie Mellon is widely regarded as among the best computer science schools but Pitt students can also take advantage of the great software companies and CS recruiting in the Pittsburgh area and save a whole lot of money. And if they have a sufficiently high GPA and do research, they may even be able to qualify for the same graduate schools that CMU students attend (although CMU prof recs may be weighted more strongly).</p>
<p>If you consider Engineer II to Engineer III a promotion, then school doesn’t matter. Companies tend to make those horizontal promotions based on time with the company and performance evaluations. But if you want to move from engineer to plant manager or engineer to product manager, etc., your entire resume matters, including your school. </p>
<p>You won’t hear someone say “we passed you over for a promotion because you went to a satellite campus of Texas A&M and not the main campus”, but your educational background frames people’s opinion of you - it’s a signal of qualification. For example, if someone finds out that you have a PhD from MIT, they automatically assume you’re incredibly intelligent and will continue to think that unless you disprove their initial assumption. Someone from a low tier school has the opposite case - they’re assumed to be less qualified until they prove that they are qualified. The result? Take two people: a PhD from MIT in engineering and a BS from McNeese State in engineering and have them both list the same above average accomplishments. Since “above average” doesn’t disprove or prove qualification, the MIT person will come out ahead because that person has two signals of quality (advanced degree, MIT) that the McNeese St. person doesn’t have.</p>
<p>And that’s not just in initial hiring…that continues through the majority of your career until your accomplishments become very visible (i.e. are at a high level). In your first few roles out of college, you tend to work on smaller picture items that later hiring managers won’t see, especially if you’re changing companies in those first 15 years.</p>
<p>I agree with you Banjo, but honestly there is a huge difference between MIT Phd and Mcneese st. The question is, how big a difference is there between UH and UT/Tamu (assume bachelors)?</p>
<p>That was what I was saying. Comparing an ultra-elite school with a below average school. What if it were MIT vs. UCLA, UIUC, UT Austin, Cornell or even RPI, Penn State, or WPI. I would say MIT would have a better reputation but reputation isn’t all, especially for engineering companies. Now if it were finance or consulting, I would completely agree. </p>
<p>There is a difference between UT/TAMU engineerng and UH chemical engineering though I don’t think it is that big, especially for regional recruiters. For national companies it may make a difference.</p>
<p>Yeah Buddy, Thanks for the input people. Question. Do UT engineers look down upon UH engineers? I really dont care but It would be nice to know so I can be ready with a comeback If I get in a beef with one…yall know what im saying…</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say “look down.” I just felt very fortunate to have such an excellent school in my hometown! Being a female HS student in 1980 with strong stats meant I could pick and choose, and UT was my first choice. $4 /credit hour - why look any further? UT engineering school is pretty hard to get into these days, so we know not everyone will get to go there! During my career, I’ve worked with engineers from lower tier schools who were amazing, and one engineer from MIT who was mediocre.</p>
<p>I’d say go for UT, but if you don’t get in, don’t worry about it! Work hard and get the best grades you can.</p>
<p>Obviously it will depend on the individual UT engineer. But in general, UT engineers do look down on UH grads. But then again, UT engineers seem to also look down on TAMU grads, and TAMU grads look down on UT and UH. And Rice grads look down on all of them, while the public schools make fun of the Rice grads for being “not really engineers” because they went to Rice and not an “engineering school”. The Texas Tech grads seem to be the peacemakers in the bunch, where no one really dislikes them. </p>
<p>In short, people think their school is better than all of the rest, regardless of the school. The exception is UH. For some reason, UH students seem to have low self esteem compared to all of the other engineering schools in Texas. I think it stems from the fact that UH has a high percentage of commuters which leads to a low level of school pride relative to the other colleges.</p>
<p>Of course, this is all in general. I’m sure you know UH students that wear red and white every day, and I’m sure you’ve met some UT grads that think their school is terrible. I’ve never met a TAMU student that hated TAMU, so I’m pretty sure they use some form of hypnotic brainwashing at freshman convocation to prevent that.</p>
<p>@BanjoHitter: I agree with the hypnotic brainwashing. Every Aggie keeps talking about how TAMU is the elite “ivy league” school in Texas and how they were created/established before UT (which I don’t believe). They do form a cult in CS for sure. I know many of my friends (who are, lets say, not so “smart”) who brainwash their friends and their girlfriends to believe TAMU is the greatest school in the whole wide world.</p>
<p>Whether or not you aliens it, it is an objective fact that TAMU was founded before UT (1876 compared to 1883). How can you even argue that fact?</p>
<p>Regardless, they do practically brainwash the underclassmen here, but as long as it doesn’t affect the education then it’s all in good fun. A little school spirit never hurt anyone.</p>
<p>Also, the way I see it, most other engineers at Texas schools like at Texas Tech as the annoying, inferior little brother.</p>
<p>Texas has so many engineering schools that the rivalries are fun. In most other states, you just have the big liberal arts school and the engineering school (and in some placed like Ohio, that’s the same school).</p>
<p>Which is rather spectacular given the fact that Ohio is a fairly large state. You would think that they would have more than one major state university, but they don’t.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input. You guys have helped me learn a lot of information about engineering in Texas. Currently, I am still waiting for an application decision from UT…They said they would let me know sometime in November so I think Its getting pretty close. Either way, not too be pessimistic, but the fact remains that most likely I will not get in. Its better to not have false hope so I can continue on the right path if i get a letter in the mail thats not so kind.</p>