Hey guys! I was recently admitted to CMU, Cornell, and Columbia for a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Energy and Sustainability. I guess I want to know how much prestige and reputation each university holds, and how much impact that has on my future career. Rankings for each school seem to vary according to the source, so I don’t really know how to decide between the schools. Any input/advice is greatly appreciated, thanks!
Off the top of my head, CMU and Cornell are much better known for engineering than Columbia. What do you want to do after? Do you plan on doing research? For grad school those questions should matter more than rankings.
Hi deadpoolz, I would like to work for a renewable energy consulting firm after graduation. I am not trying to use this master’s degree as a stepping stone for a PhD, but rather go straight to industry. CMU seems to have a good career center and the alumni have a pretty good record of getting jobs after the master’s program. However some people I have talked to have never heard of CMU, and that worries me. On the other hand, everyone knows Cornell and the school seems to have better prestige/reputation, which could be important for job searches.
Which option will cost you the least?
They are pretty even when it comes to cost. CMU is a little less expensive, but not by much.
Have you met with professors at all of the schools and found out what kind of research you might be doing? I would probably base my decision on that if money is not an issue.
I think anyone in engineering recruiting will know or Carnegie Mellon. US News has them at #5 in their engineering rankings, while Cornell is 12.
You’re right that Cornell will have more cachet with random people you meet.