<p>Here is a little history into my situation, in High School i just didn't care so i graduated with a sub 2.0 point GPA. I have never taken any of the tests ACT/SAT. Then i took about 12 years off from school. I am currently going to a small private college working on a bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and am getting a 4.0 point GPA. Now i am considering transferring to a school that offers Aerospace Engineering and believe i have a good shot at many non ivy-league schools. I would like to keep my options open for graduate school. Meaning that I am looking for a balance between education quality and ability to keep a high GPA. It is my understanding that Georgia Tech for example is very difficult for even the best students to maintain a 3.5+ GPA. I would welcome any advise, suggestions, or corrections to misconceptions i may have. </p>
<p>I’d finish in mechanical engineering and not be too concerned about which college you go to. Since your a non-traditional student, I think employers will be more interested in life experiences than what college you went to.</p>
<p>It is, but it is at any school. I think the whole difficulty aspect is overblown (mostly by GT students). When you compare similar schools (say GT and UIUC), the same effort by the same student isn’t going to vary by more than +/- 0.1, which is inconsequential unless it forces you down a major cut (3.05 to 2.95, for instance). </p>
<p>On the other hand, when you drop down in the quality of the school, that is a different situation. It is easier for a student to be in the top 10% of the class at Armstrong Atlantic State University than at Georgia Tech. That’s why graduate schools and employers consider both your GPA and the school you attended when making decisions.</p>
<p>I know this is a little off-topic, but I’ve heard that you should always try to attend a differnt school for an MS than where you recieved a BS. Is this true?</p>
<p>It’s common for people to go to a different school for a MS but it’s for political reasons.</p>
<p>The president and vice president are almost from two different states and frequently from a swing state, because they hope that voter loyalty will help elect them.</p>
<p>Same goes with degrees. If you get two degrees from the University of Timbucktoo, it may not help you much. But if you have a BS from Timbucktoo and a MS from Stanford, you may gain credibility with employers.</p>
<p>From a practical standpoint of how much you learn, I don’t think it makes any difference.</p>
<p>Because a lot of times employers, especially universities, like to see that you didn’t just hear the same point of view from the same set of professors for 10 years. Going to a different place for grad school gives you more diversity in your education and that is valuable to a lot of people, particularly at the Ph.D. level. If you are getting a terminal Masters, it isn’t as big a deal because it is only a year or two on top of undergrad so it isn’t going to be as big of a deal if you stay in one place.</p>
<p>There are exceptions to the rule though. If your undergrad school has a professor that is tops in the field and does exactly what you want to do, then by all means, stay on. Some opportunities are just too good to pass up.</p>