Why do people who intend to go into engineering care about getting into a top school?

[sakky]

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I understand your point, but the difference between the engineering major at ‘any’ school and engineering at Cornell, MIT, Caltech, or Harvard is obvious. Students who study engineering at top schools are going to get the BEST engineering education to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the world

</p>

<p>Yet the problem with that logic - as epitomized by this very thread - is that many of the engineers at the schools you mentioned (especially Harvard) never end up working as engineers at all, but rather become bankers. It’s not clear what sort of difference in the world those guys are making.</p>