<p>Thanks harlequin – well said.</p>
<p>Most people around here are well-meaning morons.</p>
<p>I want to state that I am a neutral observer. But I do want to raise some counter points to this idea that all UCs are equal in terms of employment. </p>
<p>The top i-banks (Goldman, JP Mogran, etc), consulting firms (Mckinsey, Bain etc), private equity (KKR, Blackstone), hedge funds (SAC Capital, Citadel, etc), don’t typically recruit below the most elite universities in the US (Ivies, Stanford, Little Ivies like Amherst, Caltech, Cal, etc).</p>
<p>So generally, if you went to a UC, and you didn’t go to Cal, you probably will not be interviewing with a firm like Goldman Sachs or KKR. </p>
<p>I am not saying this to step on the UCs. This is just a fact of the employment market. I have no judgment whether this is good or bad. </p>
<p>I have great respect for a school like Cal. The fact that Berkeley help invent the nuclear bomb is no small accomplishment and deserve our deepest respect.</p>
<p>I have great respect for a school like Cal. The fact that Berkeley help invent the nuclear bomb is no small accomplishment and deserve our deepest respect.</p>
<p>Not really into nuclear weapons myself >__></p>
<p>The nuclear bomb ushered in the nuclear age and helped end WWII. </p>
<p>Think what would have happened if University of Stuttgart came up with the bomb first during WWII.</p>
<p>By the way, I thought your user name is ironically well suited to your comment on nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>The Big 4 recruit heavily at UCLA and sponsor TA’s for our accounting classes. Speaking of which, I should finish that assignment…</p>
<p>But yeah, it’s not just Cal that attracts big employers, although I expect that there’s a huge drop-off after UCLA (or maybe UCSD)</p>
<p>Hehehehe. I really am not some flower power/hippy/granola/bohemian/anti-nuke type lol. I just think that the creation of nuclear weapons isn’t something to be celebrated 
the technology and science BEHIND nuclear power is, however. As for recruiting drop-offs and all of that, all of my friends who went to UC Davis had no problems getting jobs after college. I haven’t seen a lot of people who graduated at “lower-tier” UC’s creating blogs and things and complaining about not having a job. I think it all comes down to how you spend those years at your UC OR Cal State. Whether you attend a UC or a Cal State try to get as much research assistant/internships/research volunteer experience as you can. Be one of the students who the professor greets by name. If you can do that, I think you can be successful in the job market no matter what university you attend. Remember, the UC professors network and know one another. If you get to know a professor at UCR really well, chances are really high that he or she has a close colleague at UCLA. Think of that if you want to go on to grad school. As for Cal States. . .I’ve seen plenty of graduates get jobs. Again, internship-take advantage of whatever your school offers.</p>
<p>Biggest thing to remember: Not everyone who works in the U.S. went to an ivy league, private school, or “high-tier” UC. And yet, so many who didn’t attend those schools manage to have good jobs/careers and earn great wages/salaries.</p>
<p>Berkeley + internship is better than CSU Channel Islands + internship though. If you’re intelligent, why not show that to employers by attending the best school you can? It’s not like you can take an IQ test instead to show them you’re smart.</p>
<p>I completely agree with that employment wise, mid to lower tier UCs graduates will have no issue in comparison to Cal/UCLA. </p>
<p>But I think there is a non-trivial differentiation when it comes to top/very high end employers recruiting at schools similar to Cal and its peer. </p>
<p>So firms like HP or IBM will recruit throughout the entire UC systems, and majority of the graduates will end up gaining great jobs at these large corporations. But if a Cal graduate is an aspiring investment banker and wanted to work at Morgan Stanely, he will be much more likely to get an interview than his mid-tier UC counterpart. This comes down to the simple fact that they recruit exclusively at the ultra-elite national universities and LACs. </p>
<p>I realize not everyone wants to be or care about being a management consultant or i-banker, but in case you do, then a school like Cal would go a long way in improving the odds.</p>
<p>@kmazza</p>
<p>great post!</p>
<p>UC= Same colors, full college experience, away from home, research, personal growth, and we ALL have access to the same professors (a person at Davis or Merced can go to Cal/UCLA for a quarter/semester if they want), books (inter UC library system), and recreation areas. Lots of internships, especially in research (also inter UC). </p>
<p>Cal State= Institutions are more independent of each other (different school colors). Students are more likely to commute (closer to home). Don’t know if they have access to each others’ rec areas (if they have them). Internships may be more vocational and less research based. To be honest, I don’t know if a person can go to a different Cal State for a semester/quarter.</p>
<p>Both have opportunities to go abroad for a quarter/semester.</p>
<p>I realize that I may have seemed to portray the UC system in a more favorable light. . .but really I haven’t. Those are the opportunities available.</p>
<p>flwrgrl:</p>
<p>one needn’t be apologetic for portraying the UC system in a more favorable light next to the CSU system. all things being equal and with very few exceptions involving very specific programs, one would have to be crazy to choose a CSU over a UC campus.</p>
<p>it’s a more robust academic experience all the way around, and if that ruffles some feathers or makes anybody antsy, i suggest deep breathing exercises and a power nap.</p>
<p>I forgot to add that the UC system is a more favorable system for students w/ children. Berkeley offers VERY nice housing for students with children. Davis and Irvine have on campus housing for students with children. Cal States don’t. To me, this is significant. Also, UCs give alternative budgets to students with children which means that they can get larger living expenses AND child care subsidies. Not every student has children, obviously, but the fact that the UC considers them shows their commitment to community and society. A single parent who has children can literally elevate themselves out of poverty by working hard and getting accepted into the UC system (at Irvine, Berkeley, and Davis that I know of). There is no way that could happen at the Cal State level. </p>
<p>UCs make tremendous contributions to their communities. The hospitals they run provide care for very poor people and medically indigent adults (MIAs). Very often, the UC hospitals are the places where critically injured or traumatized people, esp. children are flown to in their respective regions. If one hospital lacks certain resources that patient gets flown to another close UC hopital or doctors/surgeons get flown in (within and outside of the UC system). No way in heck do Cal States offer that level of community service or commitment.</p>
<p>The UCs can do so much because the state legislature showers the UC system with money, giving them the enormous resources needed to engage in these activities. On the other hand the legislature starves the CSUs and whenever cuts are needed in the budget for higher education in California they always are made at the expense of the already cash strapped CSUs, never the UCs. While the CSUs have been told to cut enrollment by 40,000 students, the UCs are still expanding. The state is spending large amounts of money to expand enrollment at UC Merced when the money could be more usefully spent upgrading the top CSUs, which for the most part, are better schools than UC Merced is now or is ever likely to be.</p>
<p>The reason UCs get so much money is because they are very important to California. The UC system employs a huge amount of non faculty staff, generates a lot of money, and helps drive technology, healthcare, and the arts. Most UCs actually get the majority of their money through competitive research grants from private industry and the federal government which they obtain through meaningful and relevant research. One of the reasons that Merced is getting so much money and attention is because it is serving a very rural and socially repressed region. Many of the students who attend come from families whose members haven’t obtained a bachelor’s degree. The federal government gives Merced money for being a hispanic serving institution. In other words, Merced is making attending a UC possible for students who need to live near their families while going to school. Its main purpose is being fulfilled: to fill the education void in the Central Valley. As for saying it will never be any good, time will tell.</p>
<p>Lemaitre:</p>
<p>It’s always nice to know why, in a sort of How Stuff Works sort of way. But all of that is immaterial to the student: all we’re concerned with is attending the better college.</p>
<p>
you obviously aren’t interested in corporate finance. If I want to go to a recruiting event, I’m driving up to UCLA or USC. THERE IS NOTHING AT UCI.</p>
<p>it’s not impossible to get into finance from a non target school(several people have gone on to do investment banking at BBs from UCI), it’s just much harder. Which is why I’m seeking a vice president position in UCI’s finance association, I’m going to be driving up to UCLA/USC every so often and I’m networking VERY aggressively.</p>
<p>sorry to tell you, prestige DOES matter when you’re dealing with very important things. The guy with a 3.8GPA from Princeton or Harvard is considered to have a leg up over some dumb kid from UCLA and UCI/UCD/UCSD aren’t even on the map due to the following perceptions in the finance industry: lack of faith from clients, relatively few viable candidates, low conversion rates, lack of a formal finance program, etc.</p>
<p>sources: internet, UCI’s finance association, my step brother who has his BSEE from Vandy and an MSF from NYU</p>
<p>I will say that this varies by field. Finance is a particular example. When prestige on the whole is considered, UCB, UVA, and UCLA are considered solid public schools and after that there is a very sharp drop.</p>
<p>@all we’re concerned with is attending the better college.</p>
<p>HARDLY! You are trying to legitimize YOUR opinion and perception of colleges from the outside to fit your own personal viewpoint, prejudice, and highly biased and severely flawed understanding of the Education system in California. Nice try though.</p>
<p>I-banking and elite corporations subtopics aside, the issue being raised here from you, xelink, originally, is that going to a “top tier” UC school is more advantageous with EVERY employer (generalized), as a standard, than going to a “lower tier” UC. Aside from the overwhelming elitist attitude of that statement, it completely devalues the credentials and qualifications of every non CAL/UCLA graduate in the career candidacy pool. It is inaccurate and unsubstantiated. </p>
<p>If you’re going to make a extremely broad statement about UC’s ranking inside the UC system lets stay on that topic and not redefine your argument after it was already written.</p>
<p>Tax dollars for a community does not equal hispandering or pulling locals off the street and sticking them in a classroom. Not only is that skewed way of thinking insulting but a direct affront on education itself and the people who attend college to actually learn and better themselves while hopefully contributing positively to better the world around them. It’s already a tough world out there without needing to resort to putting down real human beings no matter what school they attend by choice or circumstance who are seeking greater happiness and upward mobility in their lives. </p>
<p>Oct. 09, 2010
Strong funding for UC Merced included in state budget
UC Merced has praised the state for allotting more than $100 million to support the school.</p>
<p>The funding entails $81 million for construction of the Science and Engineering II building, $10 million in base funding for operations, $6.5 million for continued site development and infrastructure at UC Merced and $5 million in supplemental operating funds, according to UC Merced officials.</p>
<p>“We are very pleased that the approved state budget reflects the critical importance of higher education to the people of California,” said UC Merced Chancellor Steve Kang. “We expressly thank Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has enthusiastically supported UC Merced since before the campus opening in 2005. His readiness – along with the Legislature’s – to include these funds this year attests to their commitment to UC Merced and to the growing contribution this campus is making to the San Joaquin Valley and the state.”</p>
<p>UC Merced spokeswoman Patti Waid Istas said the funding offered by the state was the amount the school had anticipated.</p>
<p>“This is a perfect example of us working with the state to accommodate more students and faculty,” she said.</p>
<p>Construction on the Science and Engineering II building will begin this academic year and should be completed by fall 2014, she said.</p>
<p>“Tax dollars for a community does not equal hispandering or pulling locals off the street and sticking them in a classroom. Not only is that skewed way of thinking insulting but a direct affront on education itself and the people who attend college to actually learn and better themselves while hopefully contributing positively to better the world around them.”</p>
<p>Was that directed at me? I merely stated a few of UC Merced’s funding sources. I wasn’t insulting anybody. I merely pointed out that for the longest time there was not a UC located in the Central Valley (Davis is Northern Valley and is a bit different culturally from the Central Valley). There was a HUGE gap in that area because it is a highly populated area but without a lot of choices for higher education (mostly community colleges, one Cal State and UOP). I don’t think I insulted anyone in my statement. I know first hand about the area because I lived there for quite a while. There is no industry except agriculture, retail, and healthcare (mainly clinics). UCs attract business and other industries which (in many cases) improves the region with added jobs, better education (local public schools), etc. </p>
<p>I would like to add that even UC Merced collaborates with the Ivy League:
[UC</a> Merced - UC Merced Partners with Harvard University to Foster Next Generation of Latino Leadership](<a href=“http://www.ucmerced.edu/news_articles/05112010_uc_merced_partners_with.asp]UC”>http://www.ucmerced.edu/news_articles/05112010_uc_merced_partners_with.asp)</p>