Career Question- State School vs. Big Private

[Mook]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, the name/reputation of your school matter. Yes, your GPA matters.

But 100 times out of 100, I'm gonna take the higher GPA, lower cost, much better weather, and much much more fun with my friends route of Clemson over Cornell. And it isn't even close.

I worked moderately hard and partied a lot in college -- best time of my life. Now I'm working my ass off in grad school, having little to no fun. Sure I'm getting a PhD from a top program, but in the end, how much is that going to benefit me financially? Probably very little. In industry, it's slightly different, but don't short yourself on "the college experience" for anything.

[/ QUOTE ]
If you're a current college undergraduate, print Wyman's post out and stick it to your dorm room wall.

I took a calculated gamble during my undergraduate years (though I wasn't thinking that way at the time). I gambled that I was smart enough to have the absolute time of my life in college while still getting grades that were good - maybe not world-beating, but good enough to get a good first job.

I won the gamble, but looking back, it was only because I've got a natural head for numbers and formulas, so ChE was never the ball-buster for me that it is for so many.

If you've got that same sort of DNA, then it's a winning gamble, and you'd be well-advised not to pass it up. Go where you'll get the most out of these 4 years, even if it's not a "name" school.

If you're not, and you don't feel like you "get" engineering, then it doesn't matter whether you go to Cornell, Clemson or Case Western, you'll more than likely be miserable and your GPA will stink as well. Just a word of warning.

Mook

[jen]

First, are you sure you want to do chemE? That was my major, and honestly, I thought the chemE classes were the most boring of all the classes I took in undergrad. I'm happy that the engineering degree taught me math and general problem solving skills, but, in my opinion, chemE is pretty dry subject matter.

Second, are you completely sure that you don't want to go to grad school? I think GPA is more important for grad school; the name of the school is more important for industry.

If yes to both questions, then I think you should stay at Cornell provided that you can get a reasonable GPA (say, 2.7+) without hurting your entire way through. ChemE gets tougher past your freshman year. If you can't maintain some semblance of a normal GPA, then you're really not understanding the material. And if you're dead-set on chemE, then you should probably go to a school in which you would understand the material (not necessarily Clemson). Also, you shouldn't be miserable your whole way through -- working hard is one thing, constantly struggling to keep your head above water is another.

[BaldElephant]

surftheiop, My thoughts are:

1) Engineering school gets harder with each year, but you will get better at studying and the average grade will go up with each year.

2) It sounds to me (based on one post you made above) that you didn't learn how to study effectively in High School. I had this same problem. My marks in first year engineering were actually below average. But, after about a year or so, I "figured out" how to study effectively and my marks went up DRAMATICALLY. I graduated with distinction. If this is your problem, you will just need to work harder and learn smarter. There's no easy way, it's a lot of work.

3) Marks don't matter much towards getting a job beyond a certain point. Yes, you will want to graduate with probably a 3.0 or above, but that should not be a problem for you. As I mentioned, grades go up with each year of study. However, if you were considering grad school in engineering (MSc/PhD) , you will need at least a 3.2 and preferably much higher than that. For an MBA, you won't need super high marks if you have enough work experience, but you would definitely want > 3.0.

4) I also don't believe that your friends have it easier now than they did in High School. If what they said was true (which it isn't) then they won't be learning much and will could be ineffective engineers in the future.

5) I would stick with the name brand of Cornell if you can. I don't believe that Clemson would be that much tougher. The bell curve at Cornell might be slightly tougher on you, but make no mistake, there will be plenty of smart engineers at Clemson too.

[surftheiop]

thanks alot for the post elephant.

One thing to note, im not saying that i would have been the best engineer at clemson or that it would be easy, just that i would get a better grade for the same amount of knowledge.

And i really dont have much interest in going to grad school in a technical field, i really want to go work in industry.