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And you know this how? You're right though, if your school isn't top 25 your degree is worthless.
Your logic is screwed. If brand recognition is all that matters why aren't you just applying for the ivy league so you can name drop your college and expect that to be guaranteed entry?
Well then by your logic, I could go to University of Phoenix and land a great job as well.
I never said a non top 25 school degree was worthless, but it is easier to get a job at a school with some name recognition that brings recruiters from top companies to school. I never said I was going to rely just on my school's name. Of course it's going to take hard work, networking, etc. It's like you're faulting me for not wanting to go to a good school and get a good job. What's wrong with that?
Also, it is easier to get a higher paying job with a STEM degree than a liberal arts degree. If you'd like to argue that, show me a report where engineers don't have the top entry level salary.
Well then by your logic, I could go to University of Phoenix and land a great job as well.
I never said a non top 25 school degree was worthless, but it is easier to get a job at a school with some name recognition that brings recruiters from top companies to school. I never said I was going to rely just on my school's name. Of course it's going to take hard work, networking, etc. It's like you're faulting me for not wanting to go to a good school and get a good job. What's wrong with that?
Also, it is easier to get a higher paying job with a STEM degree than a liberal arts degree. If you'd like to argue that, show me a report where engineers don't have the top entry level salary.
Actually, yes you might (Univ. of Phoenix). I am a teacher who received my masters through a weekend cohort program from Lesley University...not a well known school...and I still got my masters raise just like everyone else. Nobody cares where I got my masters, even though mine was not an internet degree..no one knows that.
Besides, if you want to go into engineering, you go to a school that has a good engineering program. The name is not as important as what you learn, how well you interview, and often times, who you know or where you look for a job.
Actually, yes you might (Univ. of Phoenix). I am a teacher who received my masters through a weekend cohort program from Lesley University...not a well known school...and I still got my masters raise just like everyone else. Nobody cares where I got my masters, even though mine was not an internet degree..no one knows that.
Besides, if you want to go into engineering, you go to a school that has a good engineering program. The name is not as important as what you learn, how well you interview, and often times, who you know or where you look for a job.
And any engineer who is doing hiring, is going to know which engineering schools are top-notch and won't, probably, be relying on name value. While UVA is a great school, I don't think it's where the engineers flock to.
According to US News and World Report, the ranking VA schools are as follows...
According to Design Intelligence (industry standard for this kind of stuff), architecture schools nationwide are ranked this way:
Quote:
Analysis and planning 1 University of Michigan 2 Harvard University 3 Cornell University 4 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 5 Yale University
Communication 1 Harvard University 2 University of Michigan3 Yale University 4 Cornell University 5Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Computer applications 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology2 Southern California Institute of Architecture 3 University of Michigan 4 Columbia University 5Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Construction methods and materials 1 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo 2Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University3 University of Michigan 4 Lawrence Technological University 4 University of Kansas
Design 1 Harvard University 2 Southern California Institute of Architecture 3 University of Michigan 4 Cornell University 5 Yale University
Research and theory 1 Harvard University 2 University of Michigan
3 Columbia University 3 Yale University 5 University of California at Berkeley 5 Cornell University
Sustainable design practices and principles 1 University of Oregon
2University of Michigan
3University of California at Berkeley4 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 5 Auburn University
ARCHITECTURE DEANS SURVEY
The DesignIntelligence “Survey of Architecture Deans and Department Heads” tallies the opinions of academic leaders, who weigh in on the status and progress of their own and peer institutions.
Most admired B.Arch. programs 1 Auburn University 2 Cornell University 3Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 4 University of Texas at Austin 5 Syracuse University
Most admired M.Arch. programs 1 Harvard University 2 Yale University 3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4 Columbia University 5 University of Michigan
VT has the 3rd most admired professional bachelor's architecture school in the country. UVA does not have a B.Arch program, they have a M.Arch, and aren't in the top 5.
No Virginia school is in the top 10 for engineering schools.
UVA has the 5th best undergrad business program in the country.
Also, it is easier to get a higher paying job with a STEM degree than a liberal arts degree. If you'd like to argue that, show me a report where engineers don't have the top entry level salary.
I am a graduate of the Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with a Masters in Computer Science and two other degrees (useless as you call them) in Mass Communication and Journalism. And I can tell you that UIUC beats the pants of any of the Virginia colleges in Engineering and most majors (any ranking will confirm that), BUT that's not what I am here to crow about. Read on... ...
My intent in highlighting the above is to let you know that it is important to measure the quality of life by the amount of happiness you get from your work; not the pay check that you bring home. Very few people are passionate about what they do for a living, and it appears you are leaping into the other camp where you are letting money dictate your selection of profession, college, etc. Having, personally, earned both "real" and "useless" degrees (again, your definitions; not mine) from a top-notch university, I can advise you that you really need to take a hard look at your life and make your decision about pursuing what moves you; don't convert this into a STEM versus LA decision.
My friend (Stanford engineering grad) quit her job with Google last year to become a full-time ceramic artist. Her pay check got cut in half, but she's never been this happy before. She (and even) I can argue that while on paper your STEM degree might pull in the big bucks, our lives are richer because we chose to do what we are passionate about.
Good luck deciding on your career and your University!
And any engineer who is doing hiring, is going to know which engineering schools are top-notch and won't, probably, be relying on name value. While UVA is a great school, I don't think it's where the engineers flock to.
UVA's is OK. Undergrad ranks out in the 40s or so. That's still Top 10% of engineering schools.
I am a graduate of the Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with a Masters in Computer Science and two other degrees (useless as you call them) in Mass Communication and Journalism. And I can tell you that UIUC beats the pants of any of the Virginia colleges in Engineering and most majors (any ranking will confirm that), BUT that's not what I am here to crow about. Read on... ...
My intent in highlighting the above is to let you know that it is important to measure the quality of life by the amount of happiness you get from your work; not the pay check that you bring home. Very few people are passionate about what they do for a living, and it appears you are leaping into the other camp where you are letting money dictate your selection of profession, college, etc. Having, personally, earned both "real" and "useless" degrees (again, your definitions; not mine) from a top-notch university, I can advise you that you really need to take a hard look at your life and make your decision about pursuing what moves you; don't convert this into a STEM versus LA decision.
My friend (Stanford engineering grad) quit her job with Google last year to become a full-time ceramic artist. Her pay check got cut in half, but she's never been this happy before. She (and even) I can argue that while on paper your STEM degree might pull in the big bucks, our lives are richer because we chose to do what we are passionate about.
Good luck deciding on your career and your University!
I appreciate your input, and I apologize for calling LA degrees useless, but I'm not an artsy person. I don't enjoy creative writing (while I am very good at it and have won awards and been published in poetry magazines before); I am a straight up math guy. My interests are in business and technology, and I have family in Virginia which is why I'm posting on these boards and asking about the schools here.
According to Design Intelligence (industry standard for this kind of stuff), architecture schools nationwide are ranked this way:
VT has the 3rd most admired professional bachelor's architecture school in the country. UVA does not have a B.Arch program, they have a M.Arch, and aren't in the top 5.
No Virginia school is in the top 10 for engineering schools.
UVA has the 5th best undergrad business program in the country.
You sound a bit defensive. Glad you picked a good school for your major. I used US News and World Report because it's the most publicized ranking overall for schools in the united states
I am a graduate of the Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with a Masters in Computer Science and two other degrees (useless as you call them) in Mass Communication and Journalism. And I can tell you that UIUC beats the pants of any of the Virginia colleges in Engineering and most majors (any ranking will confirm that), BUT that's not what I am here to crow about. Read on...
I think I just got offended by this statement (I'm teasing, partially, so dont take it too serious)
UIUC does not beat the pants off of any Virginia engineering college. UIUC generally comes in around #6, while Va Tech is ranked around #14 overall in most rankings. With several ties in the rankings, Tech is a whopping 4 slots behind UIUC in most rankings.
How can you consider that "beating the pants off" of another program? There are only 3 schools in the country that could make that blatant of a claim- MIT, Stanford, and Cal Tech. Everyone else just gets lumped into the group of top tier engineering programs. GT, Berkeley, Purdue, Michigan, VT, etc are all looked at equally by employers that I've had exposure to. Unless you're from one of those prime top 3, you don't get any extra special treatment as an engineer and recruitment/hiring.
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Ultimately, as an overall assessment on the rankings, it does make a difference on where you program is ranked in regards to direct recruitment from the school and doors that the program opens. Obviously, an individuals drive and networking skills are far and above the most important aspect on how well someone will succeed. Just like Ivy league grads are out there without jobs, and community college grads are leading large companies - if the person has the drive to succeed, nothing should hold them back.
Top 3 engineering programs are going to garner you better jobs offers, and top 10 business programs will get you better job offers. Beyond that, the top tier schools are more heavily recruited and hired from than lower ranked schools. The schools national reputation has a track record of showing that you have a good chance of hiring a solid employee from these schools, but most companies will still recruit from regional schools looking for exemplary grads as well.
If a person wants to do well - they're going to do that regardless of what school they've attended. University rankings are an overrated, heavily subjective, methodology at best; however, they do hold some merit in the industries at gauging the quality of it's graduates.
I think I just got offended by this statement (I'm teasing, partially, so dont take it too serious)
UIUC does not beat the pants off of any Virginia engineering college. UIUC generally comes in around #6, while Va Tech is ranked around #14 overall in most rankings. With several ties in the rankings, Tech is a whopping 4 slots behind UIUC in most rankings.
How can you consider that "beating the pants off" of another program? There are only 3 schools in the country that could make that blatant of a claim- MIT, Stanford, and Cal Tech. Everyone else just gets lumped into the group of top tier engineering programs. GT, Berkeley, Purdue, Michigan, VT, etc are all looked at equally by employers that I've had exposure to. Unless you're from one of those prime top 3, you don't get any extra special treatment as an engineer and recruitment/hiring.
OK, how about "UIUC knocks the socks off any of the Virginia colleges in Engineering"?
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