Engineering and nursing are two areas that if you don't go to a top school, it's okay..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know engineers from excellent schools still looking for jobs, both undergrads and those with masters degrees. And nursing is a very competitive major.

Nursing also takes a certain internal strength. I’d never have been a successful nurse. Too squeamish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top engineering firms only really actively recruit grads from the Top engineering schools. Not that other grads won’t eventually end up somewhere. They will just have a different path to get there.

This. Prestige matters for engineering at the top levels. There are about 15 ivy/privates and 5 publics that are far above the rest

Can you list them?

There can be endless debate about which schools are prestigious for engineering. I'm not an engineer, but I was able to speak with high-level engineers from several major companies while my kid was researching schools. We were advised to attend a large public university known for engineering rather than mess around with smaller private engineering schools or private schools in general. Additionally, prestige wasn't a major factor unless you want to pursue cutting-edge work, where a top-tier school might provide better internships and research opportunities at the undergraduate level. I'll add that the ROI for MIT and Stanford might not justify the cost over your local engineering-focused public university if you're paying full tuition, though most people probably don't base this decision purely on ROI.

Remember that schools like Georgia Tech and Penn State probably graduate more engineers than the top 15 private schools combined and host some of the largest career fairs, so you're likely to be hired alongside many graduates from state schools and working for someone from a state school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top engineering firms only really actively recruit grads from the Top engineering schools. Not that other grads won’t eventually end up somewhere. They will just have a different path to get there.

This. Prestige matters for engineering at the top levels. There are about 15 ivy/privates and 5 publics that are far above the rest

Can you list them?

There can be endless debate about which schools are prestigious for engineering. I'm not an engineer, but I was able to speak with high-level engineers from several major companies while my kid was researching schools. We were advised to attend a large public university known for engineering rather than mess around with smaller private engineering schools or private schools in general. Additionally, prestige wasn't a major factor unless you want to pursue cutting-edge work, where a top-tier school might provide better internships and research opportunities at the undergraduate level. I'll add that the ROI for MIT and Stanford might not justify the cost over your local engineering-focused public university if you're paying full tuition, though most people probably don't base this decision purely on ROI.

Remember that schools like Georgia Tech and Penn State probably graduate more engineers than the top 15 private schools combined and host some of the largest career fairs, so you're likely to be hired alongside many graduates from state schools and working for someone from a state school.

There really is no debate for the Top 5 or 7. These schools are generally known to be top tier in engineering by employers. After that, I think there can be debate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nurses can graduate as an RN in 2 years from a community college.

That’s what I did my second time around in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check engineering reddits pleny of unemployed recent engineering grads. No career is guaranteed via degree.

Disagree. Especially for nursing. May not pay the highest or in the desired location, specialty etc but a nursing degree guarantees a job and same many healthcare affiliated fields. Same for teaching.

Same for accounting.

+ 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nursing is easily one of the toughest jobs esp in hospital settings. Insane burnout. But if you handle the hours and/or specialize in say anesthesia you can find a job anywhere.

Between the nursing shortage and an aging population, nurses are certainly in demand, BUT, with all the budget cuts there will be a lot of turmoil that may make it more difficult for new grads. If a hospital closes, you’ll have a lot of experienced nurses applying for whatever nursing jobs are open. Given the choice between a nurse with 20 years experience, or someone fresh out of school, who still needs to be trained and may not stick around, the new grad will be out of luck.

Eventually, it will all settle down, the sick still need care, but it’s going to be tougher for a while.

Disagree - you choose the new grad. More energy, not burnt out, up to date on best practices. Won’t retire in a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top engineering firms only really actively recruit grads from the Top engineering schools. Not that other grads won’t eventually end up somewhere. They will just have a different path to get there.

This. Prestige matters for engineering at the top levels. There are about 15 ivy/privates and 5 publics that are far above the rest

Can you list them?

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate?_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc

This doesn't support the statement I responded to.

First, there are 11 private schools (MIT, Stanford, Caltech, CMU, Cornell, Princeton, JHU, NU, Columbia, Duke, Rice), in that top 20 list (which has 26 schools on it). That's not the ratio of 5:15 They also have 7 schools tied at 20, which seems to imply that there isn't a clear distinction between the top 20 and the rest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top engineering firms only really actively recruit grads from the Top engineering schools. Not that other grads won’t eventually end up somewhere. They will just have a different path to get there.

This. Prestige matters for engineering at the top levels. There are about 15 ivy/privates and 5 publics that are far above the rest

Agree it matters for the top levels…but for regular engineering jobs that require just a bachelors, it does not matter a lot. However, smart and ambitious students target the top, just as they do in law or medicine. Also, peers matter and rigor of coursework. Our public magnet stem high school does dual enrollment with a 4 yr regional university that has engineering and is listed as T75. The courses are completely different than the corresponding courses at his ivy. The ivy syllabus covers the regional college semester in the first 6 weeks. The regional had multiple choice tests and rote plug and chug psets that were easy for the top high school kids. The transcript of the average graduate engineer at the regional has the ABET minimums. At the end of 4 yrs in engineering at ivy(or hopkins or stanford or MIT), they have done much higher levels. Our family member is a professor at an elite school and advised our engineer to pick ivy/top private or one of the top 4 publics for engineering. He sees a difference in grad (MS and phD) students from less rigorous undergrad engineering programs. He has some industry funding and notes that companies look at transcripts for specific upper level courses not just ABET. Ymmv.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top engineering firms only really actively recruit grads from the Top engineering schools. Not that other grads won’t eventually end up somewhere. They will just have a different path to get there.

This. Prestige matters for engineering at the top levels. There are about 15 ivy/privates and 5 publics that are far above the rest

Agree it matters for the top levels…but for regular engineering jobs that require just a bachelors, it does not matter a lot. However, smart and ambitious students target the top, just as they do in law or medicine. Also, peers matter and rigor of coursework. Our public magnet stem high school does dual enrollment with a 4 yr regional university that has engineering and is listed as T75. The courses are completely different than the corresponding courses at his ivy. The ivy syllabus covers the regional college semester in the first 6 weeks. The regional had multiple choice tests and rote plug and chug psets that were easy for the top high school kids. The transcript of the average graduate engineer at the regional has the ABET minimums. At the end of 4 yrs in engineering at ivy(or hopkins or stanford or MIT), they have done much higher levels. Our family member is a professor at an elite school and advised our engineer to pick ivy/top private or one of the top 4 publics for engineering. He sees a difference in grad (MS and phD) students from less rigorous undergrad engineering programs. He has some industry funding and notes that companies look at transcripts for specific upper level courses not just ABET. Ymmv.

Good advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nurses can graduate as an RN in 2 years from a community college.

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top engineering firms only really actively recruit grads from the Top engineering schools. Not that other grads won’t eventually end up somewhere. They will just have a different path to get there.

This. Prestige matters for engineering at the top levels. There are about 15 ivy/privates and 5 publics that are far above the rest

Agree it matters for the top levels…but for regular engineering jobs that require just a bachelors, it does not matter a lot. However, smart and ambitious students target the top, just as they do in law or medicine. Also, peers matter and rigor of coursework. Our public magnet stem high school does dual enrollment with a 4 yr regional university that has engineering and is listed as T75. The courses are completely different than the corresponding courses at his ivy. The ivy syllabus covers the regional college semester in the first 6 weeks. The regional had multiple choice tests and rote plug and chug psets that were easy for the top high school kids. The transcript of the average graduate engineer at the regional has the ABET minimums. At the end of 4 yrs in engineering at ivy(or hopkins or stanford or MIT), they have done much higher levels. Our family member is a professor at an elite school and advised our engineer to pick ivy/top private or one of the top 4 publics for engineering. He sees a difference in grad (MS and phD) students from less rigorous undergrad engineering programs. He has some industry funding and notes that companies look at transcripts for specific upper level courses not just ABET. Ymmv.

Good advice.

The good advice is to pick an Ivy, top private, or top public? Maybe for investment banking, but not for engineering. Ivies don't even crack the top 10 for PhD feeder schools by total or percentage. My point is that choosing to pay Ivy tuition for engineering over in-state UMD or VT, for example, which are not top 4 publics, is probably bad advice for someone working as an engineer and doesn't seem determinative for PhD applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nurses can graduate as an RN in 2 years from a community college.

No.

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top engineering firms only really actively recruit grads from the Top engineering schools. Not that other grads won’t eventually end up somewhere. They will just have a different path to get there.

This. Prestige matters for engineering at the top levels. There are about 15 ivy/privates and 5 publics that are far above the rest

Agree it matters for the top levels…but for regular engineering jobs that require just a bachelors, it does not matter a lot. However, smart and ambitious students target the top, just as they do in law or medicine. Also, peers matter and rigor of coursework. Our public magnet stem high school does dual enrollment with a 4 yr regional university that has engineering and is listed as T75. The courses are completely different than the corresponding courses at his ivy. The ivy syllabus covers the regional college semester in the first 6 weeks. The regional had multiple choice tests and rote plug and chug psets that were easy for the top high school kids. The transcript of the average graduate engineer at the regional has the ABET minimums. At the end of 4 yrs in engineering at ivy(or hopkins or stanford or MIT), they have done much higher levels. Our family member is a professor at an elite school and advised our engineer to pick ivy/top private or one of the top 4 publics for engineering. He sees a difference in grad (MS and phD) students from less rigorous undergrad engineering programs. He has some industry funding and notes that companies look at transcripts for specific upper level courses not just ABET. Ymmv.

Good advice.

The good advice is to pick an Ivy, top private, or top public? Maybe for investment banking, but not for engineering. Ivies don't even crack the top 10 for PhD feeder schools by total or percentage. My point is that choosing to pay Ivy tuition for engineering over in-state UMD or VT, for example, which are not top 4 publics, is probably bad advice for someone working as an engineer and doesn't seem determinative for PhD applications.

Who said anything about PHD's? We are talking about being recruited for the top jobs upon graduation from undergrad. The Top 5 publics or Top Privates for Engineering absolutely make a difference here. Anyone arguing differently just didn't get admitted to one of those schools to personally have that experience and are just being contrarians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top engineering firms only really actively recruit grads from the Top engineering schools. Not that other grads won’t eventually end up somewhere. They will just have a different path to get there.

This. Prestige matters for engineering at the top levels. There are about 15 ivy/privates and 5 publics that are far above the rest

Agree it matters for the top levels…but for regular engineering jobs that require just a bachelors, it does not matter a lot. However, smart and ambitious students target the top, just as they do in law or medicine. Also, peers matter and rigor of coursework. Our public magnet stem high school does dual enrollment with a 4 yr regional university that has engineering and is listed as T75. The courses are completely different than the corresponding courses at his ivy. The ivy syllabus covers the regional college semester in the first 6 weeks. The regional had multiple choice tests and rote plug and chug psets that were easy for the top high school kids. The transcript of the average graduate engineer at the regional has the ABET minimums. At the end of 4 yrs in engineering at ivy(or hopkins or stanford or MIT), they have done much higher levels. Our family member is a professor at an elite school and advised our engineer to pick ivy/top private or one of the top 4 publics for engineering. He sees a difference in grad (MS and phD) students from less rigorous undergrad engineering programs. He has some industry funding and notes that companies look at transcripts for specific upper level courses not just ABET. Ymmv.

Good advice.

The good advice is to pick an Ivy, top private, or top public? Maybe for investment banking, but not for engineering. Ivies don't even crack the top 10 for PhD feeder schools by total or percentage. My point is that choosing to pay Ivy tuition for engineering over in-state UMD or VT, for example, which are not top 4 publics, is probably bad advice for someone working as an engineer and doesn't seem determinative for PhD applications.

Who said anything about PHD's? We are talking about being recruited for the top jobs upon graduation from undergrad. The Top 5 publics or Top Privates for Engineering absolutely make a difference here. Anyone arguing differently just didn't get admitted to one of those schools to personally have that experience and are just being contrarians.

I mentioned PhDs because you brought them up in the context of your family member/professor at an elite college, and I pointed out that academia doesn't appear to be impressed with Ivy engineers based on PhD feeder school rankings. Your dismissive response of “who mentioned PhDs?” misses the point entirely. If elite schools really produce better prepared, more rigorous engineers as you claim, that superior preparation should show up in PhD admissions, too. Graduate programs are run by the same academics who supposedly recognize this elite training, yet they're not disproportionately selecting Ivy engineering graduates. You can't argue that elite schools provide superior academic rigor while simultaneously dismissing the one objective measure that would prove it.

Your post is condescending toward most engineering students and programs. The dismissive tone about “regular engineering jobs” and characterizing regional schools as having easy coursework that top high school kids, such as yours, can breeze through is insulting to the thousands of capable engineers these programs graduate. The anecdotal comparison between one regional school and an Ivy is hardly representative. Although you claim engineering schools don't matter for most jobs, casually mentioning your family member who's a professor at an elite school and attending a public magnet STEM high school feels like credential flexing rather than substantive argument. This academic snobbery perpetuates the myth that only elite schools provide quality engineering education, which isn't supported by the success of engineers from diverse programs. My kid is attending a top 4 public, so this isn't about personal grievance. I just wanted to call out your pompous elitism for what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top engineering firms only really actively recruit grads from the Top engineering schools. Not that other grads won’t eventually end up somewhere. They will just have a different path to get there.

Top tech companies are also actively recruiting from GMU and UMBC, not just UMCP and VT (or MIT and Caltech).

Why? The recruiters and interviewers only have 24 hours a day. They can’t interview everyone. Top tech firms use elite schools as a first filter.