Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris is me
This concerns me. I'm having trouble at a tough school. If my odds of success are better at decent-but-not-spectacular state schools, should I just go to those?
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As some one who recently graduated from the same tough school I can tell you that there are huge benefits to going to one of the tougher schools instead of a decent state school. Prior to graduating I had multiple offers from major companies, including some that were willing to hire me into non-entry level positions. I have friends who went to decent state schools (it should be noted that there are some state schools with extraordinary programs as well as private schools with poor programs) and they are were not as well prepared to enter the work force as I was. Going through RPI I thought some of the classes were crazy, one example, I wanted to take a signal processing class at another school while on co-op, however I could not find a class that RPI would accept because all of the classes at other schools took two semesters to learn what we covered in one.
I know I could have gone to a decent state school for a much lower cost and probably graduated with a higher gpa but I would have lost out on the Academic Intensity, Undergraduate Research, Professional Development, and Networking opportunities that a school like RPI offered. After 4 years in Troy, countless hours studying (often things I wil never use again like Mat Sci) and student loans that total the same as what my parents payed for there first house I can tell you that I am still confident that I made the best decision for myself and my career when I passed up my Full Scholarship to go to URI and went to RPI instead.