NC State or Georgia Tech?

Perfection · 05-10-2008, 02:45 AM

I'm trying to decide which university would be the best to attend[ugrad]. All I'm really concerned about is the best career opportunities. Later in life, if I applied for an engineering or engineering management job on the west coast would I be at a disadvantage against Berkeley/Stanford/Cal Poly/etc alumni?

Should I go to North Carolina state university (rank 29 and rising on us news). I would pay in-state tuition for this university. Or should i pay out of state tuition for Georgia tech (rank 5 on us news). Georgia tech seems to be well known throughout the country. How is NCSU's rep outside NC?

I plan to transfer into one of these colleges for EE or ME(Spring 2009). (not sure if the discipline matters a lot)

xjis · 05-10-2008, 03:26 AM

"How is NCSU's rep outside NC?"

i've never heard of NCSU in my life ever.

RacinReaver · 05-10-2008, 03:53 AM

I'd say with NCSU you'd be at a disadvantage against CA schools if you want to move out there, as it doesn't have nearly the name recognition that Georgia Tech does.

If it comes down to being the difference of a lot of money, NCSU might be worth it, as after you've been working 5+ years, nobody really cares where you went to college, it's about what you've been doing since then.

nshah9617 · 05-10-2008, 01:19 PM

Academically, I say Gtech. Gtech is one of the top programs in nearly every engineering field.

vblick · 05-10-2008, 03:33 PM

What do you think? An elite engineering school vs one not known for engineering

Feez · 05-10-2008, 04:21 PM

If you plan on moving to CA, definitely choose GT. I live in CA and my dad is a senior engineer and has worked in several different companies. According to him, most CA companies are familiar and favor CA schools over other schools usually. However, he did say students from Purdue, Gtech, MIT, and other big-name institutions get hired a lot as well.

Perfection · 05-10-2008, 05:05 PM

k, thanks for the advice. Georgia tech seems to be the better choice. However i need to see the tuition difference after f. aid is factored in. If the difference is greater then 20k i think ill just go to the state school. Is this foolish?

After all i dont plan on living on the west coast for awhile (5-10yrs after graduating). By then engineering experience/accomplishments are everything right?

Mr Payne · 05-10-2008, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Later in life, if I applied for an engineering or engineering management job on the west coast would I be at a disadvantage against Berkeley/Stanford/Cal Poly/etc alumni?

Work experience matters about 5000% more than where you went to school.

feenotype · 05-10-2008, 09:18 PM

NC State Engineering isn't anything to sneeze at. It's right behind Tech among engineering schools in the South, so you would not be at a disadvantage regionally. Unless you plan on moving to Cali right after graduation, I don't see anything wrong with going to NCST.

wobudong · 05-13-2008, 05:54 PM

GaTech engineering is widely-known very demanding, as in CalTech, MIT demanding. The good news is that if you make it through, prospective employers will presume that you are well prepared. My son is a GaTech ME grad. When he interviewed for jobs, not a single employer asked his GPA.

im_blue · 05-13-2008, 07:01 PM

If you plan to work in California right after graduation, GT would win hands down, since NCSU Engineering has no reputation whatsoever on the West Coast. On the other hand, if you're staying in the region after graduation, your degree would not matter by the time you move.