<p>Can someone explain to me why top schools have such outrageously high starting salaries when compared to everyone else? </p>
<p>For example, Stanford Computer Science graduates expect to earn around $83,000, while at my school, Virginia Tech, Computer Science graduates can expect to earn around $65,000. Why is there such a huge difference? Virginia Tech still has one of best engineering programs in the nation.</p>
<p>Is the difference because so many Stanford students go on to work for top consulting and top finance firms?</p>