As my name implies, I am currently an undergraduate student at UMich majoring in CSE. My goal is to get an M.S. degree and connect with as many alumni as possible who have strong network ties with Google, Apple, Cisco, Oracle, etc, but mainly Google and Apple. Even though I have a way to go before I graduate, I do want to prepare to be a competitive applicant for the top grad schools in the country. My biggest mistake in undergrad was being unprepared, hence why I settled for UMich instead of going to a higher ranked school.
Anyways, my primary choice is Stanford University. I originally thought that Cal Berkeley would be a great solid second, but then I stumbled upon Jinjing Liang’s profile. She was born in Deyang, China, and she happened to get a job at Google. Granted that she had several other work experiences under her belt from companies like Goldman Sachs and Fiberspark, I do not think that it was mere coincidence that it was her experience alone that got her the job at Google.
So now, I am tied between Cornell and UC Berkeley as my second choice for grad school. I am interested to hear the community’s opinion on the subject.
Stanford and Berkeley before Cornell.
Stanford and Berkeley are in Silicon Valley and get so many more company visits where you can connect with other professionals. Also much more happening there that you can attend: Hackathon, Startup events, etc.
Cornell while has great research, is more isolated in Ithaca and much less company visits/contacts, although companies still come during career week to recruit. Cornell Tech in NYC should be good though to showcase yourself and connect with NYC tech/business world.
Yeah that is what I thought. My first choice for undergrad was Cal Berkeley and I still wish I was accepted into that school. But when I think about it, UMICH is very close to Berkeley in terms of connections to Silicon Valley and academic rankings. So I have to say that my alternative is not too bad. I never really was too turned on by Cornell in the first place. I guess it’s just the location that I don’t like. Do you think that going to a top ranked public school like UMICH will help increase my chances of getting accepted into Cal Berkeley or Stanford University M.S program if I get good grades and do good on my GRE and ask a few professors in classes I did well in for letters of recommendations?