<p>I have read that the prestige of an engineering university doesn’t really affect job outlooks rather experience does.Would going to Auburn for four years be better than attending Georgia Tech after 2 years (transferring) in terms of getting a coop and internships?</p>
<p>The industrial connections for research funding and jobs are more important than prestige. In fact, I don’t know how else to define engineering prestige. Figure out where you would like to settle down and the school with the most connections to that area. GT is well connected and Auburn also has a good program.</p>
<p>Actually the issue of prestige does matter, but only at the high end. An engineering degree from MIT or Stanford will definitely get you a better job and at higher income than, say, Auburn. Of course, you would have get accepted into such prestige universities and find a way to pay for them. Last thing I heard, U.Michigan had the best engineering school among state universities. All the Michigan engineers that I have known were extremely good.</p>
<p>In deciding between Georgia Tech and Auburn, both cost and prestige should be considered. Georgia Tech does have a national reputation, while Auburn’s is more regional – and for good reason, GT is a better engineering school than Auburn (which is very good). However, transfers can be complicated and troublesome. Be careful about doing that.</p>
<p>I do not know anything about coops or internships at either school. Check their respective websites, or directly contact their engineering departments. Coops and internships also depend a lot on what kinds of companies they work with. If you are considering chemical engineering, for example, then look at what opportunities are offered in that specific field.</p>
<p>Most of the effect of in-major school prestige in engineering shows up in whether non-local employers (particularly smaller ones) come to recruit in the career center (local employers are likely to be found at any decent engineering school) for your first job out of school. The GT graduate probably won’t be paid more than the AU graduate at the same employer, but the GT senior may see more non-local employers in the GT career center than the AU senior in the AU career center (and may therefore get more employers to choose from when job offers come). An AU senior may have to be more aggressive at finding and applying to non-local employers on his/her own.</p>
<p>Matters more for non-eng. jobs like finance and consulting. They love top school eng majors.</p>
<p>Between these 2 schools the outcome is going to depend much more on what you do in college than the name on the diploma. A student that works hard and gets good grades is a perceived as a better choice by future employers than one who didn’t. A student that takes part in student-run projects is going to have a much better chance at internships than one that doesn’t. A student with internship experience is going to be a stronger candidate in the job market after college than one who doesn’t have that experience. Almost all the difference is student outcomes is explained between a pair of schools like this by what the student did,not where they attended. </p>
<p>Given that you think the only way to attend GT is by transferring in, the answer if I was making it would be easy. Auburn. You’ll have 4 years to get to know your fellow students, your profs, how things work, get involved in student projects, etc. As a xfer not all your classes will line up exactly so there may be gaps with things everyone else around you has been taught. Enrolling as a transfer can feel more like just spending a year there. It takes a few months just to get familiar with a school, learn your way around, understand how things run, join some clubs, make some friends, etc. Then around Jan/Feb of your senior year the focus of many students shifts to job interviewing and school takes a back seat; they need to “finish up” and get out.</p>
<p>Pending what specialty in engineering, I’m agreeing with the poster who said to look for the school(s) preferred in the area you want to settle down in for that first job. Around here, for Civil Engineering, you’d be hard pressed to find any who don’t come from Penn St or VA Tech. Either would have an edge over applicants from any other place no matter what the rankings are as employers just know what they are getting with the two places and like it. Shift the location a bit and the favored schools change.</p>
<p>Once you have your first job, what you’ve done on the job matters far more if looking to move on. Hubby is a Civil Engineer (PE) - from VT. Headhunters have called from worldwide (turned them all down so far). He’s done projects worldwide though his company is local ¶.</p>
<p>Creekland makes some very good points. I am in agreement.</p>
<p>Also…
I just looked at the US News World Report rankings for engineering programs. They ranked 50 universities. MIT was number 1 (surprise!) but Georgia Tech was ranked number 5, and Auburn… well, it did not even make the list. Whoa! I know these rankings should be taken with a grain of salt, but that is a pretty stark difference.</p>
<p>Plus, I recently saw a list of state universities where “return on investment” was measured. Which means comparing tuition (in-state) to career earnings. Georgia Tech was ranked number 1 while Auburn was ranked 40th. Again, a dramatic difference. And this is about money, not prestige.</p>
<p>In sum, yes, Georgia Tech is a truly great engineering school. Auburn is very good, but not in the same league. Nonetheless, if you go to Auburn then plan on staying. Transferring is troublesome, and it still could be costly to attend GT for two years. If you can find a way to pay for the entire degree at GT (without a ton of debt), then you should go there.</p>
<p>Also, private colleges are much more likely to give you really good financial aid. Rice University in Houston is a very good engineering school. You might try applying there as a “reach” school. You won’t know unless you try.</p>
<p>Finally, apply to at least five colleges. Once accepted and you are given financial aid packages, then choose the best one which is affordable.</p>