<p>^^ Nick017 … thanks for the praise on my earlier post – though it has always been my intent since participating on CC to provide good advice to students, having accumulated a great deal of knowledge and insight over the years.</p>
<p>Regarding job placements, internships, etc., I honestly believe that it’s a hurdle, but not insurmountable, to choose a job prospect/location and/or internship anywhere geographically. With select colleges, there may be formalized arrangements with businesses/corporations close to the locale of the college, and in this case, it’s essential to be attending that particular school. (For instance, Claremont McKenna and Pomona College, two of the Claremont Consortium of Colleges in So. CA have such arrangements.) However, in general, one can target the geography (i.e., SF Bay Area) and then pursue opportunities that might exist. The timing is important, of course, and one would have most success by beginning their search early in the Spring Semester for a summer internship. Given the capabilities of the Internet, there are many more “virtual” opportunities that one can access – just don’t wait too long. </p>
<p>Interestingly, the Emory Alumni Association chapter here in the SF Bay Area is reasonably active and has hundreds of members. It may be coincidence, but each and every one of the Emory alumni I have met seem to be highly successful and happy (two of them who live here in my community are married… and go on and on about how the “best years of our lives” were at Emory – this despite his subsequently receiving both his MD and MBA from Cornell.)</p>
<p>Those who are in the know, which hiring authorities tend to be, recognize the Emory brand. They also recognize the UC Berkeley brand; however, with thousands of graduates being pumped out each year, a Cal degree is hardly unique around these parts. This may sound strange, but a “network” seems to work best when you’re away from the core geography. I see this to be true with Dartmouth alumni here, and also with MBA’s from Northwestern’s Kellogg School here in this area.</p>
<p>Personally, I like Berkeley – a lot – but I would not want to live there (it’s only 10 minutes away) because it’s truly a frenetic place, even for somebody who is “liberal”. In fact, Berkeley is hardly liberal, so much as it’s on the extreme side of “progressive”. I suppose it’s a bit like NYC … I love New York, but I wouldn’t want to live there.</p>