<p>@2016Candles I know. I have an estimate of how much I can borrow and still pay off if everything went wrong and I went back to a job with the same pay as I had before I left it to focus on UCLA. Obviously I’m hoping I get a better job but that’s my backup plan heh</p>
<p>@sonic23 The problem is I wasn’t offered any in my eFAN. I have one loan for the summer session so I know what the process is. I just didn’t get that option for the school year because UCLA thinks I have my complete cost of attendance covered and I don’t. I’m about 4k short.</p>
<p>Actually, I think I just figured out that that 4k short is for the summer which UCLA doesn’t take into account. Other than that it’s fine. I guess I just have to worry about summer.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that is not true in Silicon Valley. It is widely known as ivy-centric. I can tell you, graduates of any CA state university (with the exception of CalPoly) are at a severe disadvantage, as tech/dot com blatantly promotes the UCB, UCLA. Stanford, Harvard, etc. mindset. </p>
<p>I’m not making any judgment. It just is how it is and everyone involved in tech here knows it. It’s a snob thing, really.</p>
<p>Also, I will venture to say it is highly unlikely that anyone would ever make CEO, CFO, or any other senior exec position at any large corporation, in any field, without a gold standard university behind them. You’ll never see a San Jose State grad as a CEO, for instance. It ain’t gonna happen. It’s just the way the business world works whether people like it or not. The top universities have prestige and huge nteworks.</p>
<p>Im a bit worried about student loans, my professors at CC are still paying them off, and it seems like it takes forever to get rid of them. Ive been using a student loan repayment calculator and my payments seem doable for the ten years. Even with a part time job I can pay it…as long as I don’t go to grad school that is. </p>
<p>@OCaptnMycaptn if anything you can get a emergency transcript, but I’m sure they are just taking a while to post it, you still have time</p>
<p>@lindyk8<br>
You’re talking about a specific group of employers regarding a specific group of majors. When you consider all of the fields of work, and companies both in CA and outside of CA, that graduates will enter, Silicon Valley is a small piece. I didn’t say no employer would care, but I still say that across the board, most don’t care that much.</p>
<p>And I know you’re not making value judgements- from what I’ve seen in your posts, it’s not your style :-)</p>
<p>Because I know you’re a worrywart @CollegeDropout1 , you should know that UC San Diego is a highly respected university. The school’s faculty, researchers, and alumni have earned more Nobel prizes than UCLA.</p>
<p>@Calbro I don’t worry, I’m just indecisive. Anyway, I’m very close to making my decision. I did some more research, and it is becoming all so clear. It is amazing what happens when you follow your own advice. This forum has also really helped me. </p>
<p>San Diego State beat Cal too. But that is my whole point. We’re all getting so wrapped up in rankings and prestige, but at the end of the day, there are other factors in play that people aren’t fully considering. </p>
<p>I think at the end of the day, as person motivation has a lot to do with the type of job they get. The speaker of the house, and the majority leader all went to unknown universities, and look where they are now, they run the country! Besides, I want to start my own development company. If someone won’t hire me because I don’t I have an ivy league degree, then I’ll just start my own firm and become CEO! </p>
<p>@collegedropout1, no the UCs are all good in Silicon Valley. I was just noting the top ones as an example.</p>
<p>@2016Candles I know you have not decided yet between UCLA and a Cal State. I think you mentioned grad school, also. While various careers can have different paths, there is no arguing that different schools have vastly different prestige levels and has a huge effect in job placement. Simply by looking at the ten year median salary at college data.com shows the huge variations. </p>
<p>It’s been like that forever. A grad from Harvard, UCB, and a state college comes in for a white collar job. All things being equal in terms of good presentation, the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of the Harvard grad, and then working it’s way down. The higher the prestige of employee universities, the higher the prestige of the business, and the higher the public perception that the company has a stellar candidate. There is probably also a bias (whether legit or not) that an ivy leaguer, or that ilk, will be more determined in climbing up the career ladder. In terms of networks, a state college network has very little clout at a prestigious firm because the top players aren’t from there. Stanford and Harvard take top honors in terms of looking out for their own.</p>
<p>There are always anomalies, but believing that schools don’t matter is akin to believing racism doesn’t exist or that the American Dream is alive and well. As that great scholar Eminem said, “I don’t know. It’s just the way it is.”</p>
<p>I just looked up Boehner’s college, Xavier. It’s private, high tuition and #4 regionally. Nothing that great, but being private with high tuition would make it more prestigious in snobbish circles than most of the public Cal States (not all). </p>
<p>@cayton and @collegedropout1 you may like this article. It compares salaries and universities, and one section talks about class ranking as a big factor. You might be surprised with one result comparing a liberal arts college to an engineering one. (Cayton, you’re in luck…) :)</p>
<p>It’s not so much that I think particular colleges don’t matter, the initial point I was trying to make really stemmed from the debates regarding the rankings and prestige of UCLA vs Cal. I initially conceded that Ivies were in a different category, I was saying that the microscopic differences here and there are irrelevant because prestige is not about rankings. I was also only talking about UG, not grad school at all. </p>
<p>I think alumni networks are a huge part of success, which is why certain grads have a huge advantage in climbing the ladder. However those alumni networks are about money and connections, not the ranking of the school. </p>
<p>I think my initial point got skewed. Prestige is not necessarily linked to rankings. Depending on which part of the country you’re in, can determine how your school is viewed by others. It’s often regional. There are numerous factors that come into play. </p>
<p>I also think people should choose the school that is best for them. There are many great schools people can choose from, and should decide on a school based on the whole package of the school, not just the name. </p>
<p>And it appears that those who go to top publics make significantly more money. UCLA/Cal are the best publics in the country, so I guess I am in luck! </p>
<p>Quick question. What is the benefit of the parking exemption? I qualify because of my job of campus, I applied but it says payment is due in august. I figured the exemption meant it was free? </p>