College recomendations?

[DigDug]

I say ditch the whole computer field completely and go to a good liberal arts school, where you'll get a broad and well-rounded education. Why pay so much to learn so relatively little?

 

[Einz]

Well, after being at the hell hole called MIT for a while, I've come to realize a few things. If you're going to be a traditional hardcore engineer, then there really is no point in coming to MIT. Sure, the courses are top-notch and hard as all hell, but in the end, there will be very little between the education you'll get here and the education available at a school such as UIUC. If you're looking for something more, then come here. Almost a third of engineering majors here at MIT go into the finance industry. There are more people that end up in business/law/med school and the finance industry than all of the engineering departments combined. If you're aiming high, ie, doctor, lawyer, businessman with a technical background and know-how, then by all means, MIT is the best place you can go. If you're thinking just straight up CE and going into chip design, don't blow your $40,000/yr here. Go to UIUC, it is a top notch school. Hope that helps!

 

[DigDug]

my point exactly.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose

Originally posted by: Jellomancer
No one read his post? He said he may change majors.. why recommend schools that are only good at tech stuff?
Don't go to Vanderbilt... a friend who goes there gets 10 hours of sleep PER WEEK. Several all nighters per week, and on the other nights, very little sleep, just to make Ds. That's not learning, it's maintaining your reputation of being a "good" (read 'hard') school.

Wow, what the heck does your friend do? I go to Vanderbilt, too, and I plan on getting 10 hours of sleep today alone! And I'm an EE major.

He read what you guys said and this was his response...

SSFrasure: i see it i dont get 10 hrs per week!
SSFrasure: lol i get 8 a day on weekend
SSFrasure: and i've never made a D yet

He's a biology major.. some pre med crap. He does do alnighters all the time though. IM him and tell him how much sleep you get.

 

[Htown06]

Jellomancer likes to exaggerate....... I may be up at odd hours, but I definitely get a lot more sleep than 10 hours.. I might be up til 1 or so every once in a while.. but certainly not all nighters several times a week!

 

[BeauJangles]

The first thing you need to ask yourself is

Do I want to be far or close to home?

Then

Do I want a big school (more then 10,000) or a small school?

Third

Urban campus or rural?

Fourth

What sort of things am I interested in?

Once you answer those questions you can narrow down the college search pretty well. The fourth question should not be the deciding factor of the college you choose. I would recommend choosing one that is in line with your interests, but not one that will resistrict you if change your mind about your major. Try picking up a book like the 331 Best Colleges or The Fisk Guide and looking through them. Schools that sound potentially interesting you should mark and visit their websites. Talk anyone who has been or is in college and ask them for opinions. If you have a teacher you like or trust, ask them what they think. Basically, get as much information as possible! Find a group of schools you really like and, if at all possible, VISIT THEM! Spend a night, ask questions.

As for the financial stuff, don't worry too much. Schools hand out TONS of financial aid every year. Remember to get your parents to fill out the FAFSA and CSS Student Profile (both are required by most colleges). Usually colleges will be able to meet the gap between what the government (through FAFSA) thinks you can pay and the cost of tuition.

As for MIT or Stanford, don't think you will love it there just because they are top schools. Honestly, I live 20 minutes from MIT and I know about fifteen people that go there. About half of them are miserable. The social scene there can be painful, as well as some of the classes. Honestly, most people go for a name in college; Harvard, Yale, Brown, etc, but there are plenty of studies out that show two things. One - a person who gets into a top rated school is not more likely to be happy at that school then someone who goes to a non top rated school. Two - graduates from top rated schools are NO MORE LIKELY to suceed at their professions then people who graduate from non top rated schools. Choose a school that you think you will be happy at!