Low tier + no debt or top tier + loans?

[356speedster]

Hey everybody! First post here, love the forum/site.

I'm seeking some college advice. I live in North Carolina, and have been accepted into Western Carolina and NC State for electrical engineering. I'm trying to figure out which to attend. WCU was only my backup school (close to my house), and I know normally it would be a no brainer (NC State), but WCU has offered me some great scholarship and aid that would allow me to not take out any student loans - which is great because I am NOT very fond of debt (who is?).

Anyways, as title says, is it better to attend a top tier school and take out some loans, or will my education at WCU still get me a decent job right out of college?

BTW the WCU program is offered jointly with UNC Charlotte, but all the courses are taken on the Western Carolina campus. Not sure if that change anything.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Nobody can answer that but you. You need to look at the advantages of NC State, and the cost, and decide if it's worth the price to you.

 

[Phyisab****]

I'm pretty sure vanadium_50 is much older and wiser than me, but I agree.

 

[356speedster]

Thanks for the advice. I know that NC State is, well, the best in the state. The problem is that in my head I can't seem to justify loans if I can get the same degree, and possibly similar job after graduation.

That being said, I know the education at NC State is probably worth the extra cost, just because I know it's a high quality program, and I haven't heard much about Western Carolina (the program has only been around a couple years)... A lot to think about! Thanks again for the advice!

 

[lisab]

Have you been to both campuses?

 

[356speedster]

I was able to check them both out. I know the area around WCU because I've lived here awhile. I do like Raleigh though. There's a huge difference between the two though. Harder to get distracted at WCU when all you have is a walmart nearby ;).

Honestly, checking them out didn't push me one way the other. I could see myself fitting in at either campus.

 

[Fizex]

Have you visited the departments that you're interested in and talked to some students there about the quality of the program?

 

[Cuauhtemoc]

Thanks for the advice. I know that NC State is, well, the best in the state. The problem is that in my head I can't seem to justify loans if I can get the same degree, and possibly similar job after graduation.

I'm not so sure about this, even if you learn as well, the place were you graduated matter in finding a job.

 

[hadsed]

If your goal is getting a job after your B.S., you might want to think about name recognition. If you're thinking about graduate school, it's not as necessary although you'd have to work harder to find research or get accepted into internship programs.

How much more debt will you be incurring if you went to NC State?

 

[GregJ]

I find that having better marks will have a greater effect on jobs rather than merely relying on prestige. But this is variable, so take it with a pinch of salt. Also depends on how large the actual loan is, and if your are comfortable with having it on your shoulders.

It's all about weighing up the pros and cons of each really.

Good luck!

 

[physics girl phd]

One thing to also find out that I couldn't find out right away online:

Is WCU's EE program accredited? (I found out that their engineering technology major was, but couldn't find this via a quick search about their EE major.) This is important if you later seek to take the battery of tests to become a "Professional Engineer."

 

[twofish-quant]

Is WCU's EE program accredited? (I found out that their engineering technology major was, but couldn't find this via a quick search about their EE major.) This is important if you later seek to take the battery of tests to become a "Professional Engineer."

Note that the PE tests are a lot less important for EE than for other types of engineers. Personally, I've never known of a electrical engineer or software engineer that has taken the professional engineer test, and as far as looking for jobs, I don't think it's an absolute deal breaker if you want to go into EECS (it is if you want to go into civil or mechanical).

As far as debt goes, one thing to realize is that having large amounts of debt will severely limit your choice of career. If you graduate and you decide that you don't want to be an EE or if there are just no EE jobs available, you can get any old job and survive. If you have debt, you can't do that. This is particularly bad because student loan debt, unlike other forms of debt are extremely hard to discharge even in bankruptcy. You have to prove "undue hardship" against a lawyer for the loan company whose job it is to quash these things.

 

[twofish-quant]

If your goal is getting a job after your B.S., you might want to think about name recognition.

Also name recognition can be very local. For example, if you want a job in Austin, Texas, a degree from UTexas Austin will get you more networks than a degree from Harvard.

 

[Bourbaki1123]

Thanks for the advice. I know that NC State is, well, the best in the state.

I always thought UNC Chapel Hill was the strongest school? That's the one I seem to hear the most about anyway.

 

[deluks917]

WCU seems substantially less good from a quick look. It is more (alot more) fun to be in a program where your fellow students are on the same level as you. I don't know if its worth the money though.

 

[jtbell]

I always thought UNC Chapel Hill was the strongest school?

He wants to do engineering. UNC-CH doesn't have an engineering school.

 

[physics girl phd]

Note that the PE tests are a lot less important for EE than for other types of engineers. Personally, I've never known of a electrical engineer or software engineer that has taken the professional engineer test, and as far as looking for jobs, I don't think it's an absolute deal breaker if you want to go into EECS (it is if you want to go into civil or mechanical)...

I appreciate this info... good to know.

Nonetheless all the EE's I know have taken (and passed) the PE tests. Granted that most I know are faculty somewhere (and I've seen a few faculty and non-tenure university job postings that specifically required the PE status)... but the total of 5 I know that aren't faculty also went through the process. Two of these may have done it because they are self-employed "consultants" or contractors, and might have thought it looked good on their CV, especially when working with other types (where such certification may matter. My dad also may have done it just because he was type A and would have wanted to have all dots dotted and crosses crossed.

Also, I think just knowing whether a program is accredited or not might make a difference in one's evaluation of the program before entry. I'd place more trust in an accredited program than a non-accredited program.

 

[Bourbaki1123]

He wants to do engineering. UNC-CH doesn't have an engineering school.

Oh, sorry. I have this condition called word blindness where I skim a post and fill in the gaps with the phrase "I want to be a mathematician", only to later realize the error.

 

[mege]

What about going to WCU for your first two years then transfering?

Best of both worlds!

 

[twofish-quant]

but the total of 5 I know that aren't faculty also went through the process.

This may be state dependent. The EE's I know are in Texas. There was at one point a propose to license software engineers, but the screaming from industry quickly killed that idea. The other thing is that EE is one area has large numbers of foreign workers, and having a licensing requirement restricts the number of H-1B's you can pull over.

 

[Mororvia]

I'll echo what mege suggested. There is always the transfer option

 

[mege]

This may be state dependent. The EE's I know are in Texas. There was at one point a propose to license software engineers, but the screaming from industry quickly killed that idea. The other thing is that EE is one area has large numbers of foreign workers, and having a licensing requirement restricts the number of H-1B's you can pull over.

The other thing is: EEs are much less likely to work on a public project so the PE isn't neccessary. There's no reason for a consumer electronics focused EE to have a PE (HVAC/Power EEs generally need PEs however). CEs, by their nature, work on all public projects and MEs are somewhere in the middle. If you don't need the stamp... why bother?

 

[G01]

I have quite a few old friends who got their EE degrees from a program that was (at the time) non ABET accredited..Thus, they couldn't take the PE tests.

The school is a great liberal arts "masters" university (it's my undergrad alma mater, so maybe I'm biased ) The problem was that the EE/CE program was very small. For instance, they had their engineering E&M course cross-listed with us physics majors and our electrodynamics course.

The program is a "sleeper program," and has a great reputation with most of the big defense contractors in the northeast. All of my friends had jobs lined up before they graduated with Boeing, Lockheed, etc. with no ABET accreditation or PE certification.

So, PE is not required. I know there are some good small engineering programs out there that are not accredited, mostly because of the size and funding of their programs, that offer a good education nonetheless. That said, you should still be skeptical and carefully research any non accredited program you consider.

 

[356speedster]

Thanks so much everybody. I am still undecided, but I do like the idea of possibly transferring after a couple years. Could save some money and still end up with "prestige". I guess the million dollar question will always be "how much does prestige matter?", which is hard to answer. I just want to make sure I am investing in my future, and that I'll be able to live comfortably after graduation with no unemployment scares. I've also considered doing grad school at NC state afterwards.

I'm assuming that after your first job, the experience you gained holds more weight than your school. Is that what everybody here has experienced?

 

[lisab]

Thanks so much everybody. I am still undecided, but I do like the idea of possibly transferring after a couple years. Could save some money and still end up with "prestige". I guess the million dollar question will always be "how much does prestige matter?", which is hard to answer. I just want to make sure I am investing in my future, and that I'll be able to live comfortably after graduation with no unemployment scares. I've also considered doing grad school at NC state afterwards.

I'm assuming that after your first job, the experience you gained holds more weight than your school. Is that what everybody here has experienced?

Absolutely, that has been my experience. Experience and contacts move you along in your career.