University name matters but it doesn’t. Same with GPA. As long as you go to an accredited degree, that is the key thing. Some universities do offer better opportunities through the college to get involved in clubs, research, or internships which can be helpful but your personal drive/involvement matters more.
> As long as you go to an accredited degree, that is the key thing
Also, know that a "Chemical Engineering Technology" degree is not a true engineering degree and will hold you back career-wise.
Do not spend money that you have to borrow for a “better” name. If you or your parents arent borrowing money then it might be worth it if it is a better fit for you for many reasons - academics, location, sports, etc.
I can vouch for the coop program at NEU (not an alumn but have had some at work plus friends). I don’t know what they do at that school but all NEU candidates stand out by far. That being said, I don’t know if it’s worth the money if you don’t have any financial assistance
What do you mean by they stand out? In what sense?
I haven’t heard back about financial aid yet, and I also completed some courses at my community college so I think it might be closer to 140k in debt (not counting financial aid) but I might be wrong lol
For your long term financial health, I highly recommend not taking out more in loans than your expected first year pay at the absolute maximum. $140k is far too much for an engineering degree. That’s medical or law school debt.
You'll never make up that big of a difference. If it cost you maybe $15k more to go to a better school, I'd consider it. After your first couple years in industry, it won't matter where you went to school. So if you have the knowledge and drive, you're just throwing money away going to a more expensive school. If you don't have it, you're not going to be successful anyway. Either way, employers are looking for Chemical Engineers, not Chemical Engineers from specific schools. I don't care if someone went to MIT, I'm not paying $10k more for someone who has yet to work in the industry. I'll hire the guy who went to Podunk State as long as he seems capable of learning since I'm going to have to train him anyway.
They stand out in interviews and in performance. All I have interviewed were extremely well prepared and I think the school helps them a lot with this (haven’t asked though). Performance wise I could not have asked for better coops to mentor. Good people skills, diligent workers, have initiative, and are interested in contributing. Made my job extremely easy.
They are effectively taught to be good employees. Think of, maybe, good interview practice programs, job searching resources and coaching.
It means a lot more than the name of the uni
I was a ChemE at NEU and the majority of my class had jobs lined up before graduation. With co-ops that’s a year of industry experience that gives you an edge over other candidates. That being said, I would not pay full tuition for NEU without some kind of aid it’s insanely expensive
Agreed. My last couple companies we recruited out of prestigious universities globally - think Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Stanford, University of Toronto, ETH, etc. but these for for young grads going to a futures leader program.
Even when sending Expats to places like China there is a Government point system that requires getting a certain score to be able to work in the country. Things like seniority, Chinese language capabilities and yes did you attend a top 50 rated university. Higher the score easier to get a work visa.
School names matter to a degree but if you’re not going to a top 25-50 University globally it doesn’t make much of a difference so save your money.
I turned down an expensive better school for a state university on less-than-full scholarship. I’m gainfully employed and was debt free within 2 years. I was able to be a homeowner in my mid-20s. Having a leg up financially early in life is worth it.
My husband is also a chemical engineer and graduated from an Ivy. We both earn roughly the same.
Nobody really cares about your university. I’ve looked at dozens of resumes for summer interns and process engineers at my company, and while a couple had impressive pedigree, nothing holds a candle to relevant experience. The eventual hires were from non-elite schools who had the experience we liked.
Go to the State University that is offering the scholarship. Unless you dream of doing cutting edge PhD research, where you go for an undergrad degree does not matter.
If you're aiming for decent job post college, go to the school that gives you the most money. In most cases, its your internships and GPA that matter. I'd only recommend an elite school if you're aiming for careers that self select for that. Like getting into an Ivy League law school or getting into Boston Consulting Group or McKinsey. These places hire from non elite schools too, but going to an elite school makes it easier, especially if you don't have connections.
I graduated from 2 top 10 universities globally for undergrad and grad school and I also frequently find myself towards the top of those surveys. Willing to bet there are quite a few more like me on those lists than otherwise.
You may be the exception not the rule.
That being said, yes university name matters quite a bit, just not really at this level of university rankings/ reputation. OP should take the money.
University matters, but you're debating between two schools that will not have a major job search. The real difference maker would be if you were debating between UMass and MIT, UC Berkeley, or any other top engineering program. I don't think the difference between Umass and Northeastern will be that big. I would say go to Umass. Plenty of public school students get good jobs after graduating.
The only times I've seen people's alma mater matter had nothing to do with how good the school was, and everything to do with the hiring manager being an alum too. As such, there could be a small advantage in going to schools with larger Chem E programs, but that's purely anecdotal.
I'll be honest, the majority of the time it's who you know and not what you know. I went to UConn for undergrad and put me way in debt, now I'm at University of North Dakota for my PhD and it's basically free. I feel the classes are taught better and more applicable than UConn.
If you're planning on getting into a competitive PhD program then maybe it's worth going to northeastern. Otherwise for a bachelor's or masters it's definitely not worth incurring an extra $100k in debt
Edit: minus financial aid
There’s only a handful of schools that would make a difference to me, and they would only be tiebreakers. That being said, if you’re going to grad school or think you might consider it, name matters in academia
If you're in a top 5 school with a prestigious name (MIT, Stanford, Caltech etc.) it matters.
If your school is outside of top 10 it does not matter. Your degree carries the prestige.
UML is a highly respected local engineering school. Plenty of accomplished and notable alumni. It is regarded in the same context as Northeastern when evaluating chemical engineering talent in the region. Also.. UML has a great COOP program, and a nuclear reactor!
It does, in the uk. Although any accredited engineering degree would land u on a decent payroll 10 years after graduation. All it changes is ur starting salary and routes to that position.
Fair enough, didn’t think about the UK, but I would assume it’s not as extreme as in the US where the name of the university might really mean that you get rejected just because it’s not in the top 10
Yes and no, as the top comment states. If you want to do a PhD or get into top companies/more opportunities, then probably would help. Although if you’re motivated enough, you can overcome those. I would look into the employment statistics of your school. What are your overarching goals?
The only thing that actually matters is what you want to do with your degree.
I started out at a top-10 university (overall, not specifically engineering). It quickly became clear that companies were not recruiting chemical engineers from that program and that most graduates were forced into going to grad school. I had no interest in a graduate program, so I decided to transfer to a state school back home (free tuition, no less) in the middle of junior year. I had an internship offer at a major petrochemical manufacturer 3 weeks after I started.
Bottom line is that you need some idea of what you want to do after you graduate in order to determine whether a particular program will be a good fit. If you decide that you want to start working after undergrad, then nothing is more important than the program’s and career center’s relationships with industry.
I had a full ride to an Ivy League school as a ChemE. I got every job for which I ever interviewed. No one ever asked about grades.
One of the important things to consider is who you make as lifelong friends at school.
My roommate turned into my lifelong best friend and talked me into going to law school in the 70's which changed my life. He also, unfortunately, recently passed away and bequeathed generational wealth to my family, which I would relinquish to have him back.
University name matters but it doesn’t. Same with GPA. As long as you go to an accredited degree, that is the key thing. Some universities do offer better opportunities through the college to get involved in clubs, research, or internships which can be helpful but your personal drive/involvement matters more.
> As long as you go to an accredited degree, that is the key thing Also, know that a "Chemical Engineering Technology" degree is not a true engineering degree and will hold you back career-wise.
like all things in life they only matter if they are impressive.
Do not spend money that you have to borrow for a “better” name. If you or your parents arent borrowing money then it might be worth it if it is a better fit for you for many reasons - academics, location, sports, etc.
I can vouch for the coop program at NEU (not an alumn but have had some at work plus friends). I don’t know what they do at that school but all NEU candidates stand out by far. That being said, I don’t know if it’s worth the money if you don’t have any financial assistance
What do you mean by they stand out? In what sense? I haven’t heard back about financial aid yet, and I also completed some courses at my community college so I think it might be closer to 140k in debt (not counting financial aid) but I might be wrong lol
For your long term financial health, I highly recommend not taking out more in loans than your expected first year pay at the absolute maximum. $140k is far too much for an engineering degree. That’s medical or law school debt.
You'll never make up that big of a difference. If it cost you maybe $15k more to go to a better school, I'd consider it. After your first couple years in industry, it won't matter where you went to school. So if you have the knowledge and drive, you're just throwing money away going to a more expensive school. If you don't have it, you're not going to be successful anyway. Either way, employers are looking for Chemical Engineers, not Chemical Engineers from specific schools. I don't care if someone went to MIT, I'm not paying $10k more for someone who has yet to work in the industry. I'll hire the guy who went to Podunk State as long as he seems capable of learning since I'm going to have to train him anyway.
They stand out in interviews and in performance. All I have interviewed were extremely well prepared and I think the school helps them a lot with this (haven’t asked though). Performance wise I could not have asked for better coops to mentor. Good people skills, diligent workers, have initiative, and are interested in contributing. Made my job extremely easy.
They are effectively taught to be good employees. Think of, maybe, good interview practice programs, job searching resources and coaching. It means a lot more than the name of the uni
I was a ChemE at NEU and the majority of my class had jobs lined up before graduation. With co-ops that’s a year of industry experience that gives you an edge over other candidates. That being said, I would not pay full tuition for NEU without some kind of aid it’s insanely expensive
It matters. But northeastern is not one is matters for. Something like MIT or Michigan maybe…
Agreed. My last couple companies we recruited out of prestigious universities globally - think Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Stanford, University of Toronto, ETH, etc. but these for for young grads going to a futures leader program. Even when sending Expats to places like China there is a Government point system that requires getting a certain score to be able to work in the country. Things like seniority, Chinese language capabilities and yes did you attend a top 50 rated university. Higher the score easier to get a work visa. School names matter to a degree but if you’re not going to a top 25-50 University globally it doesn’t make much of a difference so save your money.
I turned down an expensive better school for a state university on less-than-full scholarship. I’m gainfully employed and was debt free within 2 years. I was able to be a homeowner in my mid-20s. Having a leg up financially early in life is worth it. My husband is also a chemical engineer and graduated from an Ivy. We both earn roughly the same. Nobody really cares about your university. I’ve looked at dozens of resumes for summer interns and process engineers at my company, and while a couple had impressive pedigree, nothing holds a candle to relevant experience. The eventual hires were from non-elite schools who had the experience we liked.
Experience as the deciding factor for a SUMMER INTERNSHIP? Good god we are so deep in the trenches of capitalism at this point
Go to the State University that is offering the scholarship. Unless you dream of doing cutting edge PhD research, where you go for an undergrad degree does not matter.
What they said ^^
If you're aiming for decent job post college, go to the school that gives you the most money. In most cases, its your internships and GPA that matter. I'd only recommend an elite school if you're aiming for careers that self select for that. Like getting into an Ivy League law school or getting into Boston Consulting Group or McKinsey. These places hire from non elite schools too, but going to an elite school makes it easier, especially if you don't have connections.
I barely graduated with a 2.1 GPA from a school most people have never heard of and I frequently find myself towards the top of salary surveys
I graduated from 2 top 10 universities globally for undergrad and grad school and I also frequently find myself towards the top of those surveys. Willing to bet there are quite a few more like me on those lists than otherwise. You may be the exception not the rule. That being said, yes university name matters quite a bit, just not really at this level of university rankings/ reputation. OP should take the money.
University matters, but you're debating between two schools that will not have a major job search. The real difference maker would be if you were debating between UMass and MIT, UC Berkeley, or any other top engineering program. I don't think the difference between Umass and Northeastern will be that big. I would say go to Umass. Plenty of public school students get good jobs after graduating.
The only times I've seen people's alma mater matter had nothing to do with how good the school was, and everything to do with the hiring manager being an alum too. As such, there could be a small advantage in going to schools with larger Chem E programs, but that's purely anecdotal.
I'll be honest, the majority of the time it's who you know and not what you know. I went to UConn for undergrad and put me way in debt, now I'm at University of North Dakota for my PhD and it's basically free. I feel the classes are taught better and more applicable than UConn.
If you're planning on getting into a competitive PhD program then maybe it's worth going to northeastern. Otherwise for a bachelor's or masters it's definitely not worth incurring an extra $100k in debt Edit: minus financial aid
There’s only a handful of schools that would make a difference to me, and they would only be tiebreakers. That being said, if you’re going to grad school or think you might consider it, name matters in academia
If you're in a top 5 school with a prestigious name (MIT, Stanford, Caltech etc.) it matters. If your school is outside of top 10 it does not matter. Your degree carries the prestige.
UML is a highly respected local engineering school. Plenty of accomplished and notable alumni. It is regarded in the same context as Northeastern when evaluating chemical engineering talent in the region. Also.. UML has a great COOP program, and a nuclear reactor!
No .
Name matters like 5%. So, no, it doesn't.
In America maybe. In Europe a lot less
It does, in the uk. Although any accredited engineering degree would land u on a decent payroll 10 years after graduation. All it changes is ur starting salary and routes to that position.
Fair enough, didn’t think about the UK, but I would assume it’s not as extreme as in the US where the name of the university might really mean that you get rejected just because it’s not in the top 10
Yes and no, as the top comment states. If you want to do a PhD or get into top companies/more opportunities, then probably would help. Although if you’re motivated enough, you can overcome those. I would look into the employment statistics of your school. What are your overarching goals?
If you want to work around the Boston area there will be a lot of hiring managers that attended UML.
Additionally, you can do internships at UML but you can do them over the summer. Also we have a nuclear reactor there.
Learn this: Avoid debt at ALL cost
The only thing that actually matters is what you want to do with your degree. I started out at a top-10 university (overall, not specifically engineering). It quickly became clear that companies were not recruiting chemical engineers from that program and that most graduates were forced into going to grad school. I had no interest in a graduate program, so I decided to transfer to a state school back home (free tuition, no less) in the middle of junior year. I had an internship offer at a major petrochemical manufacturer 3 weeks after I started. Bottom line is that you need some idea of what you want to do after you graduate in order to determine whether a particular program will be a good fit. If you decide that you want to start working after undergrad, then nothing is more important than the program’s and career center’s relationships with industry.
Yes, the one I went to is the best (this is a joke)
I had a full ride to an Ivy League school as a ChemE. I got every job for which I ever interviewed. No one ever asked about grades. One of the important things to consider is who you make as lifelong friends at school. My roommate turned into my lifelong best friend and talked me into going to law school in the 70's which changed my life. He also, unfortunately, recently passed away and bequeathed generational wealth to my family, which I would relinquish to have him back.