[OT] graduate school

[Kimball Larsen]

On Mar 26, 2008, at 4:14 PM, Grant Robinson wrote:

>
> On Mar 26, 2008, at 2:22 PM, Kimball Larsen wrote:
>> It's a terrible way to make a decision like this, but I think that  
>> any school with "University" in the name will hold more clout than  
>> any school that is known as a "Tech".
>>
>> ITT Tech.   Rhymes with Blech.
>>
>> I know nothing about either school though.
>
> It should be noted that most schools such as Virginia Tech and  
> Georgia Tech and Texas Tech are actually not "tech" schools in the  
> same way that ITT is a "tech" school.  Each one is an accredited  
> university with 4-year programs in most every field imaginable,  
> graduate programs, and doctorate programs.  Their common names are  
> not always their actual name.  For example, Virginia Tech's actual  
> name is "Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University" and  
> Georgia Tech is "Georgia Institute of Technology".  "Virginia Tech"  
> rolls of the tongue a lot easier, in much they same way that Georgia  
> Tech, MIT, and BYU are easier to say than their formal names.  They  
> are all very good universities, and the brand name recognition is  
> only worth something for a select few schools, and that "brand-name"  
> recognition is different from field to field.  I don't know what  
> those "brand-names" are in CS (except for MIT), but there you go.
>
>
> Grant Robinson
>

Good point, and this is all true.  Some folks have intimated that my  
first post was advice not worth listening to - and I never claimed it  
was.  However, I wrote it somewhat blithely and off the cuff w/out a  
very decent explanation:  Hiring managers are not always technical  
people, and frequently don't know the difference between a compiler  
and a commuter.  Who's to say they would know anything at all about  
the fact that Virginia Tech is actually Virginia Polytechnic Institute  
and State University, and a very good school for post grad IT study?

Now, having said that, the OP stated the reason they wanted to go to  
grad school was to pursue a career as a professor/researcher.  With  
this in mind, the name of the school means less, as the folks in the  
hiring circles likely know of each each school's reputation already.

I was just speaking from the pointy-haired manager's point of view,  
with a veiled (and failed) attempt at humor.

-- Kimball