The Stevens Institute of Technology

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Math (This Major's Salary over time)
I went to Stevens for their Applied Math MS program, and this is what I thought of the university as a whole:

Pros:

Stevens has a great reputation of giving good job prospects, especially for those in the NJ/NY area. The career center here is extremely helpful, and advisors here do whatever they can to make sure you graduate with a job, or obtain one shortly after you receive your degree. In fact, because of their advice, I was very prepared for job searches I had afterwards. I was offered a full-time position fairly quickly, thanks to their help.

This is not applicable to my major, but there are plenty of opportunities to find valuable internships or co-op programs in many fields provided here. One of my friends found his summer internship a valuable part of his education, so again, this helps with the job prospects.

Hoboken is a very interesting town to wander around in. Not as loud and boisterous as New York, but not as quiet as a rural city. Speaking of New York, it's also very easy to go here from Stevens, if that interests you.

Some students here are friendly. It's too bad they're usually swamped with work (which is not entirely their fault), so getting to know some people here can be difficult. Still, the few that I did get to know better are genuinely good people.

Cons:

Education does NOT come first at Stevens. This has been proven to me when I saw how many faculty members (not just from my department, keep in mind) were either absorbed in their own research, unresponsive to emails, incompetent at teaching (sometimes, to the point where it's stunning), or perhaps, all of these.

Most classes at this institution are not all they're cut out to be. Even as an Applied Math major, a lot of the work I did was theoretical and not useful for what I wanted in a career. While real world applications are mentioned, they are often not the focus of most courses. Thank God for the marketability Stevens gives their students, because these classes are not the main reason why people who graduate from here have a job.

In my undergrad college, the student body was very outgoing, maybe a tad bit too much for my liking. On the other end of the spectrum, the student body at Stevens is not outgoing ENOUGH. This is partly due to the sheer amount of work they have, but sometimes, when you do get to know a few people here, they can be snooty/entitled. You honestly have to hope you find the genuine people mentioned earlier. It's like flipping a coin.

If you want to find a Teaching Assistantship/Research Assistantship here, good luck if you're not a PhD student. I had to be VERY persistent with the head of my department about a TA position, which he was initially, reluctant to give. Eventually, I did get one, but it was only for one semester. Other people, from what I've heard, have had similar difficulties in finding these kinds of positions as well.

Stevens definitely has potential to more positively stand out from other tech schools in the nation. However, they need to make more efforts to invest in their educational aspects by improving curriculum and coursework, hiring professors who have credibility as teachers, and having more realistic work expectations. All of this will make the student body happier, and they will graduate feeling more confident that Stevens was a worthwhile decision for them.