The University of Connecticut

Date: Jul 14 2011
Major: Electrical Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
UConn is a fantastic school that is well-regarded, especially in New England. Connecticut is home to large, well-established corporations such as GE and UTC that recruit heavily from the UConn School of Engineering. If you prefer to stay and conduct research in pursuit of a MS/PhD, you will have that option as well, since the school is a top research university. If you are a Connecticut resident, the in-state tuition offers a fantastic value.

Overall I was very busy during my time at Storrs. The Engineering curriculum is rigorous and time-demanding. There were many times when I was forced to work late in a lab instead of going out to party like the liberal arts students. This is typical of any highly-ranked engineering school, and you should expect it if you want to get through the engineering program. I had more than a few classmates flunk out of engineering because they were not willing to put the time and effort into it. Those of us that did put time and effort into it the professors respected. In turn, I think I had great faculty and am appreciative of their efforts.

The last few semesters I was able to slow down the pace somewhat and did have some time to spend outside the lab. UConn offers every recreational activity imaginable. Intramurals, fantastic gym, outdoor excursions, concerts, ball-room dancing, skydiving…the list goes on and on. If there is something you like doing, they probably have it. The only negative about UConn is that unless you have a car, there is not much shopping/dining off-campus within walking distance. However, this is soon to change as the town of Mansfield is about to embark on a $220M Storrs Center commercial and residential development. I did not have this issue, since I always had a vehicle with me while at school.

In my opinion, the overriding purpose for attending college is in preparation for a career, and in this regard I was not disappointed. Despite not putting a great deal of effort into my search (I attended one career fair and fired off a few resumes online), I had numerous interview requests and had accepted a great job offer in the beginning of April, prior to graduating in May. The majority of my classmates had experiences similar to mine. My professors also offered a TA position and full-time graduate study to me, which I turned down to work full-time. I have since moved on from my first job, and my UConn BSEE degree has always been well-regarded in a professional setting. Recently, I have return to UConn in the part-time MBA program and found it to be a great experience as well while I am working full-time.

In summation, the University of Connecticut was a great choice for me. When applying to colleges, I was accepted to both Georgia Tech and the Rochester Institute of Technology, but choose to go to in-state UConn for Engineering, a decision I do not regret. I was able to graduate school debt-free with a professional degree that has given me great career options. I look forward to being, in a few years, an MBA alumnus as well.