9/14    UCLA ee guy, to sync up, there are 3 orientations right?
        1 9/25 9-12pm Engineering Orientation at 4000A Math Science
        2 9/25 5-7:30pm Welcome reception
        3 9/26 3-6pm Computer Science orientation (you have this?)
                                        -ucla cs guy
        \_ I'm guessing since he's not CS, he doesn't have #3.
        \_ they say that a Cal Eng BS is equivalent to Eng MS from other
           schools that are not 1st tier. Is this really true? Do recruiters
           accept this as a general rule of thumb? Christine wanna comment?
           \_ No one puts Cal that high on the scales of anything.  Your
              typical recruiter wouldn't know Cal from Cal State Hayward.
              \_ This is sad, but true. Emphasis on 'typical', though. Some
                 are quite aware. Regionalism is a factor, too. --dim
                 \_ Some = so rare as to not count.  I've talked to a few
                    dozen recruiters in the last 6 or 7 years.  The typical
                    recruiter not only doesn't know what Cal is or how it
                    compares to Cal State Hayward, but doesn't know the
                    difference between a hardware guy, a coder, a sysadmin,
                    or an HR assistant if they all have the word "unix" on
                    their resume.  They're just pattern matching.  More
                    matches = better fit!
           \_ Since most tech recruiters are pretty clueless about technology,
              it is true that most recruiters don't know to weigh a Cal EECS
              degree heavily during resume consideration.  (e.g., they will
              weigh it, but weigh it the same as Stanford or UCLA or even
              in shameless cases, Harvard or Cal State **)  However, most
              hiring managers give a lot of weight to people from Cal EECS.
              In many cases, hiring managers will explicitly say they prefer
              someone with a Cal or MIT or CMU Engineering degree to their
              recruiter.  In the end, the hiring manager is the one who makes
              the decision, so that's the opinion that counts. (Plus, if your
              hiring manager doesn't have awareness of your educational
              background in Cal EECS, a red flag should go up anyhow).
              So to sum up:  a Cal Eng BS does matter, and it usually weighs
              as heavily or more as/than an MS from a non-first tier
              university. --chris
              \_ Stanford and UCLA are both awesome ee schools.  (UCLA CS
                 is unfortunately not as good).
                        \_ Isn't Dave Patterson from UCLA?
                           \_ One outstanding PhD does not a good program make.
                 \_ but not as good as Cal, especially on the CS side
                    of things.
                    \_ Cal has the best ee (and math) in the country.  I am
                       not sure the gap is that wide, especially if you are
                       a smart ugrad with research interests, and there is
                       someone at Stanford/UCLA/whatever that better matches
                       your interests.
              \_ But what are your odds vs a Stanford MS with your Cal BS when
                 the hiring manager hasn't specified Cal=Better?
                        \_ wouldn't that depend on the manager who has a
                           bias since he graduated from Cal|Furd?
        \_ why would it matter? 3-4 working experience==MS degree, and
           besides no one ever asks or judges you by the school you went
           to 5 years ago.