

Ask HN: Should I transfer colleges? - bluzard

Hi, I&#x27;m a undergrad who just finished my freshman year at a large state school (ranked in the 80s according to US News) with a solid CS department. My major is CS with minors in math and econ. I chose my school because it was the most affordable option. Academically, I am doing well (3.9&#x2F;4.0 GPA). In my spare time I try to code as much; I&#x27;m learning R at the moment, but know Python (along with some Django), Java, Matlab, some C&#x2F;C++, HTML5, and Javascript. I also started working in a Professor&#x27;s lab doing scientific computing in R&#x2F;Matlab (and some Python). I would like to work in a startup one day or start my own. I&#x27;m particularly interested in machine learning&#x2F;AI and its applications for robotics (i.e. computer vision) and computational biosciences&#x2F;bioinformatics. Luckily, money is not an issue as it used to be. I&#x27;ve had thoughts of transferring since earlier in the year. I don&#x27;t mean to sound pretentious, but I personally feel that I can do &#x27;better&#x27;, and go to a more rigorous school. I&#x27;m interested in transferring to Rice, Brown, Cornell, Michigan, and the University of Virginia. Beyond the school&#x27;s network and rigour, is there any other benefit a more well known school provides? Does going to a school with exceptional peers really make a difference? I figure the only way to get better is to play a smarter opponent? There isn&#x27;t really a great startup scene at my school, but I know the schools I&#x27;ve listed have had more measures taken towards encouraging entrepreneurship, so perhaps there&#x27;s a greater chance of finding other founders. Does the name really matter? I sometimes feel I have to compensate for the lack of brand name value my school provides, such as when applying for internships. There&#x27;s not really a lot of on campus recruiting, so it&#x27;s more hustle from my side. I notice that my friends who go to brand name schools have fantastic alumni networks.
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arebop
I attended a less prestigious school for undergrad, a more prestigious school
for grad school, and now I work at a well-regarded software company.

I think undergrads in a more prestigious and better-funded department likely
have more scheduling choices for upper-division courses. They can follow their
passions more easily and delve more deeply into rigorous material as a result.

A prestigious institution will also tend to have more fellow students are able
and motivated. I am not very entrepreneurial but I guess this would make
startup launches more likely and more likely to be successful.

It is certainly true that students in elite CS programs are more likely to get
great internships. I believe this is due to a combination of their merit and
their connections via peers, alumni, and faculty.

My impression is that especially if you're interested in the startup world,
credentials aren't very important.

But especially because you are not surrounded by people with connections to
Silicon Valley and top tech companies, if you stay where you are, you will
have to find in yourself tremendous motivation to hone your knowledge &
skills, apply for internships at places where the best people work, and really
shine in every interview.

~~~
bluzard
I agree with your comment on it being easier to get intern ships, and have
access to a bigger network.

Regardless of where I end up at school, I'll always focus on honing my skills,
and on making the best of what my school has to offer.

I guess my main question is about peers. I went to competitive HS where
everyone pushed themselves and each other to do better. I think with a lack of
motivation and ability, people automatically draw barriers/limits on
themselves, i.e. I can't do XYZ, it's too difficult, only a genius could do
that, etc.

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iopq
Just don't try to do group projects with your classmates, they'll probably not
be that motivated/smart.

~~~
bluzard
I don't think that something I can avoid... and it's not that bad. I think I
should've reworded my original post- my current school isn't bad, it's just
not the college experience I'm looking for.

