Oregon State University Rankings by Salary Score

Obtaining a Bachelor's degree from OSU's EECS department is not easy. 10-week terms mandate a fast-paced learning environment. Asking professors and TAs for help can be a coin flip because many of them have research projects with both limited grant funding and limited time. The quality of instruction is very inconsistent from teacher to teacher, usually because those teachers drew straws to teach certain classes. Use ratemyprofessor or other instructor review sites to avoid the bad apples, and make sure you... Read More have both food and rent security while studying. The pressure to adapt and succeed is immense. Unless you are driven, confident, mentally healthy (or at least receiving treatment), and can make friends in class, it can and will break you. Getting a degree from OSU is not the same as going to a code camp, as it is a research and academic university first. Papers and theory are the primary focus. 90% of my classes focused on instilling the higher-level information, such as what certain algorithms or components are and how they work with each other, rather than how to use a specific language. I did not learn .NET, C#, Java, or any JS framework libraries while studying at OSU for my Bachelor's. This is a shame since so many entry-level job postings on LinkedIn and Indeed ask for one of the above. Having Oregon State's name on your resume won't guarantee you an internship or an interview. There are career fairs and outreach programs the university participates in that draw a lot of outside attention, but you need to make the initiative first and make a good impression. Even still, unless you have multiple advanced projects on your resume, the stars happen to align, or you know someone who knows someone, your chances of getting a work opportunity are slim. I would recommend it for getting a degree in higher education only if you live in Oregon, or have your finances completely covered. Paying out of state tuition for a name on your resume is not worth it.

Don't be fooled by these 4-5 star reviews left for Oregon State University. These are from small-town farmers who know and have seen nothing better that could be offered from a University. If you are unfortunate enough to be living in Oregon when you are graduating high school, opt for a community college, or an east coast school. At least at these schools, they dedicate your tuition to the growth of the school, and to further your education. In Oregon, they like to give your money to the failing sports programs,... Read More and the incredible amount of student employees getting paid to stand and miss class. OSU's student body culture boasts a pretentious urge to be accepting of minorities, yet pushes them to the outskirts of campus at all costs, while having little to no actual minority involvement. Most of the student life is dominated by exclusive and chauvinistic fratboys and sorority girls, who have simply chosen OSU to get their Mr. and Mrs. degrees, promptly drop out after a failed year at business school, and then stay around the heart of the valley in Oregon. These people are easy to find when they drop out, as they are often sporting "Oregun" stickers on their enormous vehicles, waving giant American flags, and attending republican rallies ornamented in Oregon State University clothing. If the culture alone didn't keep change your mind about wasting your money at this school, consider the extreme bureaucratic systems OSU has set up, that make what used to be simple tasks for students, an absolute nightmare. For example, if you would like to change your password to your student account, it is going to take you no less than 2 hours, speaking to various students(paid with your tuition) and jumping through hoops, just so that you can find out what your schedule looks like. OSU makes it SO hard to put on any sort of event, and really challenges people that want to get involved, into figuring out how they can do so with their strict policies. OSU is constantly changing their curriculum and programs. The education alumni got 5 years ago is drastically different than the one people get nowadays. I have taken many classes at OSU where we were expected, and set up for failure, with class averages on exams being in the 30% range, and that translating to an A with a curve. This is an awful way to teach and is frequented at OSU. Twice now, has OSU decided to change their curriculum, and force me to take a class, that when I first enrolled at this school, they did not think was necessary to take. This tacks on thousands of dollars in debt for students, and forces them to change their plans and schedules without any warning. Ultimately, I feel as though I have made a huge mistake going to this school, and if I could have put my money and time somewhere else, I would have done that immediately. This school is a giant gold-encrusted turd, and has forced me now to spend the next 5-10 years of my life paying for OSU's failure of a football team/coach and repulsing greek life.