Agricultural engineering and Bioengineering: what is the difference?

How important is it where you get your engineering degree?

• What I mean to ask is, how much weight does a college's reputation carry when applying for jobs, internships, etc.? I'm looking at going into bioengineering or electrical engineering at the time of this writing. Supposedly University of California, San Diego has a strong engineering program, but I know for a fact that when you say "I got my undergrad at UCSD." it's a lot different than if you were to say "I got my undergrad at Caltech." Does this difference play a factor in the work place?

• Answer:

  As usual with questions like this one, the answer is, it depends. Both of the schools you mention are good ones. They're accredited and doubtless rigorous about their curricula and approaches. Where you go to school may matter to you more than to your prospective employers. You may prefer a specific subject offering, facility, or culture.  If you think one school will meet your needs better than others for some reason, go with that one. Unless I attended someplace with an especially questionable reputation, I think I would be concerned if an employer placed too high a weight on which school I attended. I would rather work for someone who takes the time to understand what I studied and how it might relate to the job. In short, focus on getting a quality education, rather than on where you get it.