Stevens Institute of Technology: Admissions Blog

Stevens Ranked 9th Nationally for Return in Investment

Stevens Institute of Technology is a college well worth the investment, a new study on the value of higher education by PayScale reveals. In fact, Stevens ranks 9th among all colleges and universities nationally for 30-year net return on investment, with graduates grossing $1.46 million in cumulative earnings above the cost of their bachelor’s degree after 30 years in the workforce. The university jumped to 9th from 24th on the 2012 PayScale college education ROI rankings.

With the latest Payscale ranking, Stevens joins an elite group in the top ten, including California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the placement puts Stevens ahead of prestigious institutions like Stanford University, Harvard University and Princeton University.

Read the full story.

Learn more about the Stevens ROI.

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Drew Capone Turns Experience into Opportunity at L'Oreal

Drew Capone Turns Experience into Opportunity at L’Oreal

When it comes to seizing opportunities, Chemical Engineering major Drew Capone offers great advice:

“Let someone else be the one who says “no” to you.  Whether you are pursuing a job or anything else in life, never be the one to stop yourself from doing something.”

It is precisely that attitude that helped Drew obtain his position at L’Oreal, where he’ll begin as an Operations Associate in their Management Development Program after graduation.

Drew says that he utilized the Castle Point Careers website to secure interviews and attended the Stevens Fall Career Fair where he met many potential employers.  He also worked with the Office of Career Development to refine his resume, practice interviewing skills and learn of numerous opportunities.  After interviewing with several companies, he was offered the job at L’Oreal which he readily accepted.

Hailing from Long Valley, NJ, Drew already has some great professional experience on his resume. In the summer of 2010, he engaged in research through the Stevens Scholars Program. The following two summers, he held internships at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering in Fairfax, VA and then ECI Technology in NJ. Active on campus, Drew is a member of the Stevens Christian Fellowship, The Stute, Varsity Track & Field, Club Ultimate Frisbee, and serves as a freshman RA. He is a Founding Father of the Rho-Omega Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at Stevens. He also traveled to Guatemala City for a week in July to distribute homemade water filters to the squatting community situated on the edges of a dangerous 40-acre garbage dump in the center of the nation’s capital, where thousands of the Latin America’s most at-risk inhabitants live and work (see related story).

Drew’s plans include earning other degrees in the future, perhaps an MBA.

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The Business of Technology: Elizabeth Martin Ready for Career in Finance

Consistently, students credit their time at Stevens with preparing them for the next step. Whether it be a challenging class, an inspiring professor, leadership experience in an organization, or exposure to professional, real-world opportunities, students always can cite something formative.

“Standing in the front of a classroom for my first big presentation and doing terribly,” recalls Elizabeth Martin when asked about her stand-out moment. “Since then, I have done everything possible to make sure I never feel like that again whether it be for another presentation, an exam, or an interview. Being prepared and confident is so important to being successful.”

Elizabeth will graduate in May with a degree in Business & Technology and a minor in Quantitative Finance. She received two job offers before accepting a position with Ernst & Young, where she will work in the Technology Advisory Program (TAP) for their Financial Services Office.

“Essentially what I will be doing is technology consulting, visiting different client sites,” Elizabeth explains. “There were a number of factors that made the choice to work for E&Y an easy one. Not to mention the position marries my academic areas of expertise perfectly, placing me within the finance industry but working with technology to optimize business processes.”

The Office of Career Development worked with Elizabeth on building her resume and helping her discover the direction she’d like to take with her career. She says together they made a list of companies to explore and the Office provided guidance on how to land interviews with these organizations. Despite interviewing with several companies, Elizabeth knew right away that Ernst & Young was somewhere she could see herself starting her career.

From Smithtown, NY, Elizabeth was on the Women’s lacrosse team and a member of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. She participated in two internships, working first at TIAA-CREF on their pension product transformation effort and the following summer at BlackRock Solutions, a division of BlackRock.

“The B&T program provided a great foundation for me, giving me a technology background with a very specific interest – like finance,” Elizabeth says. “The Office of Career Development is so supportive; I think they were just as excited as I was when I got my offer! It feels really good to know people genuinely care about me succeeding.”

While Elizabeth is excited for her next step, she’s good taking it one step at a time: “I really have no idea where I see my career heading, which is perfect for me right now. It’s exciting. I’m just looking forward to seizing opportunities as they come.”

Internships Yield a Job at Goldman Sachs for Senior Caitlin Early

Caitlin Early’s plans included focusing on internships as soon as she began her college career. She says she started the search at the Fall Career Fair just a few short months into her freshman year at Stevens. Working with the Office of Career Development, Caitlin laid the groundwork for building an impressive resume early on: at that Career Fair, she landed her first internship at AEP in Columbus, Ohio.

When she returned to Stevens as a sophomore, she was presented with the opportunity to attend an information session on campus for Goldman Sachs. After applying and having what she calls “a slightly overwhelming seven interviews,” she got the internship. That summer she was an analyst in the service division on an infrastructure planning team. She returned for a second summer the year after in project controls as a project manager.

After completing her second internship at Goldman Sachs, she received her full-time offer. She accepted the job because she had two great summer experiences with the organization and was confident the role was right for her. Caitlin will be an analyst in the Services Division when she starts in July, though her exact role has not been specified yet.

“That Information Session, hosted by the Office of Career Development, introduced what would be a large part of my life,” Caitlin states. “Who knew it would ultimately lead to my full-time position.”

Caitlin will graduate with a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, a Master’s in System Engineering, and a graduate certificate in Financial Engineering. On campus she has served as a tour guide, orientation leader, peer mentor, member of Gear and Triangle, President of Eta Kappa Nu, and took advantage of the Study Abroad program. Like Drew, she too hopes to eventually pursue an MBA. 

“I have been provided with more opportunities then I ever expected at Stevens,” Caitlin asserts. “In my four years I was able to not only enjoy my time as an undergraduate on campus and in Hoboken, but I also lived in Ireland for five months while studying abroad. All that and I was still able to complete two degrees and graduate with an amazing job.”

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Extracurriculars and Co-op Lead to Multiple Job Offers for Senior Isaac Cohen

Senior Isaac Cohen took advantage of the Cooperative Education (co-op) program at Stevens. Through the program, he held two co-op assignments: the first as a project engineer at Automated Control Concepts, where he designed and programmed industrial control systems for clients; and the second as a SharePoint Designer with International Flavors and Fragrances.

“In both co-ops, I learned a tremendous amount about the industry and the technologies that were used,” Isaac says. “These co-ops exposed me to the corporate world and taught me how to manage complex projects efficiently. And as a result of such great experiences, I received full-time job offers from both companies.”

In fact, Isaac received five full-time job offers before accepting a position as an Application Developer for JP MorganChase.

“After carefully reviewing my offers, I decided to join JP MorganChase,” states Isaac. “I always had an interest in finance and was excited to start off my career with a job that would allow me to combine my knowledge of financial engineering and programming. The fast-paced environment as well as the high standard of excellence is what attracted me to JPMC.”

Like many of his peers, Isaac credits the Office of Career Development with aiding his job-search process. At the end of his junior year he attended an informal workshop where he was able to speak to seniors who had just gone through the process of acquiring a job. At the beginning of his senior year, he participated in additional workshops to prepare for interviews and perfect his resume. Because of this, he encourages future students to take advantage of the services offered on campus and to join co-op, all of which offered him experiences that set him apart from other candidates. He also recommends getting involved in clubs/organizations on campus to help with personal and professional growth.

Isaac is an Electrical Engineering major with a minor in Computer Engineering. He will also graduate with a certificate in Financial Engineering, and hopes to earn a Master’s in Financial Engineering down the road. He is the president of Hillel (the Jewish cultural group), a member of the Stevens Honor Board, the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, Eta Kappa Nu electrical and computer engineering honor society, and the Stevens chapter of IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

It was becoming a member of the Stevens Honor Board that he says truly enriched his college experience. Isaac recently attended a conference in Texas on academic integrity and says:

“The purpose of the trip was to present how the Stevens Honor System works and to see what other schools are doing to promote academic integrity. After reviewing other school’s systems, I had a sense of pride when I grasped how well run and advanced our system is. While other universities were just starting to get students involved in their academic integrity system, we have had a completely student run integrity system for over 100 years!” 

These students exemplify that while the Stevens experience can look different for each individual, several constants exist including the real-world preparation one receives and the stand-out moments that are taken with each and every graduate.

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Taking Leadership Experience to Verizon

As a soon-to-be 2013 Stevens graduate, Teddy Poppe of Quincy, Mass. will head to Washington, D.C. this summer to begin a full-time career as an affiliate engineer in Verizon’s competitive Leadership Development Program, working primarily on FIOS and wireless development.

Poppe, who will earn a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.E. in Systems Engineering this May, is ready for the challenge.

“Stevens has a great five-year master’s program that provides a well-rounded education and makes students very well-prepared for life after college,” he said.

Poppe – who was personally recommended for Verizon’s program by a university leader – impressed in many ways as a Stevens undergraduate.

The Student Government Association (SGA) president, he oversaw more than 95 student organizations and a $1.2 million budget.

“This position brought all sorts of new challenges, but I think I was able to handle them well, and I think that we truly improved the SGA as a whole during my term,” Poppe said.

He also started Stevens’ first-ever Golf Club; held positions within in the Gear & Triangle student leadership society, Order of Omega Greek leadership society, and Sigma Nu fraternity; and did charity work for Up ‘til Dawn, which raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Poppe’s volunteerism during Hurricane Sandy earned him the Outstanding Citizen Award from the Stevens Campus Police, and he was also honored for his civic engagement and leadership on campus at the 2011 Stevens Student Leadership Awards brunch.

A member of Stevens’ Cooperative Education program, Poppe also gained work experience as an employee of two companies as an undergraduate student – L’Oreal Paris and ITT Electronic Warfare Systems.

At L’Oreal, Poppe designed custom tools and processes for production machinery, led an efficiency improvement initiative, and performed other manufacturing engineering duties.

At ITT, Poppe – who, as a youth, wanted to design fighter jets – worked in the circuit card assembly division, turning blank circuit cards into anti-radar systems for military use.

Given the mark he left on so many aspects of Stevens, Poppe was the obvious choice to address the Class of 2016 at the university’s 142nd Convocation ceremony in September 2012. There, he urged incoming freshmen students to make the most of their time at Stevens.

“This is your home; it will only be as good as you make it, and you will only get out what you put in,” he said during his speech.

Now Poppe is ready to leave his Stevens “home” and embark on his future at Verizon, thanks to the excellent preparation he received at his alma mater.

“I think I’ll find myself ahead of the game in work experience and overall engineering knowledge,” Poppe said.

He hopes to one day become a leader at Verizon.

“Like many Stevens graduates before me, I see myself staying at Verizon for the long haul,” he said. 

©2013 Stevens Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken NJ 07030-5991 USA +1.201.216.5000

From Stevens to the Peace Corps

Just a few weeks after she graduates in May, Katie Quish '13 will fly to Liberia, where she'll spend the next two years teaching math and science to children for the Peace Corps. While there, she'll look back on her years at Stevens as a time of learning, exploration and personal growth.

Quish, 22, grew up in Hartford, Conn. Her father is a travel agent and her mother is a teacher. She is an only child. She attended high school at University High School of Science and Engineering, a reputable magnet school affiliated with the University of Hartford. She swam, played tennis and joined the school robotics club.

Quish wanted to attend a college where she could continue to pursue her lifelong interests in science and math. She had been touring colleges throughout the northeast when her uncle, a guidance counselor in New Jersey who used to live in Hoboken, suggested she look at Stevens.

“I fell in love with it instantly,” she said about her first visit to Stevens. “The location is great, and it's the right size school for me. Everyone is involved, and everyone knows everyone, which is great. There's a lot of support around because everyone knows who you are.”

Quish said she overcame the challenge of adapting to college and academic life during her freshman year.

“The first year was rough, and I wasn't ready for it,” she said. “But through repetition I got used to it. When you're involved with things on campus, which is easy to do at Stevens, then you learn that balance. You're always busy so you learn about managing your schoolwork and organizing everything.”

Quish will graduate with a degree in Engineering Management.

“It's still a degree in engineering, but more of the business world,” she said. “I like being able to talk to people and help them manage their projects.”

During her time at Stevens, Quish served on the Entertainment Committee and helped bring events to campus. She also worked in the community with the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, and served as vice president for the Stevens chapter of Habitat for Humanity and as treasurer of the Stevens chapter of the Society of Women Entrepreneurs. She spent her senior year spring break in Portland, Ore. building houses with other Habitat volunteers.

Quish also joined the Stevens Cooperative Education program, which helped her land two internships, first with the Louis Berger Group, an engineering firm in Morristown, and then with Hamilton Sundstrand, a subsidiary of aerospace company United Technologies Corporation. She worked for Hamilton Sundstrand out its offices in Connecticut and San Diego.

Quish credits one of her professors, Teresa Zigh, with encouraging her to join the Peace Corps. “She was really supportive,” Quish said. “I told her I really want to do the Peace Corps, but I was wondering if I should find a job instead, and she said no, go for it, it's something you want to do and it's in line with your career goals.”

Quish said she's excited about her opportunity to teach abroad, in a country that is recovering from civil war.

“They're really pushing for education over there, and the kids we'll be teaching will be the next generation who will be able to improve Liberia's economy and help them grow,” she said.

She said she's preparing for the change in lifestyle.

“I know it will be really different, going from having everything readily available all the time, to going somewhere where I might not have internet for a month,” she said. “I'm sure it's going to be hard, but it's something I really want to do.”

When she returns, Quish wants to find a job that blends her expertise and interest.

“I'd like to use my engineering and project management skills for international development, and help other countries that might not be as well off,” she said.

In her spare time, Quish enjoys practicing yoga, hanging out with friends, including her sorority sisters in Theta Phi Alpha, and exploring cities like New York, Boston and Washington.

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Professional Practice Yields Career Opportunity for Senior Richard delos Reyes

Senior Richard delos Reyes completed three cooperative education (co-op) assignments during his Stevens career. He worked at L’Oreal as a Process Engineer, optimizing manufacturing times of various products; and twice at Movado Group, Inc. as SAP Production Support & Business Analyst. Driven on all fronts, Richard will graduate in May with a B.E.  in Engineering Management, an M.E. in Systems Engineering and three graduate certificates: Logistics & Supply Chain Analysis; Systems & Supportability Engineering; and Business Intelligence & Analytics.

After his two co-op terms at Movado, he was approached about a full-time opportunity with the organization. He knew he wanted to continue learning and felt Movado provided many avenues for growth. Richard is currently working part-time until graduation, when he will officially join Movado as a SAP Business Systems Analyst, specifically for the custom after-sales service functions and programs developed within SAP. He credits his Stevens experience with helping prepare him for this opportunity.

“Stevens gave me the skillset needed to stand out while working at Movado, which caught the attention of the CIO,” Richard says. “The Engineering Management program gave me a better understanding of process analysis and management, while the Systems Engineering program gave me a different perspective in analyzing products and processes.”

As a student, Richard has participated in many clubs, and even co-founded one: the Stevens Chapter of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE). He says his standout experience was taking part in the Summer Research Institute, hosted by one of Stevens’ National Centers of Excellence, the Center for Secure and Resilient Maritime Commerce. Participants were tasked with modeling the effects of a dirty bomb attack anywhere in the New York Harbor, and Richard worked on modeling the economic impact of such an attack. He calls it “an eye-opening experience”.

In the future, Richard would like to pursue IT/Business Systems consulting as well as a higher degree, but he is keeping an open mind and views the world as his oyster. He is grateful to Stevens for the “many, many opportunities for internships, co-ops and research, as well as extracurricular activities” it provides:

“Taking advantage of as many of those opportunities as possible will help bolster resumes and give students a better chance of landing great job opportunities.”

He certainly is proof of that sound advice!

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A Connected Network: Senior Jennifer Trinh Ready to Innovate at J&J

A Connected Network: Senior Jennifer Trinh Ready to Innovate at J&J

What’s one way to stand out in an extremely competitive job market? Have a documented resume of experience and established connections. Biomedical Engineering major Jennifer Trinh has parlayed her knowledge, cooperative education (co-op) experience, and the Stevens alumni network into a great job offer while finishing up her senior year. Jennifer will graduate in May with her B.E. in Biomedical Engineering as well as a Project Management graduate certificate. Her focus and ambition, coupled with opportunities for professional practice at Stevens, helped her secure the position she wanted.

“Stevens provided me with the career, leadership and networking opportunities necessary to gain an advantage. The Cooperative Education program that helped me secure two eight-month long assignments where I made critical workflow improvements and developed training guidelines for my companies,” Jennifer describes. “For my final summer experience, I decided to seek my own internship at J&J and worked closely with the Office of Career Development and Stevens alumni. In this internship, I built a strong network of more than 10 Stevens alumni from Ethicon and J&J IT, some of whom were already my mentors in college.”

Though it was the internship at Johnson & Johnson that directly led to her full-time offer with Depuy Syntheses in their prestigious Information Technology Leadership Development Program (ITLDP), her co-op experiences at Stryker Orthopaedics and Jarchem Industries, Inc. also prepared her for starting her first rotation as an Associate Analyst with project management duties. A two-year rotational program offering leadership development in both business and technology, the ITLDP is a perfect place for Jennifer, whose goal is to work for a healthcare company that specializes in clinical research, healthcare education, medical technology and service to the community.

Despite participating in many activities, Jennifer credits Greek Life as a standout experience during her time at Stevens: “In Fall 2009, I joined a small local sorority where the women were ambitious and one-of-a-kind. Its diverse sisterhood shared the same values as mine: friendship, loyalty, and love. It has been most rewarding because of the opportunities to meet new people, take on leadership roles, participate in Greek social events, and serve as a mentor for young women. More recently, I had the honor of bringing my sorority to national status by chartering the Gamma Chi Chapter of Theta Phi Alpha Fraternity and expanding its network to over 25,000 collegians and alumnae – not many people can put that on their resume!”

Looking ahead, Jennifer says she would like to spearhead future medical technology education programs for professionals like the Ethicon Professional Education program and complete a Master’s degree in Project Management. She urges other students to bring their own brand of “value-added” to everything they do, as each individual makes the world a better place with their bright ideas.

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Senior Tyler Courter Ready for Career in Finance

Tyler Courter had his career in sights from the beginning. He says he has been actively job searching since his freshman year at Stevens, utilizing the Office of Career Development (OCD) since day one. From workshops to career fairs to personalized mock interviews, Tyler felt well prepared to interview with and secure a career. All of his work and engagement the OCD paid off: Tyler Courter will be joining JPMorgan Chase as a full-time employee after graduation.

Tyler had the opportunity to work for JPMorgan Chase through the Stevens internship program. This gave him an opportunity to see how he liked both the financial world and the company. “I accepted the position with JPMorgan Chase as an operations analyst in the Private Bank, Wealth Management division, because it's a fantastic company and I truly enjoyed my internship this past summer. I will be in a two-year rotational program that allows you to test out three different job areas to define your strengths and interests,” Tyler states.

A Business & Technology major with a concentration in Finance, Tyler credits Professor George Calhoun’s classes with preparing him to work in the financial markets. Another internship he enjoyed over the summer after his sophomore year was working with Professor Don Lombardi through the Technogenesis Summer Scholars program (now the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scholars program), managing social media for the PG Chambers School. His extracurriculars included being a four-year member of Stevens’ varsity baseball team.

Though he is focused on growing and being successful at JPMorgan Chase, Tyler would like to pursue his Master’s degree in the future. He offers this advice:

“Future students should utilize the career development services at Stevens. They are continually ranked among the top 20 in the country and they prepare you so well for the interviewing process with their workshops and mock interviews. Sign up for Castle Point Careers (Stevens’ online job database) and they will guide you toward where you want to go!”

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