How hard is it to get an internship as an SJSU student compared to Stanford or Berkeley?

[Anne]

I'm an international student. I need an internship to stay in the US after graduation. If I can't get one, I have to go back to Singapore. That's not the end of the world. But I'd rather stay.

I know Stanford and Berkeley students get internships easily. Their names open doors.

What about SJSU?

I asked the career services office. They sent me data. 85% of SJSU engineering students complete at least one internship before graduation. That's high. Higher than I expected.

But they also said: "You have to be proactive. Companies don't come to SJSU the way they come to Stanford. You have to go to them."

So the opportunities exist. But I have to work harder to find them.

Here's my question: Is the extra effort worth the lower tuition? SJSU is $20,000 per year for international students. Stanford is $60,000+.

I'd rather save money and hustle for internships. But am I being naive?

Has anyone here done SJSU → internship → job? I want to hear your story.

 

[XMara]

I hired interns at a tech company for years. I looked at portfolios, not school names. Honestly, some Stanford resumes were worse because they expected the name to do the work. SJSU students usually had better projects because they knew they had something to prove. That's a real advantage. Don't underestimate the hunger factor.