Honestly, I'll say this as someone who goes to Harvard. If you go to schools very prestigious schools like Harvard, MIT, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get a decent job after graduation.
The market is tough, and Harvard and MIT grads might be getting jobs at FAANG and Quant left and right like they did a couple of years ago, but if you do a lot of leetcode and prepare for interviews properly, you should be able to find something decent.
The fact is there's still a good number of companies that will give any Harvard or MIT student an interview as long as they have some experience on their resume. Prestigous internships or not; the school name still gives you an advantage.
The fact that you're getting interviews and not passing means that there's something you could probably be doing.
All we know is that you've built side projects. But especially in the new grad market, companies are working for work experience, not some toy apps that you just built for your friends.
How many leetcode problems did you do? A lot of people are struggling to just even get interviews. If you're getting interviews, and not passing, that likely means there's something you could be doing.
But let me tell you a story. There's a guy I know from a top school (one of Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Stanford) who didn't get their junior internship until May last year. Their internship wasn't prestigious, and none of their internships or jobs during their college career were prestigious. He almost ended up with no internship.
For new grad applications, he didn't even apply with referrals. He didn't get as many interviews as others who did internships at Big Tech/FAANG, but he did get some interviews.
He did 500+ Leetcode problems throughout the summer and fall, and got an offer from Amazon and a unicorn startup. He also got an offer from another big tech company and make the hiring manager round at another big tech company (didn't move forward because he already accepted another offer), which many other students, who had more prestigious internships, failed.
The point is at a school like MIT, you and your friends should be able to get a job. You have access to any new grad job; not just FAANG, but also exclusive startups.
The market is tough, and Harvard and MIT grads might be getting jobs at FAANG and Quant left and right like they did a couple of years ago, but if you do a lot of leetcode and prepare for interviews properly, you should be able to find something decent.
The fact is there's still a good number of companies that will give any Harvard or MIT student an interview as long as they have some experience on their resume. Prestigous internships or not; the school name still gives you an advantage.
The fact that you're getting interviews and not passing means that there's something you could probably be doing.
All we know is that you've built side projects. But especially in the new grad market, companies are working for work experience, not some toy apps that you just built for your friends.
How many leetcode problems did you do? A lot of people are struggling to just even get interviews. If you're getting interviews, and not passing, that likely means there's something you could be doing.
But let me tell you a story. There's a guy I know from a top school (one of Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Stanford) who didn't get their junior internship until May last year. Their internship wasn't prestigious, and none of their internships or jobs during their college career were prestigious. He almost ended up with no internship.
For new grad applications, he didn't even apply with referrals. He didn't get as many interviews as others who did internships at Big Tech/FAANG, but he did get some interviews.
He did 500+ Leetcode problems throughout the summer and fall, and got an offer from Amazon and a unicorn startup. He also got an offer from another big tech company and make the hiring manager round at another big tech company (didn't move forward because he already accepted another offer), which many other students, who had more prestigious internships, failed.
The point is at a school like MIT, you and your friends should be able to get a job. You have access to any new grad job; not just FAANG, but also exclusive startups.
Luck does play a part, but we have to be real.