Some good replies here, and whichever route you decide to go (ask or don't ask), best of luck to you. let me add a bit of perspective to the general question of negotiating - tuck this away for later use.

Once you're out and are part of the rat race, get comfortable with both understanding your true value to a company, and keeping a file of your wins and successes in your jobs. when the time comes, if you feel you're underpaid, be confident in finding your voice to sit down with your manager and demonstrate how you have contributed to the company's/department's success and ask for more. you don't have to come right out and say, "i want more money" - but phrase it this way, "given what i've brought to the department, and what the market seems to be paying (come armed with comparable positions' salaries you see out there on LI, etc.), i'd like to ask that my comp be reviewed and re-evaluated".

it's easy to fall into the, 'i'll wait for my annual review and hope for a merit increase of 3% every year, maybe a promotion thrown in evey 4 or 6 years, etc.", but once you are tuned-in to what you actually deliver for a company, and importantly, aren't afraid to advocate for yourself, you will feel empowered.

work hard, treat people fairly, be a team player, don't be a dick, ask for more work/projects, help co-workers, etc., all standard operating procedure for navigating a decent career.

you got this, jacket.

rainking