[PhD in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research Fall 2013]

Have you been in touch with any faculty at the schools you've mentioned who are active in those areas? That could (should?) turn out to be a major factor in your decision.

 

No 33andathirdRPM. I have not been in touch with any of the faculty members in these Unis. Anyhow, I made the decision and I decided to attend VT.

Thanks for you comment.

 

It looked like you could get a 1-bedroom apartment for as low as $500-600/month if you don't mind the apartment being pretty small with a communal laundry room.  Some of the nicer 1-bedrooms seem to be in the $700-800 range and I think the 2-bedrooms in those complexes are in the $900-1000 range.  When I visited it seemed like a lot of the grad students rent houses instead of apartments, but I have no idea what the rents are like for those.  I'm not certain about the cost of utilities or food, either, sorry.  I'm pretty certain I can live decently on my stipend (the same as yours), but I'm unmarried, so it's a bit easier for me.  I'm told that the bus system in Blacksburg is pretty good and free for students, so you could probably get along without a car if you lived on a bus line.  It seemed like a lot of houses and apartments were within easy walking/biking distance of campus, too.

 

Blacksburg seemed to be a pretty typical small college town.  Right near campus are bars, a little artsy movie theater, coffee shops, things like that.  There are probably concerts on campus, and I'm sure local bands play in some of the bars and clubs.  I think the area around campus is probably pretty lively on weekends, though a lot of it will be undergrads.  I'm told there's at least one bar that caters to the grad students more.  I know there's also has a big farmer's market in the summer, and I think they do street festivals there sometimes.  Christiansburg, about 10-15 minutes from campus, has chain restaurants, big box stores, a mall, and a decent-sized movie theater.  If you like the outdoors, hiking and such, there's a big state park with a bunch of trails through the mountains.  The scenery is absolutely gorgeous.

 

If you're not looking for big concerts and shows, you can probably find things to do in Blacksburg.  It's going to be pretty quiet, but there's enough around to keep most people interested.  If you get bored, it's only 4 hours from DC, 2-3 from Richmond, and 4 from Williamsburg, so you can always make weekend trips to bigger cities.

 

I posted to the city guide about Blacksburg and I'm hoping to get some responses from people who have actually lived there.  I'm also planning to ask the graduate student coordinator for the contact info of some current students so I can ask them questions.

 

Have you decided on Virginia Tech, then, or are you still considering your options?

 

lpeppersauce, I am so thankful of you for the complete and comprehensive comment. I really appreciate your time and consideration. It was absolutely helpful for me. That said, I decided to attend VT, since its IE department is much more reputable than UMN's and the cost of living and the climate in Blacksburg is a little more endurable for me and my wife than those in Minneapolis. Hence, I hope I and you will become classmates starting Fall 2013 if I can pass the visa processing.

Thanks again for your guidance,

Go Hokies!

[PhD in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research Fall 2013]

What's your preferred research area?

 

33andathirdRPM, my preferred research areas are Operations Research, Logistics, and Transportation Systems.

 

I don't know anything about the Minnesota or Tilburg, so I can't really speak to those programs or the relative strengths of the universities.  I can say that I visited Virginia Tech and really liked the program.  All the students I spoke with seemed very happy (always a good sign), there was some really interesting research going on, and the professors seemed to be really involved with their students, both professionally and socially.  The students also seemed to be a pretty tight-knit group, which is something I was looking for.  One of the running themes of the visit was "the program has money."  Basically, the students all said that they don't have a problem finding funding, that money is plentiful, and that if there's no funding for research, there are always TAships available.  Because it's the #3 ranked program in the country, I think the university pushes a lot of money their way.

 

One note, Blacksburg is a very small town.  Christiansburg (the next town over) is a bit bigger, but they're surrounded by mountains and pretty isolated.  The closest small city is 45 minutes away (Roanoke) and the closest large city is at least a couple hours.  If you don't like small towns, Blacksburg may not be the place for you.  That being said, it's also pretty safe.  The people I spoke to said that there's really no problems with burglaries, carjackings, or anything like that.

 

Hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

Thanks lpeppersauce for the comment. I really appreciate it. Considering financial matters, a small town cannot be that terrible for me, since I am married and I should manage my and my wife's costs to be maximally covered by the funding. Anyhow, do you know anything special about the costs in Blacksburg? Do you think 1914$ per month can be sufficient for us with a mediocre style of living? What's your idea about Blacksburg itself? Is it an active town? Are there sufficient entertainment infrastructure (stores, etc.) and activities (concerts, movies, etc.) in Blacksburg? I mean, is the town alive or dead?

Pre-thanks  for your next comments.

[PhD in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research Fall 2013]

Congrats to all of you who got admissions.

I have been admitted to Virginia Tech ISE with full financial support (50% fellowship + 50% TA: 1914$ per month + tuition and fees + 90% of health insurance), University of Minnesota ISyE with full financial support (currently I do not know the amount and the type of support), and research master/PhD program of Management - OR track at Tilburg University with full financial support (Koopmans Scholarship: 1000 euros per month + tuition for first year and 2.5K euros per month from the second year). Now it is the decision time for me. I really appreciate your comments about these schools. Which one do you think is the best choice?

I myself think that Tilburg cannot be that competitive in this list, even though its management program is widely recognized in Europe. I know that ISE department of VT is much more recognized than Minnesota's ISyE, but I think Minnesota is more reputable overall. Hence, your comments are absolutely welcomed.

[PhD in Industrial Engineering/Operations Research Fall 2013]

Hey all!

Here is my profile.

Applying: PhD of Industrial Eng or Systems Eng.

Status: International

Undergrad: Applied Math - Not well-known uni in the Middle East

Undergrad GPA: 3.66/4.00 (Converted by WES - Rank: 2/30)

Grad: Systems Engineering - Well-known uni in the Middle East

Grad GPA: 4.00/4.00 (Converted by WES - Rank: 1/10)

GRE: 170Q (99%), 150V (44%), 4.0AW (49%)

Research: 2 extended abstracts and 2 full papers (first author of 3 of the 4 papers) and oral presentations for the papers at not very well-known Intl. Conferences + 2 manuscripts being prepared to be submitted to journals

LoR: 2 excellent LoRs and 1 good LoR, all from not well-known full/associate professors

 

I applied/am applying to these unis:

Northwestern

V Tech

Penn State

Texas A&M

U of Minnesota

Lehigh

UC Davis (Transportation)

U of Washington

Rensselaer P I

Stevens I of T (Sys Eng.)

 

What do you think about my chance of getting admission with full funding to the unis in my list?

I really appreciate your comments and advices.