SisyphusDreams

Thanks for the input CJim. My co-worker/classmate brought up the same point in a recent conversation. Plus, another thing that might make other schools rank higher is the fact that they have football teams (UCSD does not) which in some way allows those schools to get more publicity. If this is true, it's even more impressive that UCSD ends up being competitive in the public eye! I will admit that kcyc has a point when he says you can't beat SD weather! For this reason, among others, I am leaning more towards staying at UCSD.

When it comes to the fields of Machine Learning, Intelligent Systems, Robotics, which program would you consider to be the better of the two for someone that would consider going into industry or pursuing PhD after MS? Some links: UCSD Intelligent Systems, Robotics, Control Requirements https://www.ece.ucsd.edu/sites/ece.ucsd.edu/files/ece/assets/M.S.%26%20Ph.D.%20Degree%20Planners%20-%20ISRC%2013-14.pdf Columbia Machine Learning Overview http://www.cs.columbia.edu/research/areas#learning How might these two programs differ in content and future opportunities? Thank you!

I've recently received offers for these programs (Columbia University MS in Computer Science, my choice of specialty, or UCSD MS in Electrical Engineering for Intelligent Systems, Robotics and Controls) and would appreciate any input on your perception of them with respect to their reputation in the robotics/AI/computing and related industries, ranking comparison for the specified areas of study, as well as quality of education, research opportunities for MSs at the institution, student satisfaction, etc. I know Columbia is a prestigious Ivy League school, the CS department has a good reputation, but UCSD's ECE/CS departments are making quite an impact as well in the last few years. Some background on me: I graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering (Machine Intelligence and Controls) from UCSD (3.5+ GPA) because I really started to gravitate / gain a liking for what I guess is more related to CompSci than EE because from what I understand, machine intelligence / robotics is typically not offered in EE departments at most universities. One of my main hesitations with entering a graduate Computer Science department is that I might be at a disadvantage compared to other students at least when it comes to algorithm analysis and mathematical-programming/optimization. I'm not so worried about my coding abilities as it's always been a personal interest of mine so I am proficient when it comes to that. Is this even worth taking into consideration given the schools in question? As for personal preferences on location, I am familiar with UCSD and would be content with remaining in San Diego... at the same time the prospect of a whole new experience in the Big Apple is exciting and I'd welcome it. It really comes down to the programs' faculty, their teaching style, student-teacher interaction, class sizes, rankings, etc. and I don't know much about Columbia when it comes to these criteria. I was also accepted to UMich EECS: Systems but I take it Columbia and UCSD are better. Show me the light! Any input helps. Thanks!