cs_phd

getting SSN is straight forward. You just need to fill the application form and submit it. Since you may get paid for PhD (stipend), you will need SSN. once you join the program, you can apply immediately. It takes 2 weeks to get the SSN. for phone connection, they use the last 4 digits of passport instead of SSN if the international students don't have SSN card. You can do the same or wait till you get the SSN. Banks don't necessarily need a SSN, passport and visa is sufficient. If some banks ask for it, you can wait till you get the card.

not sure about the comparison between ubc and uwm. But if you see the research page, ubc seems to have good research faculty in vision. I think you may have to ask people who are working in that area. May be email someone working in that area. Even UCSD AI is not in top-10 in US.

yes uw-madison is great for systems. AI is good in UW-M but not in top15 for AI in US. GA Tech's AI group is great. Within top 10 like most of the other groups in GATech. I think you may need to consider the professors research interests and your interests as well in addition to funding because you also have inclination to do PhD. I mean what exactly in vision and ML and how good the research is from the professors etc and how this matches your interests. If funding is a significant criterion then you may select UW-M and UBC because both are good for AI. With UW-M brand you can get in to a good uni for PhD. Same with UBC. As far as I know most people in UW-M get good internships in west coast. Getting internships and jobs won't be a problem for UW-M people. From your cons, only weather applies. UBC is well recognized academically and it is recognized in US also. waterloo, toronto and ubc and maybe even mcgill are the canadian unis recognized well.

if your interest lies in CS then you should go to UCLA. It is as good as any university (top 10-12 as per rankings for cs) and there is no problem getting in to reputed companies.

I think cornell is good for theory. I don't know much about oxford's theory cs. I would choose cornell unless Oxford's theory is far better than cornell's.

Anyone heard from Imperial College London Computer Science PhD ? The decision notification date is April 1. Just wanted to know whether anyone got interviews or do they decide without interviews.

Can anyone tell me how good is McGill for Computer science PhD? Does it have good reputation so that one can join academics or reputed research labs after graduation (on successful completion with good publications). I know that it depends on professor and also the area and the research but just wanted to know about the perception.

Has anyone heard from UBC CS PhD ?

Has anyone heard from U Waterloo CS PhD admission? Do we need to contact POI or will the results be out soon?