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Hey all, I'm an international student joining GA Tech for the MS in Computational Science and Engineering next month. I was considering campus housing for proximity and safety reasons mainly, but now that I have read about the small rooms and the cheaper off-campus options I am quite confused! Any insights you think might help me out?

So I have an admit for an MS in Computer Science from both Oxford and Georgia Tech. Given that I plan to pursue a Ph.D afterwards, Where do you believe pursuing my MS will give higher chances of getting me into a top Ph.D program in the US? Some relevant info: - Both universities have a large number of Masters students as well as Ph.D students - Oxford's a 1-year program, GA Tech's a 2-year program - I have to self-fund (parents/loan/scholarship) either way, with one year's cost being almost the same for both - GA Tech has more people working in my area of interest (Data Mining/Information Retrieval) than Oxford (which is more into semantic web and ontologies) - Oxford's 1-year ends with a research project while GA Tech's ends with a thesis Also has anyone here done their MS at Georgia Tech? What was the research like? Thanks!

Hey thanks! That's why this info: http://academic.research.microsoft.com/Comparison?entitytype=7&id1=15154&id2=405&topdomainid=2&subdomainid=7 has led me further to consider Simon Fraser! I did not expect the university to be THIS well-versed on an international level and now my gut feeling about it is strongly affirmed. Oxford will cost just way too much and as you've said, will not be a good starting point for applying to PhD programs in the US.

Hey thanks a lot for the thorough reply! Funding is definitely an issue for me. That's why I'd probably pick McGill over Oxford right now. Add to that the fact that Montreal and Quebec in general have tens of thousands of citizens of my country living there and the area in general is a melting pot, which will make it a smoother experience than Oxford, I think. Thanks again!

Hey all, I'm currently finishing off my BS in Computer Science from a top school in my country and the region. I have been admitted to the following MS programs: - Oxford: 1-year taught program with research project, no funding - Georgia Tech: 2-year thesis-option program, no funding - McGill: 2-year thesis-option program, funded - Simon Fraser University (SFU): 2-year thesis-option program, funded With respect to my research interests, which are in the area of data mining/web search, GA Tech and Simon Fraser are closest. I know SFU is a MUCH less reputable university than the other three mentioned in this thread, but chances for interesting research and publications at MS-level seem to be much higher, knowing that GA Tech has hundreds of Ph.D students already filling every research position with every professor, while SFU faculty dedicate more of their budget and time to MS students. As for McGill, it beats SFU in terms of reputation in Canada and the US, while an MS at Oxford might represent a huge step into virtually going to any Ph.D program I'd like to in the UK afterwards. Considering that I intend to follow my MS with a Ph.D (hopefully in a top school in the US), which program do you think I should choose? I'd appreciate any feedback really! Thanks