UC Riverside vs. UChicago, CS PhD

[noornk]

I've received my uchicago admission about a month ago. The advisor assigned to me is a high-rank professor and I've discussed the type of research we're going to do. The funding is really good, and they also support the cost of my travel to Chicago.

My UC Riverside admission came about a week ago. A professor has been assigned to me (I don't have much info about him, though the h-index is much less). The funding is just enough to survive, and that's it!

Yet, I know that UC Riverside is a U of C, and has it's own benefits. And the University of Chicago is in top 10 schools in the world, but I'm not sure about their CS departments. Please tell me your opinion and please tell me anything that you think might be helpful for the decision.

Thank you all very very much.

[strawberrykat]

A quick search showed that UChicago has a better ranked grad CS program than riverside (30-something vs 50-something), according to US News (for what that's worth). 

I'm not a CS student but given that these are PhD programs I would argue that the professor and your relationship with them is critical, as well as how interested you are in their work. Have you had/will you have a chance to visit either school? See if you can speak to any of the current students working in those labs. Depending on if you're considering academia or industry, check out job placements. Usually the department has an alumni page where you can find this information. 

P.s. Chicago is awesome. 

[noornk]

5 minutes ago, strawberrykat said:

A quick search showed that UChicago has a better ranked grad CS program than riverside (30-something vs 50-something), according to US News (for what that's worth). 

I'm not a CS student but given that these are PhD programs I would argue that the professor and your relationship with them is critical, as well as how interested you are in their work. Have you had/will you have a chance to visit either school? See if you can speak to any of the current students working in those labs. Depending on if you're considering academia or industry, check out job placements. Usually the department has an alumni page where you can find this information. 

P.s. Chicago is awesome. 

Yeah, I know about the ranking, but the thing is some people keep telling me that because your major is CS, California have a lot more opportunities for jobs and internship.

Unfortunately, I have no chance of visiting the schools, but I've talked to one of the students in UChicago and she seemed pretty happy working in the lab. But not much info, and I think the students' words might be biased.

I'll search for the alumni as you've suggest, thank you very much

[TheMostPowerfulApplicant]

U Chicago is definitely more prestigious

[CCUCasey]

If you're doing a PhD, you'll hardly have time for internships anyway. On top of that, the faculty at UChicago will help you find a job after graduation just as well, if not better, than the faculty at UC Riverside. Go with Chicago.

[there_is_a_so_long_wait]

i say go to UCR.  UCR will have a much better connection to the industry here in CA. 

did you receive a visit day invitation to UCR yet?