Tough Decision - Harvard or UW for Computer Science PhD

[cabbysaurus]

I am currently torn between two great options for a Computer Science PhD and would love to get some input please.  Below are the schools and some of my thoughts at this point about them.

School 1: University of Washington

Pros

• arguably one of the top schools for Computer Science
• lots of faculty members doing research that I am interested in
• large program with a lot of resources
• more students doing the type of research I'm interested in, so possibly more help/collaboration
• lots of connections to industry
• nice, new facilities
• I used to live in Seattle and have lots of friends there still

Cons

• even though there are a lot of potential advisors for me, the people I'm interested in working with have all expressed that they may not have time or money to support me
• the program is quite large and I'm worried that it may be hard to have a voice or that I may fall through the cracks
• some of the people I'm interested in working with have not been terribly responsive
• though funding is guaranteed, I don't have guaranteed funding through an advisor so may have to TA a lot 

 

School 2: Harvard University

Pros

• my initial advisor is really great - in fact people I met at other schools even say how great he is. We got along well in person and he is smart, responsive, and willing to let me work on essentially anything I would like
• the funding offer is awesome. I got a university fellowship for five years plus the university has a special fellowship for the final year, so I'm essentially covered for six years. It also pays more than UW and includes relocation
• I can get a co-advisor or choose to switch advisors if I would like, especially since I have funding already
• students there seem to collaborate with other faculty a lot, both in the department and also throughout the university and with MIT
• the program is smaller, so I feel more confident that I will have a voice and not fall through the cracks
• better/more job opportunities for my partner

Cons

• there is really just the one advisor I'd like to work with (at least at this point). I did meet other professors there who were nice and working on interesting projects though, so imagine that may change
• it's not as well-known for Computer Science as UW is
• the program is much smaller and there are very few students doing the type of research I'm interested in so there's less chance of collaboration
• the facilities are kind of old and cramped, but they are building a new building that will open in about two years. But that building is off campus, so I worry about how that will affect relationships across the university
• I don't know if I can handle winter and snow for six years straight

 

I'm really torn. I know that many people say that the advisor is the most important, in which case it seems that Harvard is a better choice since there is a professor there who is a good match for me and who really wants me there. Also the funding package I would get there would make things much less stressful for me, plus I would not have to worry about finding an advisor who has the time and money to support me.

However, my partner and I would both rather live in Seattle. I'm worried about the amount of uncertainty there, though, in terms of both an advisor match and funding. Two of the four professors I spoke to even brought up the option of getting a Master's there then a PhD elsewhere, which makes me feel that maybe they think that I will have trouble finding a match there. A third professor said that she would be concerned about me going there since the professors I most want to work with (herself included) may not be able to support me. I know that there are many different paths to getting a PhD, and that there are nearly a hundred faculty members at UW, so I would likely find someone to work with, but I don't know if that level of uncertainty is something that should make me go to Harvard instead. 

Any thoughts, advice, or words of wisdom would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Edited March 31, 2018 by cabbysaurus

[MrsPhD]

I don't do CS but here are my thoughts based on what you said and my knowledge of how departments work. Maybe someone with more inside knowledge of the departments can tell you something more.

It sounds to me like UW has one of those programs that accepts a large cohort and then gets rid of a lot of people. It might work for them to identify better candidates and also get cheap labor (TAs). It can be very frustrating and it can get competitive in terms of finding fundings/positions in Labs, etc.

In Boston there is a lot of snow, but Seattle also gets cold and it rains/it is cloudy all the time. I don't really see a difference. Both cities are very expensive too. But you can find small places walking distance to Harvard if you look really hard/early, which might help if you worry about the snow/cold.

I think that you should consider that:

- Some of your interests might change.

- Having a supporting advisor is very important. You don't want a grumpy advisor, or someone that does not pay attention to what you do/does not care about you. The fact that you would be his/her only student should also be appealing (assuming this person is nice and not a total nut job who wants a slave).

- Having people to talk to about research is important. 

- Ranking of department matters but if the advisor at Harvard is well-know or is a rising star (someone young who is publishing a lot), that will end up being more important than the overall standing of the department. Is he willing to involve you in projects and add you as co-author? You can learn more by doing that, that by being a TA at UW. 

- If you want to work in Industry and not Academia, I'd get the appeal of Seattle. You should think about that. If you want to work in Industry then this might be a different ball game all together. 

- If a lot of professors tell you something, then it means they might be actually concern and are trying to be honest. I don't really understand why would they admit you and then tell you they have no funding. It is very weird. It tells me they are not very well organized and maybe the fact that it is a large department makes it one of those "too many cooks in the kitchen" kind of department (when it comes to making decisions).

 

Edited April 1, 2018 by MrsPhD

[cabbysaurus]

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it. I agree with a lot of what you said and actually do not want to go into industry, so I guess that the location does not matter so much in those terms.

I think you're right that the professors at UW are trying to be honest and helpful. I'm not upset with them and actually appreciate their honesty  - I just wasn't aware of all of the different factors and implications at play. I am definitely worried about the potential competition for funding and labs, as you mentioned.

At this point, I am probably just letting my preference towards Seattle get in the way. Harvard is definitely a great program, the advisor is well-known and we get along well, plus I have the funding and actually feel wanted there. It seems silly to let location be the deciding factor. I guess I just needed to write this all out and see someone else's thoughts to come to that conclusion. So thank you! 

[MrsPhD]

33 minutes ago, cabbysaurus said:

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it. I agree with a lot of what you said and actually do not want to go into industry, so I guess that the location does not matter so much in those terms.

I think you're right that the professors at UW are trying to be honest and helpful. I'm not upset with them and actually appreciate their honesty  - I just wasn't aware of all of the different factors and implications at play. I am definitely worried about the potential competition for funding and labs, as you mentioned.

At this point, I am probably just letting my preference towards Seattle get in the way. Harvard is definitely a great program, the advisor is well-known and we get along well, plus I have the funding and actually feel wanted there. It seems silly to let location be the deciding factor. I guess I just needed to write this all out and see someone else's thoughts to come to that conclusion. So thank you! 

Glad I could help! Good luck.