UChicago vs UT Austin for theory?

[marodova]

What are the pros and cons of each? Chicago has some very good theorists (Razborov, Babai, Mulmuley, and several others at TTI), but they seem a little less active; while Austin has fewer but more active theorists (Zuckerman, Klivans), and an overall much larger department.

How are the students at each? Which is more 'prestigious'/well-regarded (not sure how much it matters if I want to get an academia job afterwards, but just in case I decide I do not want academia in the end, prestige seems to be helpful in the real world)?

[davidsu]

I also face the same problem between Columbia University and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Columbia university has very good professors but less active (in algorithm).

While Umich has smaller group with young professors and more active.

If I go Columbia, it seems that I will change to other areas such as computational learning theory or crypto.

I also have no ideas which one is more prestigious and how does prestige affect.

If anyone could give suggestions, I would be very appreiciate.

But if I were you I would choose UT Austin, which is one of my dream school.

It seems that UT Austin they do theory in more 'computer scientist' way.

[ch_]

Since I'm an undergrad from Chicago, I'll weigh in a little: it has a very good, albeit small theory department, and is well-respected within the community. Based on my limited experience here with taking graduate classes, the theory community here is small but tight. I haven't done any research or really know the graduate students well, so I don't know too much about working with specific professors (I've heard little things here and there, but it's rather inconsequential to list). My advice? Texas also has a very good but small department, so you should try as much as possible to base your decision on what type of theory you have interest in. As David Su said, theory at Texas does seem somewhat more "computer science", I guess as opposed to more "mathematical" and less applied at University of Chicago (these are all really vague labels and take it with a huge pinch of salt). If I were in your position, since I am leaning towards algebra and combinatorics (for now) and I am obviously biased, I would pick Chicago, if only for the chance to work with Babai.

If prestige were an issue, for an industry job I would think Texas would be better since their CS department in general is very highly ranked. Unless the Babai reference on "Stargate Atlantis" is a huge factor .

Also, where are you from? Consider other factors too.. don't underestimate the importance of things like the city, weather, food, etc. I love the city of Chicago, but it does get rather annoyingly cold and windy (unfortunately, I am headed somewhere colder. bah). Definitely try to visit these schools and get a feel of both the department and the environment.

BTW, you can message me for more specific questions/concerns.

Edited March 10, 2010 by ch_

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[Laboni765]

For theory, I’d put more weight on research fit and advisor availability than on overall department size or general prestige. A larger department like UT Austin can give you a broader selection of courses, students, and research areas, while a smaller program can sometimes make it easier to build a close relationship with a particular research group.

I’d compare the faculty working in your specific area rather than judging “theory” as one category. Complexity, algorithms, cryptography, computational geometry, and related areas can have very different strengths.

For an academic career, your advisor, research output, collaborations, and recommendation letters will generally matter much more than a small difference in overall university prestige. If you’re also considering industry later, both schools are strong enough that I wouldn’t make prestige the deciding factor.

I’d look at where several faculty members match your interests and where current students seem to be getting the kind of research opportunities you want.