MRes at Imperial vs PhD at Purdue

[AbbyGail]

Hi,

I am an Indian student. I have been accepted into two great programs- MRes Cancer Informatics at Imperial College  London and PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Purdue. I would very much prefer to settle down in  Europe in the future, so I am confused as to what I should choose! The main factors for each of them are-

Imperial-

I have been awarded a prestigious British Council scholarship covering 100% tuition fees to study the program at Imperial. The program offers the opportunity to do a six-month project at CRUK Cambridge, Francis Crick Institute, Institute of Cancer Research or GSK. It is a one-year program, so I can shift to a better institute for a higher paid PhD (Marie Curie position, Cambridge or International PhD programs in Switzerland) paying >3K GBP per month for 3 years. But, I have to cover my costs of living for the year which are a LOT! I would have to take a loan of around 12K GBP for this. But again, Imperial is very prestigious and renowned and it is in London which opens many doors. Also, the alumni recommend it very much.

Purdue-

It is a fully funded PhD with 27,000 USD (20K GBP) stipend for 4-5 years. The PhD topic is in systems pharmacology- possibly cancer based. My supervisor is a young professor who is pretty smart and helpful. The students have excellent opinions about her and the program. West Lafayette is cheap for rent and living with free transportation. I can easily rent a nice one-bedroom apartment for 600 USD. And I can still save after all expenses. Also, if I choose to take up TA duties I get paid extra per hour according to the norms. Purdue, afaik, is very well known for engineering and is highly regarded by employers. But, I am not sure of its repute in Europe etc. Basically, I get a degree from a good uni with no loans. But, I will earn MUCH less than what I would in a European PhD.  

 

All in all, I am extremely confused and I would be grateful if you guys could give some inputs as to what I should choose and put forth your thoughts on this!

 

Regards,

AbbyGail

[Elephas]

Are you saying that post the American PhD program you would earn significantly less in Europe? 

One thing I will say is that I met a PhD graduate who studied in England but came to the US to complete a post-doctorate because according to him "Since English PhD's are much more research based you do not get the same experience in teaching and other professional training as in the US, this is why I came here so that I can be more attractive to be hired in the UK later. US students are more likely to get hired straight out of college than a English student." So that's 2 cents that I have heard from elsewhere. 

 

[AbbyGail]

15 hours ago, Elephas said:

Are you saying that post the American PhD program you would earn significantly less in Europe? 

One thing I will say is that I met a PhD graduate who studied in England but came to the US to complete a post-doctorate because according to him "Since English PhD's are much more research based you do not get the same experience in teaching and other professional training as in the US, this is why I came here so that I can be more attractive to be hired in the UK later. US students are more likely to get hired straight out of college than a English student." So that's 2 cents that I have heard from elsewhere. 

 

No, I'm not saying that anyone would earn LESS post an American PhD program than post a European one. I am saying the PhD stipend while doing the PhD is significantly higher in Europe. 

Also, would you say the same (as about English PhDs being less professional oriented) about other European International PhD programs?

[Elephas]

Ah I see, I guess I would compare the cost of living in both areas also. You're correct that you would be able to save a lot of money in the US which could be beneficial when you're ready to move to the next place. I would consider looking at past alumni profiles and see if you can reach out and see who went abroad post degree. I am not sure as that was only anecdotal but seeing as abroad most programs are much shorter there'd be less time for developing skills in teaching etc.