Princeton EE vs UIUC ECE

[mojojojo]

Guys, I need a little advice here. Basically, I narrowed down my decision to either Princeton or UIUC.

I'm choosing based on the faculty's research and I've gotten a professor at each university who is willing to take me on. Both are world class professors, and are very well established, so I need not worry about having my work funded. On a related point, Princeton's fellowship offer is slightly more attractive than UIUC's, as I've been offered a little more than 30k compared to UIUC's 25k. However, it seems that Princeton's reputation is not as good as UIUC's.

Finally, I'm in the photonics and optoelectronics field. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[MemoTheGreat]

Guys, I need a little advice here. Basically, I narrowed down my decision to either Princeton or UIUC.

I'm choosing based on the faculty's research and I've gotten a professor at each university who is willing to take me on. Both are world class professors, and are very well established, so I need not worry about having my work funded. On a related point, Princeton's fellowship offer is slightly more attractive than UIUC's, as I've been offered a little more than 30k compared to UIUC's 25k. However, it seems that Princeton's reputation is not as good as UIUC's.

Finally, I'm in the photonics and optoelectronics field. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'd go with Princeton. A smaller grad school is always better. Plus, UIUC campus sucks.

[awaiter]

I'd go with Princeton. A smaller grad school is always better. Plus, UIUC campus sucks.

yup, Princeton all the way. As far as I know Princeton is good for opto stuff. UIUC is better known for its ECE (communication systems etc) research. Also consider weather in Chicago which can get really cold in winter.

[zilch]

it can get cold at UIUC in the winter. If you're looking at the dollar amount in the offer, do consider the cost of living in both places. UIUC does have a lot of laboratory facilities and equipment for semiconductors, photonics and the like. Ultimately it depends on what you prefer.

I would say that UIUC's reputation is actually in semiconductors considering the school spawned the transistor, LED and plasma display.

[mojojojo]

it can get cold at UIUC in the winter. If you're looking at the dollar amount in the offer, do consider the cost of living in both places. UIUC does have a lot of laboratory facilities and equipment for semiconductors, photonics and the like. Ultimately it depends on what you prefer.

I would say that UIUC's reputation is actually in semiconductors considering the school spawned the transistor, LED and plasma display.

yeah, i was under the impression that uiuc was as strong as princeton in the photonics area (if not stronger). both places seem to have equally good facilities, uiuc with its mntl and princeton with its prism. its just so hard to decide. is a smaller program always better?

zilch, i see that you are currently attending school at uiuc. how much would you say it costs to live there per month? would i be able to survive on my stipend (after taxes)?

[chemdoc]

yeah, i was under the impression that uiuc was as strong as princeton in the photonics area (if not stronger). both places seem to have equally good facilities, uiuc with its mntl and princeton with its prism. its just so hard to decide. is a smaller program always better?

zilch, i see that you are currently attending school at uiuc. how much would you say it costs to live there per month? would i be able to survive on my stipend (after taxes)?

The costs of living in Urbana-Champaign is very low. You can survive on $700/month including food rent and utilities. When I was there for undergrad, my apt with 3 other roommates ended only costing me $275 a month. Apt parking was $40/month. This was 2 years ago.

Also don't others fool you about the campus. It's a great campus with lots of things to do.

[cash money vagrant]

UIUC is very strong in optoelectronics/photonics. I suggest that you come visit here and check out the facilities (especially the Micro/Nanotech lab and Beckman Institute).

[zilch]

cost of living in Champaign-Urbana is pretty low. Currently, rent is somewhere around 400/month for most of the people I know (that's if you have room-mates). It can get more expensive if you're looking at condo-style places or some such. 1000/month should cover all your living expenses (food, shelter, internet, etc) and it's feasible to do less.

you should survive on your stipend just fine if you choose to come here. The humanities grad students manage to survive and their stipends are like half of what engineers get.

[mojojojo]

cost of living in Champaign-Urbana is pretty low. Currently, rent is somewhere around 400/month for most of the people I know (that's if you have room-mates). It can get more expensive if you're looking at condo-style places or some such. 1000/month should cover all your living expenses (food, shelter, internet, etc) and it's feasible to do less.

you should survive on your stipend just fine if you choose to come here. The humanities grad students manage to survive and their stipends are like half of what engineers get.

Thanks alot people! =) Glad to know that the standard of living at Champaign-Urbana isn't that high. I was worried that it would be closer to what people pay in Chicago.. Any Princeton people out there? I would love to hear from you..

Also, do any of you know how industry/academia view the reputations of the departments at each school? I'm guessing UIUC is more highly sought after in industry, while Princeton is more highly sought after in academia? Or does UIUC triumph in both aspects?

[Slorg]

I have no clue which program is better, but I'll offer my two cents anyways. Hope it helps.

Of the two ECE professors that wrote me letters of recommendation, one said that Princeton and UIUC were about the same in the areas of solid state/nanotechnology/energy (areas I was interested in). The second professor, when UIUC wasn't on my list of schools I planned to apply to, said that I should add UIUC. He seemed to regard it very highly.

I don't know anyone from UIUC, but people that I know at and from Princeton have seemed to really like Princeton (but these people are not science/engineering majors).

When I worked at a utility once, they said they recruited power engineers all the way from UIUC. I think UIUC has a strong power engineering program.

Personally, I think Princeton is cooler than UIUC. I think this is because UIUC seems like it's a crummy location with crummy weather, has less overall prestige, and didn't have a visit day. But these are just my impressions and I really have no idea about whether these are true or whether they matter.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Slorg

[mojojojo]

I have no clue which program is better, but I'll offer my two cents anyways. Hope it helps.

Of the two ECE professors that wrote me letters of recommendation, one said that Princeton and UIUC were about the same in the areas of solid state/nanotechnology/energy (areas I was interested in). The second professor, when UIUC wasn't on my list of schools I planned to apply to, said that I should add UIUC. He seemed to regard it very highly.

I don't know anyone from UIUC, but people that I know at and from Princeton have seemed to really like Princeton (but these people are not science/engineering majors).

When I worked at a utility once, they said they recruited power engineers all the way from UIUC. I think UIUC has a strong power engineering program.

Personally, I think Princeton is cooler than UIUC. I think this is because UIUC seems like it's a crummy location with crummy weather, has less overall prestige, and didn't have a visit day. But these are just my impressions and I really have no idea about whether these are true or whether they matter.

Thanks! So Slorg, where are you intending to go? I know that quadsbaby is going Stanford..

[Slorg]

I haven't committed yet, but all signs point to Berkeley.

[mojojojo]

I haven't committed yet, but all signs point to Berkeley.

That's too bad. I thought we could have been school mates! Haha I'm leaning heavily towards Princeton. Will probably go there.