Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD: Purdue vs Maryland vs Boston University

[RadioSilence_]

Hi,

I am an international student. I have been accepted from these 3 universities mentioned in the title. However, I really cannot choose since there are too many parameters involved.

Boston: Insanely good money(fellowship) , really good location, decent teachers

Purdue: Insanely good teaching(?), High prestige(?), very bad location, decent money

Maryland: Very good money(fellowship), RA position with a good advisor,  good location

Since I am an international, I really would like to know your thoughts about the prestige of these schools and also your experiences about these schools. How are they known by U.S citizens? Which school has a better research output? (Even though I looked at THE Rankings, I believe it is better if I get more info. about these schools)

Edited February 12, 2019 by RadioSilence_

[DiscoTech]

On 2/12/2019 at 6:05 AM, RadioSilence_ said:

Hi,

I am an international student. I have been accepted from these 3 universities mentioned in the title. However, I really cannot choose since there are too many parameters involved.

Boston: Insanely good money(fellowship) , really good location, decent teachers

Purdue: Insanely good teaching(?), High prestige(?), very bad location, decent money

Maryland: Very good money(fellowship), RA position with a good advisor,  good location

Since I am an international, I really would like to know your thoughts about the prestige of these schools and also your experiences about these schools. How are they known by U.S citizens? Which school has a better research output? (Even though I looked at THE Rankings, I believe it is better if I get more info. about these schools)

What sub field in ECE? The rankings are meaningless for small differences in rankings. Your advisor means much, much more.

For some good data sources

https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/herd/2017/html/herd2017_dst_55.html

http://profiles.asee.org

[Teaching Faculty Wannabe]

On 2/12/2019 at 6:05 AM, RadioSilence_ said:

Hi,

I am an international student. I have been accepted from these 3 universities mentioned in the title. However, I really cannot choose since there are too many parameters involved.

Boston: Insanely good money(fellowship) , really good location, decent teachers

Purdue: Insanely good teaching(?), High prestige(?), very bad location, decent money

Maryland: Very good money(fellowship), RA position with a good advisor,  good location

Since I am an international, I really would like to know your thoughts about the prestige of these schools and also your experiences about these schools. How are they known by U.S citizens? Which school has a better research output? (Even though I looked at THE Rankings, I believe it is better if I get more info. about these schools)

They all are fairly well-known schools. However, when it comes to choosing schools, you want to look at some various aspects. It seems like you have a list going so far, which is good. Here are things you want to look at:

1. Your advisor. Do you already have an advisor? If you don't have an advisor, how do you choose an advisor? How quickly do you need to choose an advisor? Do you connect with your advisor? Do you see yourself working with this person for 4-7 years? Do they do research you are interested in? Do you like their mentoring style? Do they send their students to conferences? Will they help you with professional development?

2. Funding. Are the fellowship you receiving supporting you during the summer as well as the semesters? How long do your fellowships last? Will you and your advisor have to find funding when your fellowship runs out? Do you have to pay tuition and fees or does the school cover it?

3. Location. Do you like the location of the school? Is it in a city, town, or in the middle of nowhere? Where would you prefer to live? What is the cost of living? Is your fellowship/stipend enough to cover cost of living in that area?

4. Student healthcare. Does the school give you healthcare? Does the healthcare cover dental and eye care? Do you have to pay co-pays and current premiums?

I hope this doesn't complicate things too much, but it is good to look at many aspects since this is a huge commitment.

As an FYI, I just recently visited Boston University, and I really liked it there. Boston seems like a cool city with tons of things to do and the public transportation seems nice and easy to use. I also lived near University of Maryland (College Park) for ten weeks. UM has a lot of things to do. It is close to DC, which is a great place with tons of things to do. There is a metro stop near the university where you can take to go to DC and other places around the DMV area (DC, Maryland, and Virginia). If you really like the city environment and like doing things outside of school, I highly suggest these two areas. I have heard that Purdue is in the middle of nowhere. If you like country environments with a slower pace, then you might like Purdue better.

Good luck!