Purdue v.s. Maryalnd at College Park (ECE Computer Vision)

[aquariusjay]

Hello,

I got the admission from Purdue and Maryland at College Park. Both in ECE PhD program. Regarding the research area, Computer Vision/Pattern Recognition, I am wondering which one I should go. I tried to compare these two universities below, but still cannot make a good decision. Please help me out with the decision.

Purdue v. s. UMCP

usnews ranking: 10 v. s. 15

related labs: Robot Vision Lab v.s. Center for Automation Research(cfar)

location: college town v.s. close to DC

my feeling: more academical v.s. more close to the industry

There seems more active research going on in cfar at UMCP. But, it also seems that PhD students graduated from both universities can find a descent job in the industry (My goal is to work in a research center after graduation).

Thanks in advance for the help

[BionicKris]

If your ultimate goal is to work in a research center upon graduation I would definitely recommend Purdue given that you feel it is more academic. Another thing you should consider is location. If you can deal with spending the next 5-6 years of your life in a college town like Purdue then go for it. If you need to have a busier city life then go for Maryland. A more important factor to consider is the research. Have you contacted scientists at both locations and asked about their research? Also, where will you feel more at home and more welcome? At the end of the day PhD studies are very much a job. You want to make sure that you are happy for the next few years wherever you are. Contact people at both institutions and find out how they are treated as students and as intellectual peers. Maybe this will help you make a better decision. I hope this helps.

[aquariusjay]

If your ultimate goal is to work in a research center upon graduation I would definitely recommend Purdue given that you feel it is more academic. Another thing you should consider is location. If you can deal with spending the next 5-6 years of your life in a college town like Purdue then go for it. If you need to have a busier city life then go for Maryland. A more important factor to consider is the research. Have you contacted scientists at both locations and asked about their research? Also, where will you feel more at home and more welcome? At the end of the day PhD studies are very much a job. You want to make sure that you are happy for the next few years wherever you are. Contact people at both institutions and find out how they are treated as students and as intellectual peers. Maybe this will help you make a better decision. I hope this helps.

Thank you very much for the reply.

I have contacted some PhD students there. I was told that there are active professors, and projects going on at both universities. That's why I cannot make a decision since both look good. However, as you mentioned, the life style is important. I will figure out which one is more suitable for me.

Thanks again.

[explorer-c]

I'm also in Computer Vision. Take it for what it's worth but I definitely have heard more about UMD compared to Purdue.