_Serendipity Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 I just got admission for CS PhD from both UIUC and Duke. A rising star I have collaborated before at UIUC is willing to continue our collaboration. And a very well-established professor at Duke expressed his strong interest in having me as his new student. I am having a lot of trouble deciding between the two. Would love some insights towards this decision. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knut14 Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 I would say Duke... I mean, I know very little about their CS program but I assume as you’ve applied to them both and there’s not a clear preference they must be similar? Either way, Southern Ivy over UIUC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllinoisThrowAway Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Computer Science is one of Illinois' strengths. Its program in CS is stronger than Duke's. The collaboration alone would be worthwhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquirizia Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 UIUC doesn't always get recognition, but when it does, it's for CS (and engineering and business). The Champaign-Urbana area is better than it seems. I wouldn't discount it. Cost of living is dirt cheap. If both offers are equal in terms of funding (relative to cost of living in the area, of course), then you have a lot of questions to ask of the programs and yourself. I would consider the following as a starting point: How were my previous collaboration with UIUC? Were my colleagues people I like working with? Were there any red flags? Which school offers a better academic fit as well as social fit in terms of professors - this may take some talking to each university. How supportive are the faculty? Are their advising styles going to match your needs? What do current students have to say about the program? Are they miserable? Are they happy with their progress? What is the average time to finish the PhD? If one school seems to have a longer estimated PhD time, what's taking students so long to finish? How much does location matter to me? Not at all? A lot? Do you have to TA every semester or are there fellowships to give you a break? Or can you get an RA instead of TAing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getphd21 Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 UIUC - top notch in CS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquirizia Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) Also, forgot to mention that many CS start ups have been born out of UIUC. Just to name a few -- Malwarebytes, Farmville, YouTube, PayPal. Edited February 23, 2021 by Liquirizia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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