zep Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I’m a Junior in computer science at University of Illinois, and I'm planning to apply for Fall 2012 admission to CS PhD programs. My research interests include theory and algorithms as well as the theoretical side of systems (e.g. scheduling theory). There are several professors and research groups at Berkeley and Stanford that appeal to me. I have family in Central California, I'm somewhat entrepreneurial, and my fiancée was just accepted to a postdoc in the Bay Area. Needless to say, I have a strong preference for doing my PhD in or around Silicon Valley. Based on what I've read on GradCafe and elsewhere, I have a reasonable chance of being accepted to Berkeley and/or Stanford. However, if I'm not accepted to either of these schools, I'm wondering if I should consider attending UC Santa Cruz or UC Davis. How big of a "step down" would it be to go to Santa Cruz or Davis instead of a top 5 CS grad school? Thanks, Zep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH YEAH Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 (edited) I have observed a sharp phase transition (in the theory of algorithms sense ) between the quality of students at top 10-20 schools and the quality of students at > 20 schools. I wouldn't recommend going to a school outside of the top 20. The difference between Stanford and UC Santa Cruz will be dramatic. Edited March 22, 2011 by OH YEAH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stopcallinmesqrlboy Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I think it depends on what you want to do with your PhD. Top schools will most likely look for faculty with degrees from top schools. Academia in general is hard to get into these days so anything that makes you more legitimate is a good thing. I'd say look at where the graduates of Santa Cruz or Davis are getting jobs to get a better idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zep Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 I have observed a sharp phase transition (in the theory of algorithms sense ) between the quality of students at top 10-20 schools and the quality of students at > 20 schools. I wouldn't recommend going to a school outside of the top 20. The difference between Stanford and UC Santa Cruz will be dramatic. That's unfortunate, but I believe it. Thanks for telling me this. I think it depends on what you want to do with your PhD. Top schools will most likely look for faculty with degrees from top schools. Academia in general is hard to get into these days so anything that makes you more legitimate is a good thing. I'd say look at where the graduates of Santa Cruz or Davis are getting jobs to get a better idea. Good point. I'm interested in becoming a professor, so I suppose doing my PhD with the nation's top CS faculty would be beneficial (both in terms of research quality and in terms of connections). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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