george21 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Hello! This is my first post on TheGradCafe, and I really need your advice. I was accepted to both UIUC ECE and Princeton EE departments with full fellowships. I visited both campuses and talked at length with prospective advisors from each department. I'll list what I consider to be pros and cons for each school and in doing so I may gain insight on which school I will be able to be most productive and happy with. Pros for UIUC: Highly ranked ECE department Great advisor with pretty interesting research project (fully funded project by DoD and private company) Flexible coursework schedule on path to PhD No written qualifier, only presentation of research and grilling Great shared facilities Cons for UIUC: Location, location, location Huge department teeming with grad students State school, so the intellectual atmosphere may be lacking (this is a big factor for me) Pros for Princeton: All-around world class university with high name impact Advisor is likely better than at UIUC (coaching students on presentations, weekly meetings in person, very well known for his work, high placement to great companies in industry) Good shared facilities (PRISM) Private university with a small cohort of graduate students Highly intellectual atmosphere Beautiful campus Closer to home Same qual situation as at UIUC I could probably see my girlfriend once a month since the drive isn't too terrible from Princeton to her home Cons for Princeton: Not as highly ranked as UIUC Doesn't have a materials science department, so classes I would like to take in that discipline would not be as good as at UIUC After writing this, it seems pretty clear that Princeton is a better fit. However, my ego wants me to go to the best school and get the best education possible. Do you guys think this is unwarrented, given that the two are so close in rank (UIUC is 4th and Princeton is 11th in ECE/EE)? The funding situation at either school is full tuition + 26-29k stipend, so, adjusting for the cost of living, they're basically equivalent. Any insight on pros/cons that I may be overlooking? General thoughts/opinions on these two schools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slorg Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 (edited) Princeton! (Mostly because the advisor is better) (Plus it sounds like you're leaning there already) (Plus last year I considered ECE programs at UIUC and Princeton, and I thought Princeton was really cool. The department is so nice!) *My two cents Edited April 7, 2011 by Slorg anōnumos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solder Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 UIUC 4th to 11th ranking is more than a little. Also, academia and businesses know that UIUC is better in this area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civil_Engineer Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Princeton because there are more pros for you and it seems like you would rather go there. This is far more important than some silly US News rankings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tragicomix Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I'm looking at the NRC rankings in ECE and it seems that Princeton is a little ahead of UIUC in these.Having said that, I wouldn't put too much trust into any of these rankings. Go for where you think you'll be able to do better work. It's your work at the end of the PhD that matters more than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenzydude Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I'd have gone to Princeton. It is the more difficult school to get into and Ivy ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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