Jayen Posted April 22, 2011 Posted April 22, 2011 Okay, so I was pretty content with UW Masters in Applied Math, RPI calls me this morning with funded PhD offer. Can anyone help me out? Here are some thoughts: They both are strong in research that I'm interested in, though UW is stronger. Seattle > Troy I would have to be ~30k for the masters, then reapply for the PhD program at UW; I get 18k plus tuition waived at RPI They are comparable in US News Ranking... but NRC puts UW at 1, and RPI isn't even on there What do you guys think? Ahhhh. How is RPI's reputation, coming from the west coast, I rarely hear of it... Thanks!
LJK Posted April 22, 2011 Posted April 22, 2011 RPI has a general reputation as a very good school. I don't know anything about their math programs in specific. Here is the thing: if what you want is a PhD, you should probably start a PhD program if you have the opportunity. You don't want to waste time during your PhD (by which I mean your ~5ish years at UW if you end up doing a masters then straight into a PhD there) reapplying. You won't be able to count on staying at UW; you will need to apply more broadly and that takes a lot of time. That is time you won't be doing research that will set you up for publications. At RPI you can have the piece of mind knowing that your five (or whatever the standard is in your field) years are secure and you can just focus on doing the work of becoming an expert in your field. Benefits of RPI: make money rather than lose it, have uninterrupted years of working toward your degrees, good research Benefits of UW: better ranking, better place to live, slightly better research If I were you I would go to RPI if I knew I wanted the PhD. If you go to UW and don't get into their PhD program after doing their master's there is the possibility that you will have to practically start at square one again at another school. It will delay your PhD by a year or two. RPI has a more assured timeline and has less meta-life-stress about where you will be in the coming years and how much debt you are in; grad school is stressful enough! But I don't know you, so I don't know how stressful it would be for you to move across the country and how much living in an urban environment matters which are also things to weigh. Good luck with your decision! Jayen and zarp 2
emmm Posted April 22, 2011 Posted April 22, 2011 (edited) I have a math prof now who just got his masters in the UW Applied Math program, and he's great. However, he did have to pay out-of-pocket for a considerable amount (funding was given, just not full funding). I lived on the east coast before moving west, and RPI has a very good reputation (and I'd say it keeps getting better). I'd also say go with the funded PhD offer, especially if the PhD is your ultimate goal. Edited April 22, 2011 by emmm
shemeno Posted April 22, 2011 Posted April 22, 2011 I currently go to RPI, in a different department though. It really is a good school, and i agree if your end goal is PHD, and you have a funded PHD offer. That being said, i am also a huge proponent of going where it feels right. RPI does a good job of being really research orientated. I know that it is not as well known as some, but if someone has heard of it, it is generally for good things.
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