MS Computer Engineering: Decision Time - Help!

[ccc2012]

Rejected: Stanford, Berkeley, UIUC

Accepted: CMU!, Cornell! (MEng), USC, UCSB, UCI

Waiting: Ann Arbor, UCLA, UCSD

Background:

• At each school, I applied to the closest thing to a MS Computer Engineering, with a focus in Systems Software & Computer Architecture (which is my interest).
  
• I don't know if I want to go on to get a PhD. I haven't done any research before, and I would like the chance to do so, before I decide whether an MS or PhD will be my terminal degree.
  
• I live in Southern California already (which makes USC, UCSB, UCI, UCLA, UCSD all close to me)
  
• Obviously, a great education and good future is very important to me, but I would really like to be at a school with a better social life (which makes USC more appealing and CMU less appealing).
  

I've already decided to eliminate UCSD (so I don't care if they accept/reject). From what I've read online (reviews, ratings, rankings, etc), it just doesn't sound good (plus, I have better options anyway I think).

Assuming I get into Ann Arbor and UCLA, which school should I go to? (or which ones are obvious to eliminate?)

Thanks!

[ccc2012]

Bump -- still looking for some help. Right now I'm leaning towards either CMU, UCLA, or USC. Can anybody give me more info about the social scene at CMU? Or any other info that would help me compare these schools? Thanks.

[HassE]

With all due respect, I'm surprised you aren't considering Cornell more than you are? Cornell is not just an engineering-known school so it will be well diversified, it's an Ivy League school so you'll have the name and respect of one, and even better it's a top-10 engineering school for computer engineering.

Don't get me wrong, CMU would most likely be my top choice due to how well their program is especially for electrical/computer engineering/computer science. UMichigan is also an excellent choice, i visited their campus and it surely is a beautiful one.

I'd personally eliminate UCI, don't think it matches up well. USC is a top program as well, but considering the other schools you've gotten accepted into, i'd put that on the back burner.

There are other things to consider though, take a look at the course offerings, see if you can come up with AT LEAST 12-15 courses you'd want to take. See if any of those schools will give you a chance for funding (TA/RA). Are you planning on doing a MS-thesis? Or just coursework MS?

My honest list would go like this:

CMU

Cornell

Michigan

UCLA

USC

[Snoq]

Can you please share your profile?

[ccc2012]

With all due respect, I'm surprised you aren't considering Cornell more than you are? Cornell is not just an engineering-known school so it will be well diversified, it's an Ivy League school so you'll have the name and respect of one, and even better it's a top-10 engineering school for computer engineering.

I figured somebody might say this. I basically put all the schools in buckets. Bucket #1: closer, cheaper, social life. Bucket #2: far, expensive, better opportunities. Bucket #1: USC, UCSB, UCI, UCLA, UCSD; Bucket #2: CMU, Cornell, UMich. It was far easier for me to compare schools within buckets than between the buckets. I'd rather go to USC or UCLA in bucket #1 than any other in that bucket. In bucket #2 I'd rather go to CMU or Cornell than UMich. Between USC and UCLA, I'd much prefer USC. My dad went there for his MBA, I already have a lot of contacts there, USC has a Computer Engineering program (UCLA does not), and I just like the school better overall than UCLA (although UCLA is cheaper). Between CMU and Cornell, Cornell is offering a MEng which is a big problem if I do like research. Also, I'd prefer Pittsburgh over Ithaca. And CMU is more highly ranked than Cornell. However, you do make a very good point that Cornell is well diversified (where CMU is obviously mainly Engineering). I'll have to think on that some more.

Don't get me wrong, CMU would most likely be my top choice due to how well their program is especially for electrical/computer engineering/computer science. UMichigan is also an excellent choice, i visited their campus and it surely is a beautiful one.

Yes, Bucket #2 is definitely a harder choice than Bucket #1.

I'd personally eliminate UCI, don't think it matches up well. USC is a top program as well, but considering the other schools you've gotten accepted into, i'd put that on the back burner.

Interesting. Yea, I've pretty much eliminated UCI/UCSD/UCSB completely. The top contenders are USC/CMU for me. Secondary ones are Cornell, UMich, and UCLA.

There are other things to consider though, take a look at the course offerings, see if you can come up with AT LEAST 12-15 courses you'd want to take. See if any of those schools will give you a chance for funding (TA/RA).

Yes, I plan on looking into this. I applied to a fellowship from USC, which I think I have a decent shot at getting (though my GPA is a bit low, so I may not).

Are you planning on doing a MS-thesis? Or just coursework MS?

I'm planning on doing an MS-thesis (gives me exposure to research).

My honest list would go like this:

CMU

Cornell

Michigan

UCLA

USC

Why UCLA over USC?

Edited March 26, 2012 by ComtriS

[ccc2012]

Can you please share your profile?

Pretty bad I think. My SoP and LoRs must have been amazing, if I got into CMU/Cornell.

GPA: ~3.4

GRE: 800 / 520 / 5.0

Research: None

Awards, etc: None

Experience: 4 years industry experience as a Firmware Engineer (very related to MS). Also I was the main driver behind an invention that could have been patented, but we decided not to go through with it (small company). I also started my own company (which seriously was not a big deal at all), but it was profitable and I sold it. Given my record, I figured I had a decent shot at Stanford, honestly.

[codejunkie]

ComtriS, I'm in a similar boat. I've been in industry for 2 years on my BS and i'm looking to obtain a MS. Out of curiousity, who did you get to write your LORs?

Congrats on your acceptances!

[ccc2012]

codejunkie, I had a lot of trouble figuring out who should write my LoRs. I'm lucky in a way, because both my boss (Engineering Manager) and his boss (former VP of Engineering, now President) think that I'm the best engineer they've ever worked with. Cornell only wanted 2 LoRs, so I gave them those two. The rest wanted 3. My options were mostly bad at this point. I had a professor I took back in school for two courses. I asked a million questions in those classes and talked with him a bit after class. He actually did remember me, but couldn't really say much about me. The other option was the Plant Manager (with a EE background) at my last company. I really came through for him on multiple occasions and he knew me well. Basically he "owed me" and I figured I could get a good LoR from him. The problem was that every school (including Cornell) wanted at least 1 LoR (or 2) from a professor. To make matters worse, my professor was only willing to write an LoR and submit to 5 schools. So for Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, USC, and UCI, I chose the professor. For the others I chose the Plant Manager. Clearly that was the wrong decision. The better schools that accepted me were the ones that didn't get the professor's LoR. Even though CMU and Cornell both said they wanted an LoR from a professor, they admitted me without one! Stanford and Berkeley rejected me, and I would suspect having 1 awful LoR really played into that decision quite a bit.

I hope that helps you and I wish I knew that before applying. If you have other questions, feel free to PM me, since I know there are few of us in this boat that can answer questions. It seems like most on this forum are 4.0/800/800/6 with 10+ publications.