Applied Physics @ Northwestern or Cornell?

[gromit]

Hi everyone~ I have troubles in choosing between Northwestern and Cornell. Both PhD programs in Applied Physics, and both with financial aids. I do not have any specific idea of what I am going to do for graduate research; however, I prefer something "applied", so that it could facilitate me in finding a job in the industries.

Northwestern's pros are:

1. very strong groups in materials science (especially nanomaterials)

2. located in chicago area, which might be advantageous for job hunting

Cornell's are:

1. Ivy~

2. engineering school ranks higher than Northwestern in general

3. beautiful campus

Can anyone give me some advice?

Any advice is welcome!

[joefc]

i dunno anything about applied physics (im in cell bio/biochem), but heres a shot, starting with the most important

1 - which program offers more support and research labs that would give you opportunities in applied physics, and which one offers a more broad research program, if you are not certain what exactly you wanna work in. are there any labs that stand out strongly? (though of course going to a program to work with one person only is not a good idea)

also, since its physics and stuff is expensive, do they have the facilities necessary for you to do work, or any place nearby that they use?

1a- those people that you wanna work with/for, email them and ask them if they're actually taking any students this coming year!

1b - try and look at their recent grads if possible. what are they up to? are they doing what you'd like to do?

2- if the programs are pretty damned close for ya, then i would suggest moving on to non-program related criteria. whats life gonna be like for 5 years. do you prefer a hustlin bustlin city or the beautiful scenery and community lifestyle of ithaca? also, when i visited cornell they were offering $31k a year for bio phd students, which in ithaca means you will be living quite comfortably compared to a lot of other grad students, which can be a big deal. imagine not being poor during grad school, and actually being able to put money down on a house (which some grad students actually did with their stipend). but of course, chicago apparently isnt prohibitively expensive either unlike its gotham-ish counterpart, nyc. and chicago, from everything ive heard, is a great city. of course, you probably wouldnt find out because youll likely be cooped up in the lab all day and night anyways

3- ivy league means crap. this is grad school, not undergrad. its your own reputation that you make for yourself in the field and that of your supervisor that matters, and plenty of professors are well known and big names in their fields without being at an ivy league institution.

4- rankings, also mean crap! youre a scientist, have you ever wondered about how usa today or whoever compiles these rankings? whats the criteria? who cares! just look for yourself at their recent graduates, support network, facilities and faculty.

either way youre in a great position! good luck

Edited March 19, 2012 by joefc