Oxford v/s Georgia Tech v/s McGill v/s Simon Fraser

[lyes]

Hey all,

I'm currently finishing off my BS in Computer Science from a top school in my country and the region.

I have been admitted to the following MS programs:

- Oxford: 1-year taught program with research project, no funding

- Georgia Tech: 2-year thesis-option program, no funding

- McGill: 2-year thesis-option program, funded

- Simon Fraser University (SFU): 2-year thesis-option program, funded

With respect to my research interests, which are in the area of data mining/web search, GA Tech and Simon Fraser are closest. I know SFU is a MUCH less reputable university than the other three mentioned in this thread, but chances for interesting research and publications at MS-level seem to be much higher, knowing that GA Tech has hundreds of Ph.D students already filling every research position with every professor, while SFU faculty dedicate more of their budget and time to MS students.

As for McGill, it beats SFU in terms of reputation in Canada and the US, while an MS at Oxford might represent a huge step into virtually going to any Ph.D program I'd like to in the UK afterwards.

Considering that I intend to follow my MS with a Ph.D (hopefully in a top school in the US), which program do you think I should choose?

I'd appreciate any feedback really! Thanks

[jamestox]

Hello Iyes,

Congratulations on your admissions! I can't say anything about your departments since we're in completely different programmes, but I thought I'd reply considering I've been to two of those universities on your list, Oxford and McGill (I did my undergrad at the former and am in a Master's Programme in the latter).

If you want a university about as different to those on your list as is possible to imagine, then I should pick Oxford. I'm biased, but it truly is a stunning institution. The college system is unique--with the exception of Cambridge--and provides a locus for friendships and interdisciplinary encounters basically unrivalled in a conventional "campus" system. The issue with you of course, is the lack of funding, and I imagine it is not a cheap programme. If money is no object, then of course that's a different matter...

Again, I can't write on your particular programme, so I suspect you have to go by what is a good fit academically. McGill has an excellent reputation overall, though I'd say it is extremely wanton in certain areas. Congratulations on receiving funding. Montreal is of course a very unique place; choosing one of the few non-Anglophone regions in this massive continent is certainly a character-building thing to do if you don't speak French.

Having been through the application process for Master's, I should advise you not to go exclusively on reputation. At the Master's level, I don't believe that factor to be an overriding concern. I think you should really chose a university with an excellent fit in terms of your interests. Don't be beholden to money, but if you're offered a considerable amount take that into consideration (again, I don't think it's wise amassing debt at the Master's level, or any level come to think of it!!) Rent in Montreal is incredibly cheap, though alcohol and other things certainly aren't. Oxford is getting more expensive by the year sadly.

I've been of no help, but well done on those universities and good luck choosing.

[spark1989]

If you plan to pursue a PhD in future, then why not pick an institute which is good in your area (meaning good faculty members) and is pretty well-known in CS. Just rank these places on these two parameters, and may be on the funding as well and see what you get.

One problem with oxford is the duration of the program. One year I feel is definitely less to do anything (meaningful) and given that you'll probably be applying for a phd (that too from US) just after 6 months, it may not be the best option. Pick a place where you expect to do good research before you apply.

Edited April 1, 2012 by spark1989

[lyes]

Hello Iyes,

Congratulations on your admissions! I can't say anything about your departments since we're in completely different programmes, but I thought I'd reply considering I've been to two of those universities on your list, Oxford and McGill (I did my undergrad at the former and am in a Master's Programme in the latter).

If you want a university about as different to those on your list as is possible to imagine, then I should pick Oxford. I'm biased, but it truly is a stunning institution. The college system is unique--with the exception of Cambridge--and provides a locus for friendships and interdisciplinary encounters basically unrivalled in a conventional "campus" system. The issue with you of course, is the lack of funding, and I imagine it is not a cheap programme. If money is no object, then of course that's a different matter...

Again, I can't write on your particular programme, so I suspect you have to go by what is a good fit academically. McGill has an excellent reputation overall, though I'd say it is extremely wanton in certain areas. Congratulations on receiving funding. Montreal is of course a very unique place; choosing one of the few non-Anglophone regions in this massive continent is certainly a character-building thing to do if you don't speak French.

Having been through the application process for Master's, I should advise you not to go exclusively on reputation. At the Master's level, I don't believe that factor to be an overriding concern. I think you should really chose a university with an excellent fit in terms of your interests. Don't be beholden to money, but if you're offered a considerable amount take that into consideration (again, I don't think it's wise amassing debt at the Master's level, or any level come to think of it!!) Rent in Montreal is incredibly cheap, though alcohol and other things certainly aren't. Oxford is getting more expensive by the year sadly.

I've been of no help, but well done on those universities and good luck choosing.

Hey thanks a lot for the thorough reply!

Funding is definitely an issue for me. That's why I'd probably pick McGill over Oxford right now. Add to that the fact that Montreal and Quebec in general have tens of thousands of citizens of my country living there and the area in general is a melting pot, which will make it a smoother experience than Oxford, I think.

Thanks again!

[lyes]

If you plan to pursue a PhD in future, then why not pick an institute which is good in your area (meaning good faculty members) and is pretty well-known in CS. Just rank these places on these two parameters, and may be on the funding as well and see what you get.

One problem with oxford is the duration of the program. One year I feel is definitely less to do anything (meaningful) and given that you'll probably be applying for a phd (that too from US) just after 6 months, it may not be the best option. Pick a place where you expect to do good research before you apply.

Hey thanks! That's why this info: http://academic.research.microsoft.com/Comparison?entitytype=7&id1=15154&id2=405&topdomainid=2&subdomainid=7

has led me further to consider Simon Fraser! I did not expect the university to be THIS well-versed on an international level and now my gut feeling about it is strongly affirmed. Oxford will cost just way too much and as you've said, will not be a good starting point for applying to PhD programs in the US.

[spark1989]

Also, do look at the placement of the current MS/BS students at these places. If very few people go to the top US schools for Phd, then it's probably better to stay away from that place.

[DJLamar]

I went to Georgia Tech for my undergraduate work. It didn't seem to me that there was a lack of research opportunities for master's students -- my undergrad research advisor (who did computer vision and some robotics) had about 8 graduate students, 2 or 3 of whom were master's students. It's also a very strong school, especially if you're in AI-related stuff (except natural language processing) or theory (maybe other fields too, those are just the ones where I know it's particularly strong). In those fields, especially in robotics and machine learning, they seem to be hiring quite aggressively for several years now, so you might have an especially good pick of profs to work with.

Plus, even though not many people know it well, Atlanta is a really fun city -- I miss it very much. It's dynamic, changing very quickly for the better for the last decade or two, and is even better every time I go back (I'm from the country south of there). Despite what people (including locals) will tell you, you can live there without a car and still have a lot of fun and an easy time getting around to most places as most of the interesting parts are quite walkable. You just have to live in one of the right neighborhoods for it, of which there are several (including the area just east of Georgia Tech, so you could live in a fun part of town and get everywhere else easily and still just walk to school). Cost of living (both rent and the actual prices of goods) for everything is also quite low.