Stanford or UC Davis ...???

[panchigot]

Hi all

I have got two admissions from

Stanford University & UC Davis to study MS in civil engineering (water resources area) , and I have full scholarship from sponsor where all tuition and fees will be fully paid

and I am confused which school I would choice , Since my ultimate degree goal is PhD and I am afraid that in Stanford there would be high competition level and I may not be accepted to PhD program

My undergrad. GPA 3.90

My GRE math section is 800 (old version scale )

What I should do ????

[EquationForLife]

Stanford....goto the better school. If you want to end up with a PhD, it will be a challenge anyways....push yourself at Stanford.

[esgalerin]

I agree with EquationForLife. Even if you don't get into Stanford's PhD program, you'll have an MS from Stanford to use to apply elsewhere.

[Sigaba]

Go to Stanford for the very reason you pointed out in the OP: the level of competition. If you keep your head screwed on the right way, a competitive environment can bring out the best in you.

[panchigot]

Thanks for your replies

waiting to hear more opinions

[Sigaba]

Thanks for your replies

waiting to hear more opinions

Panchigot--

Also keep your lifestyle in mind when picking between Davis and Palo Alto. There are a lot of differences between the California Bay Area and the California Central Valley.

[panchigot]

Panchigot--

Also keep your lifestyle in mind when picking between Davis and Palo Alto. There are a lot of differences between the California Bay Area and the California Central Valley.

What do you mean ??? would you explain more

[splitends]

They're just very different places to live, so if your surroundings matter to you then you should take that into consideration. Though honestly, Palo Alto is hardly representative of life in the Bay Area, and Davis is pretty different than most of the Central Valley too. Normally most people would agree that the Bay Area is a much more interesting and enjoyable place to live than the Central Valley (where I was born and raised), but I don't think it matters a ton in this particular comparison: Palo Alto is probably one of the least interesting places to live in the Bay, and Davis is probably one of the nicest places to live in the Valley. (Those are of course completely subjective judgements, but I feel comfortable assuming that most people would more or less agree.) If it's at all possible, you should visit before making a final decision.

I don't really know anything about your discipline, so I don't know what the prestige difference is between the two programs in your specific field. But there's definitely a substantial gap in reputation between the two schools overall. I think most people would say that you should almost definitely choose Stanford, unless you have a compelling reason for going to Davis. If the only thing driving you away from Stanford is fear of competition, I don't think that's a great reason. Again, it's hard to offer good advice without knowing much about your specific field, but in many fields (I'm thinking specifically about law here) it can be the case that competition is MORE intense at LESS prestigious programs because people know they have to be the best one coming out of a so-so program in order to be noticed in the job market (or in PhD admissions in your case). Meanwhile, competition can be LESS intense at the MORE prestigious program because everyone feels more secure that as long as they make it through the program they'll be successful in whatever comes next. Plus, if it is generally regarded as a better program, not only will that name on your Master's degree will carry some weight in admissions, you'll also potentially have access to more influential people in your field, better training, more resources etc.

Anyway, good luck!

[Chasely]

This is a toughie. I know a little about your field, I'm in a related discipline but on the more computational side. UC Davis has one of the best water resources engineering programs in the country, and Stanford is Stanford.

I will note that there is some feelings in my academic community that Stanford's MSE programs are a "money mill" that accepts far too many students. I don't know how well-founded these opinions are, but they come from professors with a lot of experience teaching in a few very good programs.

However, if your ultimate goal is to get a PhD, then it's pretty hard to say don't go to Stanford, especially if it's being paid for. If your ultimate goal is to do your PhD at Stanford, then doing your MSE there gets you familiar with the professors you'd' be researching under, and that's an obvious advantage. Also having Stanford on your MSE (as long as you do well) gives you a slight advantage when applying to other PhD programs if you want to go somewhere else. I wouldn't worry about competition, it may be a pain but it will only make you better.

Do you plan to go back to Kuwait when you're finished with your degree or stay in the US/go somewhere else? If you're going back home, name recognition may matter and Stanford has an obvious advantage.