Urgent !! Choosing advisor/same institution vs different one

[t1t3l9h19]

Hi everyone,

 

I know the deadline April 15 is coming so near that I've been going crazy trying to make my decision. I'm an engineering undergrad major and is planning to pursue PhD. I've got accepted to 3 schools, in which two give me funding.

 

Here is my dilemma:

Both schools gave me admission with funding and both advisors from each school are very nice to me. Note that none of the school are near my hometown, since I'm international student. My post grad plan is to work in industry.

 

Option 1: School A

  - my current undergrad institution (I've read lot of threads that ppl is against staying at the same institution. Is that true? )

   - I will work with a different advisor, different research topic, even though from the same department as my undergrad lab

   - rank about 10-15 in my field, the campus in within a nice city

   - my bf is currently also a 3rd yr PhD student there 

   * funding: as for now, from department for 1st year

 

Option 2: School B

  - another institution, 3 hours of flight away, locating in a college town

  - very good engineering program in general (my field is ranked about 20-22), I will work with a ambitious, young, and smart professor, who knows my current research advisor

  - working on the same research topic with different technique (imaging)

  - I have my brother and couple friends there, who will stay around for 1-2 yr

  * funding: as for now, first 2 years, splitting between RA and TA

 

Could any one give me any advice in term of the two given options? Let me know if there is anything unclear. I'll appreciate your comments a lot !

 

Thanks !

Edited April 12, 2013 by ttlh1391

[clamofee]

Hi, I am in a similar predicament, although the locations and certain considerations of the schools are quite drastically different. If you're going into the same department for grad, most people will discourage that. It seems like this advice is mostly for academia though, so since you said you're going into industry, perhaps that wouldn't matter.

 

You'll know people in both places so it won't matter. Have you considered listing all the pros and cons and weighing them for a final score? Or flipping a coin? Seriously, those two methods work.