Cornell (MEngg in IE/OR) vs UMich (MS in IE/OR)

[akhil_tiet86]

Hi

Have been admitted into Cornell, COlumbia, UMich, Purdue, Wisc-Mad, TAMU.... Want to decide between Cornell and Umich and need ur advice -

Based on my research so far , I have this -

Cornell (MEngg in OR)

9 month program, and historically very good placements.However due to recession there may not be very many jobs after 9 months. However, program can be extended to 1.5 years.

Smaller class size (60-70)

Good location close to new york where a lot of financial companies are located

Since the program is only 9 months with no thesis, no chance of doing a phd after graduating

Placement starts in October itself...by chance if the financial and consulting market around New york doesn't improve by then??

Univ of Michigan, ANn arbor

MS program 18-24 months, so hopefully recession would have eased out by then and jobs would be more abundant

Large class size (150-200)

More chances of obtaining a TA/RA at michigan

Since a lot of research is involved in MS, good chances of a PhD admit after graduation

Placements and starting salaries may not be as good as cornell (not sure).

Currently, the manufacturing sector at Michigan is dry

Please tell me which one should i choose out of the 2 ?? UMich seems a safer option but my mood is set on Cornell.

[Jordan+AirForce1]

if your mind is already set on Cornell, you should go there.. (lest you might have a regret later on)

but from your comparison above, Michigan seems to be the choice i would make.

[TulipOHare]

Are you planning on getting a PhD, either right after the Masters or sometime later?

[akhil_tiet86]

I am not in the mood for PhD as it is too demanding... WOuld like to do a job for 2-3 years after MS and then go for MBA, when the economy is rising again...

[AlwaysWorried]

I am making the exact same decision between Cornell MEng and UMich MS except for in EE. The prof that I wanted to work with at Cornell is taking a leave of absence, and the prof at U Mich that I want to work with wrote back to me really quickly. This has made my decision way easier.

I never thought about the programs longer duration being a benefit. The cost is roughly equally at both schools if you are paying out of state tution at Michigan. I am freaked out about paying $25K a semester at UMich for 3-4 semesters.

Since you want to work on Wall Street than going to an Ivy is more important. I want to an ivy league school for undergraduate and all the banks were trying to recruit engineers, whereas I have spoken with friends who wanted to get into bank from other schools and had very little access.

At the end of the day you can't go wrong with either choice.

[Jordan+AirForce1]

Since you want to work on Wall Street than going to an Ivy is more important. I want to an ivy league school for undergraduate and all the banks were trying to recruit engineers, whereas I have spoken with friends who wanted to get into bank from other schools and had very little access.

Hmm... how about Stanford compared to Cornell, compared for the same situation? Would Cornell's Ivy League status outshine Stanford's name, likewise?

[AlwaysWorried]

If I had gotten into Stanford I would go there in a heart beat over Cornell. I have a coworker who graduated from Cornell, but I can tell he wishes that he went to Stanford.

[anutham]

I've been admitted to the M.eng ORIE program at Cornell as well. I've also got admits from Georgia Tech and Columbia.

I am facing a similar decision between Georgia Tech and Cornell.

What I've heard about the program from someone studying there is that it is more an OR program than an Industrial Engineering program.

What concentration have you applied for at Cornell?

[Jordan+AirForce1]

If I had gotten into Stanford I would go there in a heart beat over Cornell. I have a coworker who graduated from Cornell, but I can tell he wishes that he went to Stanford.

Is he in EE? Did he get just MS, or PhD?