STONY BROOK PHD or PI MS

[clover]

Hello to everyone,

I am an international applicant to PHYSICS graduate program. And I have received two admissions recently:

Physics@Stony Brook, PHD, TA: $17000/First year.

Theoretical Physics@Primeter Institute, a Master degree from University of Waterloo, Fellowship.

I know stonybrook is a famous school, but PI also holds a good reputation in Canada. In addition, PSI is only a ten months taught program with some top faulty such as Dr. Philip Anderson from Princeton and Dr. Xiaogang Wen from MIT(even with a Hawking's advertisement !!). But if I accepted there, I need to apply again next year

I am confused and the response deadline of PSI is near. Could you give me some advice pls?

[GirlattheHelm]

I like Stony Brook a lot - and it's an awesome, awesome school but also an extremely difficult one as a whole - though I do not know how the department is for your field.

Here, think more in the following terms, as my advisor would say:

1.) Location, Location, Location!

Where do you want to be? That's an honest question and sometimes the most important. A degree in Canada is not looked at the same down in the states so if you want to be in Canada, go there now. If you want to relocate into the United States, go to Stony Brook. If you are going home after this adventure in the academic world, either ought to do.

Also, think about how you want to live and where. This is important because you will spend ~95% outside of a classroom. Yes, I made that up, but, seriously, most graduate students don't usually take over 12 credit hours - that's not a lot of class time - so the surrounding is very important. Also, how is public transport or are you buying a car? Where will you live? If a ghetto and the 'shoe-lace-express' (aka walking) is your mode, think about it. Stony Brook is awesome; it's like a city unto itself. However, that said, it's not foot friendly - but they do have a fantastic transportation system. How is PI in comparison?

2.) The Money.

Ask yourself, where you are going to be the most financially secure. You need a budget, a plan, and an idea. You can google for Cost of Living - but also let me say that Craigslist.com is fantastic as far as Stony Brook housing is concerned if you've got a car and want off campus options. I have no idea about any on campus housing for graduate students at Stony Brook but I assume they have something - they are a MASSIVE institution.

Also think, some level of financial (and hence physical) comfort will play a role in how well you do. It's one less headache when you're running on empty.

3.) Options!

You're going to University in order to get a degree. The only reason we go on is to open more doors for us in the future. Which option you think will open the most doors for you - the MS or the PhD? You need to understand that. In your field, for what you want to do with such a degree...

4.) Headaches...

Which place as the minimum chance of aggrivating you constantly? Which one gives you the best opportunity with the least hastle? You have some serious calculating to do on that one. Now, no place is without its downfalls - but too much constant pressure can make you want to disassemble your skull - like having to reapply each year. However, that reapplication itself can simply be a ritual rather than an actual rite of passage, or vise versa.

Think long and hard. You have an obligation to yourself to weigh each heavily through presented material and figure, for yourself, your best options. It has everything to do with you at this point and the best fit an insitution makes for your own existance - this is no longer about whose who in the academic world, it's about whether or not that matters a lot to you and your aspirations.