Would you pick UIUC over Cornell for CS PhD?

[dxfizzle]

I've got admits to both schools with funding. Both are ranked no 5 (U.S news ranking) and also in the middle of no where but I'm having a hard time choosing. My areas of focus span software engineering or distributed systems. Which would you select and why?

 

PS: I plan to visit both but I need your opinions. 

[Porshyen]

I don't know enough about your field to give an informed answer nor did you offer enough information here, in my opinion, that is especially useful for the question you are asking. Here are questions you might want to consider to help you make a decision: which program is the better fit? Which professors have interests closely related to yours? How have your interactions been with these two universities? How important is location to you? What kind of career are you considering? Cost of living? 

 

Visiting, I think, will definitely help you to make a decision about which school is the best fit for you.

Edited February 13, 2014 by Porshyen

[akh07]

I finished my undergrad in computer science at UIUC and have spent several weeks at Cornell with friends who go there. I'd be glad to answer any questions you have about the two places. 

[Lifesaver]

I'm from NY, so I may be a tad biased, but I'd go to Cornell. Ivy league vs non ivy league. Cornell would most likely stick out on a resume more so than UIUC. I hadn't really heard much about that university until I started reading this site. I knew it had good academics, but never considered it a household name like Cornell. Just my two cents, though.

[Johnny_Boy]

Go where you fit best! Both are great schools, though. Your future employers won't care where you came from but what you learnt during your graduate studies. AMEN!

[akh07]

I'm from NY, so I may be a tad biased, but I'd go to Cornell. Ivy league vs non ivy league. Cornell would most likely stick out on a resume more so than UIUC. I hadn't really heard much about that university until I started reading this site. I knew it had good academics, but never considered it a household name like Cornell. Just my two cents, though.

 

I thought the same thing before going to UIUC, but in the field of Computer Science (and possibly even engineering in general), I'd say it's probably even better known than Cornell. 

[dxfizzle]

I don't know enough about your field to give an informed answer nor did you offer enough information here, in my opinion, that is especially useful for the question you are asking. Here are questions you might want to consider to help you make a decision: which program is the better fit? Which professors have interests closely related to yours? How have your interactions been with these two universities? How important is location to you? What kind of career are you considering? Cost of living? 

 

Visiting, I think, will definitely help you to make a decision about which school is the best fit for you.

Porshyen, I'm not too clear about "...nor did you offer enough information here." but to answer some of your questions: 

 

-Which program is the better fit? 

I intend to visit both schools but I doubt that just visiting is enough as sometimes, first time feelings might not really be accurate. Also I feel professors and students may just appear 'nice' on that day just to attract students.

 

-Which professors have research interests closely related?

Prior to applying to both schools I researched the departments and found at least 3 different professors whose research I really like (in the area of Distributed Systems).  I have read that "1/3 of incoming students change the fields specified in their SOP when they eventually enroll..." and I think I will change mine. 

 

But now, I think I'm interested in Software Engineering and UIUC is pretty good at this with at least 3 professors research that I really dig. However, I have not made up my mind about exclusively pursuing Software Engineering because there are still other areas I really like: HCI, Distributed Systems, Networking. Consequently, I don't want to pick UIUC just because of Software Engineering because I am not 100% sure that's what I want to do. Moreover, I wrote about working in the area of Distributed Systems in my SOP for both schools because that's the area I worked on in my past research projects. 

 

-Importance of location: I like a safe environment and I've read that both are relatively safe. I prefer a quite place and it seems both are not really like huge cities. Now, I don't like cold! But both are very cold so I've got no choice anyways. Urbana is cheaper in terms of cost of living but the stipend for Cornell makes up for the cost of living in Ithaca too. So everything seems to even out. Meanwhile, I like the idea of randomly driving from Ithaca to NYC to see Times Square

 

-Interactions with both schools: so far, both have been quite responsive. Some UIUC profs already emailed to say hi (I think that's pretty nice) and senior PhD students are already willing to answer my questions. Same for Cornell

 

-What I want to do after graduation

Work in industry research for a while, dabble in start-ups, return to academia as a prof (that's the only reason I'm doing this PhD anyways). Both schools seem pretty good in these areas. I recently found out about Cornell NYC tech and it seems that an entrepreneurial environment is pretty much growing bigger there. 

 

TL;TR

--Cornell and UIUC have profs whose research I dig a lot

--They are both in the middle of nowhere so nothing huge abt locations

--I intend to visit both schools but I doubt that one time visit might help make a decision

[dxfizzle]

I finished my undergrad in computer science at UIUC and have spent several weeks at Cornell with friends who go there. I'd be glad to answer any questions you have about the two places. 

Awesome! These are some questions: 

-How rigorous is the UIUC CS curriculum? Not sure if you can compare with Cornell's but that'd be great

-What's the class size like?

-Which do you prefer in terms of area to live in and why?

-Which has more diversity in their population?

-What did u like about UIUC? What did your friends like about Cornell?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Icydubloon]

Cornell

[GeoDUDE!]

You would be surprised at how much a difference a visit makes.

[akh07]

Awesome! These are some questions: 

-How rigorous is the UIUC CS curriculum? Not sure if you can compare with Cornell's but that'd be great

-What's the class size like?

-Which do you prefer in terms of area to live in and why?

-Which has more diversity in their population?

-What did u like about UIUC? What did your friends like about Cornell?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

As an undergraduate, I spent most of my time taking required classes, but around the end of my degree, I took a few grad-level courses, which I can certainly say were enjoyable. The system in the CS department in UIUC is as follows: there are several classes numbered 4xx and 5xx, which are generally the classes taken by graduate students. The 4xx classes are intended primarily for senior-standing undergraduates, but somewhere about a third of the students in those classes are graduates, who will take the class for an extra credit hour (4 total) and are usually required to complete some extra work. There are generally a larger variety of topics to choose with 400-level classes, and I'm sure you'll find yourself taking at least a couple. 500-level classes generally cover very specific fields that you will want to take once you're a bit into your degree.

In general, classes that include undergraduates, that is, 400-level classes, will have sometimes upwards of 200 students. While some people find this to be a bother, it never really affected me all that much, and sitting around the front of the lectures made me feel as if the classes weren't that large. The usual format for these classes is to have about two lectures a week and, if the material requires it, one smaller discussion section with <20 people. On the other hand, the graduate (5xx) lectures are generally much smaller, and will very seldom have over 30 people. I can't comment on the classes at Cornell other than the fact that, on average, classes are supposed to be much smaller.

 

Because it's a large university, UIUC always has something to do. Usually, as a grad student, you'll be hanging out with other people from your department, but there's always the option of meeting people at bars and the like. I have gone out a few nights in Cornell and can say it's more or less the same thing, but with perhaps with fewer options. There are a number of bars in Champaign, and you're bound to find one that's full every day of the week. That being said, I have to say that after a few years in Champaign, I did grow a bit bored of going to the same places over and over. Of course, my friends in Cornell have said pretty much the same thing. 

The standard of living in Champaign is quite nice, and over the years I've paid 300-500 or so a month for rent and utilities. Overall, I end up saving about 1000 from the stipend. I've heard living in Ithaca is a bit more expensive, and public transport isn't covered by the tuition as it is here. The scenery here is also very different from Cornell's, but that's just a matter of taste. 

Champaign is roughly 2 hours from Chicago, and Ithaca is roughly 3.5 hours from NYC, so you have a bit city within driving distance from both places.

 

The types of people you see at UIUC and Cornell are pretty different. Here's what you'll see at each:

Undergrads:

These are probably the people you'll see the most of outside your lab and building. In Illinois, you're going to see a great majority of midwesterners who are from the suburbs of Chicago and have distinctive ways of dressing and acting. Because it's a state school, there's a good amount of party-animals and binge-drinking. In Cornell, being a private school, you'll see a bit of the opposite, with people mostly from upstate NY and NYC, so although there's still a certain amount of the undergrad party culture, it seems a bit more refined and high-class. In Illinois, you'll see a bunch of plaid shirts and Northface jackets, and in Cornell, people who are generally better dressed. Of course, in both places, there is a fairly large international population.

In your grad CS department:

At both, you'll have a strong majority of Indian and Asian students, most of which are international. Domestic students and women are a minority, but there are still quite a few. 

Townies: 

Seems to me as if they are generally avoided at both. 

 

 

In the end, it really depends on your interests. Once you visit, you can decide whether you have a particularly good match with a professor and if you like the place. One thing that I can comment on, however, is that UIUC is a safe decision when it comes to grad school. It has a number of very good professors in almost all the subfields  of CS, so if you come here and end up deciding you want to do research in an entirely different field than what you originally planned, you won't be in the wrong place. That's the advice I can give, after having changed fields myself. 

[dxfizzle]

As an undergraduate, I spent most of my time taking required classes, but around the end of my degree, I took a few grad-level courses, which I can certainly say were enjoyable. The system in the CS department in UIUC is as follows: there are several classes numbered 4xx and 5xx, which are generally the classes taken by graduate students. The 4xx classes are intended primarily for senior-standing undergraduates, but somewhere about a third of the students in those classes are graduates, who will take the class for an extra credit hour (4 total) and are usually required to complete some extra work. There are generally a larger variety of topics to choose with 400-level classes, and I'm sure you'll find yourself taking at least a couple. 500-level classes generally cover very specific fields that you will want to take once you're a bit into your degree.

In general, classes that include undergraduates, that is, 400-level classes, will have sometimes upwards of 200 students. While some people find this to be a bother, it never really affected me all that much, and sitting around the front of the lectures made me feel as if the classes weren't that large. The usual format for these classes is to have about two lectures a week and, if the material requires it, one smaller discussion section with <20 people. On the other hand, the graduate (5xx) lectures are generally much smaller, and will very seldom have over 30 people. I can't comment on the classes at Cornell other than the fact that, on average, classes are supposed to be much smaller.

 

Because it's a large university, UIUC always has something to do. Usually, as a grad student, you'll be hanging out with other people from your department, but there's always the option of meeting people at bars and the like. I have gone out a few nights in Cornell and can say it's more or less the same thing, but with perhaps with fewer options. There are a number of bars in Champaign, and you're bound to find one that's full every day of the week. That being said, I have to say that after a few years in Champaign, I did grow a bit bored of going to the same places over and over. Of course, my friends in Cornell have said pretty much the same thing. 

The standard of living in Champaign is quite nice, and over the years I've paid 300-500 or so a month for rent and utilities. Overall, I end up saving about 1000 from the stipend. I've heard living in Ithaca is a bit more expensive, and public transport isn't covered by the tuition as it is here. The scenery here is also very different from Cornell's, but that's just a matter of taste. 

Champaign is roughly 2 hours from Chicago, and Ithaca is roughly 3.5 hours from NYC, so you have a bit city within driving distance from both places.

 

The types of people you see at UIUC and Cornell are pretty different. Here's what you'll see at each:

Undergrads:

These are probably the people you'll see the most of outside your lab and building. In Illinois, you're going to see a great majority of midwesterners who are from the suburbs of Chicago and have distinctive ways of dressing and acting. Because it's a state school, there's a good amount of party-animals and binge-drinking. In Cornell, being a private school, you'll see a bit of the opposite, with people mostly from upstate NY and NYC, so although there's still a certain amount of the undergrad party culture, it seems a bit more refined and high-class. In Illinois, you'll see a bunch of plaid shirts and Northface jackets, and in Cornell, people who are generally better dressed. Of course, in both places, there is a fairly large international population.

In your grad CS department:

At both, you'll have a strong majority of Indian and Asian students, most of which are international. Domestic students and women are a minority, but there are still quite a few. 

Townies: 

Seems to me as if they are generally avoided at both. 

 

 

In the end, it really depends on your interests. Once you visit, you can decide whether you have a particularly good match with a professor and if you like the place. One thing that I can comment on, however, is that UIUC is a safe decision when it comes to grad school. It has a number of very good professors in almost all the subfields  of CS, so if you come here and end up deciding you want to do research in an entirely different field than what you originally planned, you won't be in the wrong place. That's the advice I can give, after having changed fields myself. 

great answers. thanks!