Caltech vs Stanford in Materials Science

[isidoree]

Hey everyone,

I've recently found myself in a "happy problem" where I've been accepted into both Caltech and Stanford for a graduate program in Materials Science. I'm an international student doing my undergraduate degree in London, so I don't really have an opportunity to head down to California and do a campus visit, so I was wondering if anyone had any opinion on anything about graduate life at both universities.

I think academically, trying to distinguish between both universities is like splitting hairs - both are really good at what they do. Although that much said, I have heard that Caltech is more geared towards academia and Stanford more towards developing start-ups for applied engineering. Anyone care to comment on that?

tldr: How does Caltech and Stanford compare, from a non-academic point of view.

[skyentist]

I would go to Stanford. It has close connections with companies in silicon valley and abroad. However, both are good. I would go to the school with the best funding. Stanford has more stuff to do around it as well --> surfing in santa cruz snowboarding in tahoe, san francisco and oakland are very diverse. I am not sure about Pasadena, but I hear its pretty boring.

 

Did you apply to masters or phd