UC Irvine Chem vs Upenn BioEng

[DNARNA]

I got offers from these two programs and I am having a hard time deciding which offer should I take. While UPenn is ranked higher both of the professors I will be working with are great.

 

Here is my list of pros and cons:

 

UCI:

 

Pros:

1) better stipend

2) California weather/culture

 

Cons:

1) I went to UC Irvine for my undergrad

2) ranked 18th in Chem

 

Upenn:

 

Pros:

1) More potential collaborations in my field of interest.

2) First student for POI

3) ranked 10th in bioengineering

 

Cons:

1) Bad weather

2) lower but yet decent stipend

3) new culture that i might not like

 

Thanks!

Edited March 24, 2014 by DNARNA

[bsharpe269]

I'd go with Upenn. Going to a new school and meeting new people will give you more perspectives and connections. I think that in almost all situations it is better to go to a different phd school than your undergrad one.

[jeffleung1992]

I agree with the poster above; going to a new place for grad school than your undergrad will help you make more/new professional connections.

Also UPenn is actually pretty well regarded for Bioengineering, rankings don't tell the whole story. 

 

You should however consider which place will have a better match (professionally and socially) with your POI. 

 

Best wishes! 

[DNARNA]

I'd go with Upenn. Going to a new school and meeting new people will give you more perspectives and connections. I think that in almost all situations it is better to go to a different phd school than your undergrad one.

 

I agree with the poster above; going to a new place for grad school than your undergrad will help you make more/new professional connections.

Also UPenn is actually pretty well regarded for Bioengineering, rankings don't tell the whole story. 

 

You should however consider which place will have a better match (professionally and socially) with your POI. 

 

Best wishes! 

 

I did hear this advice from many people but I never had a concrete reason as to why switching schools is better. My ultimate goal is to stay in academia and I believe that both POI have exciting projects and they are well respected. So that should not be a problem in getting a post doc once I'm done.

 

So do you guys have any specific disadvantages that might arise from me staying at UC Irvine in regards to a future career in academia?

 

Also, jeffleung1992 do you mind expanding on how rankings of Upenn do not tell the whole story please

Thanks!

Edited March 24, 2014 by DNARNA

[jeffleung1992]

I did hear this advice from many people but I never had a concrete reason as to why switching schools is better. My ultimate goal is to stay in academia and I believe that both POI have exciting projects and they are well respected. So that should not be a problem in getting a post doc once I'm done.

 

So do you guys have any specific disadvantages that might arise from me staying at UC Irvine in regards to a future career in academia?

 

Also, jeffleung1992 do you mind expanding on how rankings of Upenn do not tell the whole story please

Thanks!

All I meant by that was that UPenn is actually regarded as a top bioengineering program in the biomedical/bioengineering community. I feel for graduate school people don't generally differentiate between rankings on a rank by rank basis. From my experience people tend to lump bioengineering programs as "top," "decent," and "low." UPenn is generally regarded as a "top" bioengineering school. This is largely based on the quality of the faculty doing research and the graduating students. I think you would be hard pressed to find a biomedical company looking at a resume who will really differentiate between Stanford/JHU/UPenn/Duke/MIT/etc. At that level, it will be more important what work you did/published. 

 

I would personally pick UPenn over UCI (provided the POIs were comparable at both schools; that's most important). Also, I interviewed at UPenn BioE; I won't be attending, but the culture, the area, and the students are pretty awesome! Just my $0.02.  Best wishes!  

[bsharpe269]

The reason people say that it is better to switch schools is that you get twice the connections, perspectives, and experiences as you would otherwise.

 

Connections really are a big deal in any job, including academia. You would be a big disadvantage here. Most people will know their undergrad professors well plus a whole other set at another school. Also, if you will be working with the same PI as undergrad then you will not be exposed to many new ideas in grad school, just continue with ones you already know.

 

Thats my perspective at least!

[Vene]

Just a side thought, for the stipend amount did you account for cost of living?

[DNARNA]

The reason people say that it is better to switch schools is that you get twice the connections, perspectives, and experiences as you would otherwise.

 

Connections really are a big deal in any job, including academia. You would be a big disadvantage here. Most people will know their undergrad professors well plus a whole other set at another school. Also, if you will be working with the same PI as undergrad then you will not be exposed to many new ideas in grad school, just continue with ones you already know.

 

Thats my perspective at least!

I will be switching my current area of research and switching my POI at UC Irvine so that should expose me to new ideas. I still agree that connections/ideas wise Upenn would be a better option. 

 

Just a side thought, for the stipend amount did you account for cost of living?

 

 

Yes and Irvine is still much better

[starofdawn]

Is this for an MS or PhD? If it's for an MS, the location shouldn't matter as much (you'll only be there for 2 years). If it's for a PhD, I understand wanting to live in a place with good weather. Being a Southern California native, I understand how good weather can be a major factor for us.

[DNARNA]

Is this for an MS or PhD? If it's for an MS, the location shouldn't matter as much (you'll only be there for 2 years). If it's for a PhD, I understand wanting to live in a place with good weather. Being a Southern California native, I understand how good weather can be a major factor for us.

PhD, I really love the weather, lifestyle and culture here. Which makes it very hard for me to leave. But at the same time it might be good for me to get a new experience and challenge myself...