Round 1...FIGHT! - [CSE] Michigan (MS) V.S Northeastern (PhD)

[shinyhare]

Greetings fellow cafe goers, 

 

At the moment the above are my two options; I also applied to USC, CMU, and U-Toronto, but given the timeline I am formulating a plan assuming rejection. Here's the breakdown on funding and research: 

Northeastern: Funded by RA, POI is loaded with over $14 million in grants right now, he even showed me his list of successful and pending grants. Research is interesting, but main drawback for me is the lack of prestige - definitely hurts for students who decide to try for an academic career later. 

University of Michigan: Master's students don't get funding from the department. If I could get funding I would definitely go here, but I'm not sure how difficult it is for MS students to get RA's. I talked to a prof who did his PhD at Michigan, he also mentioned that MS students are somewhat treated as second-rate citizens. Research here is top notch. 

If anyone has input or opinions it would be greatly appreciated, especially regarding any information about Michigan. 

Thanks and good luck to all of you!

Edited March 19, 2015 by shinyhare

[rising_star]

I wouldn't do a master's at a program that I know will treat me like a second-class citizen. If this is just for the master's go to Northeastern. You can always "upgrade" to a more prestigious program for your Ph.D.