I need some advice on graduate school...

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transistor

transistor

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I got banned from my regular forum, so I'm going post the question here. You guys probably have more wisdom anyway.

I'm going to grad school next fall to get an masters degree in engineering.

This probably sounds like an obvious question, but I'm having a hard time deciding..

Should I pay $37k/yr to go to Stanford for one year or go to the University of Texas-Austin for 2 years and receive full funding (tuition plus $20k/yr stipend)?

UT is ranked 11th, Stanford is ranked 2nd.

I'm guessing that going to UT would probably be more enjoyable, but it doesn't have the prestige of Stanford. And I don't plan on living in Texas after I graduate, so I don't know how well a UT degree would be received elsewhere...
 


Why worry about the prestige if you can survive on your internet income? I might have a ph.d., but it doesn't mean shit online.
 
I forgot to add that in this economic climate, having a positive income might be a good thing for you.
 
I'm doing pretty well with Adsense right now. I'm making more than I did as an engineer and I anticipate I'll be making twice as much by the time school starts. Hopefully Google doesn't randomly ban me like they do to a lot of people...
 
1) What is the #1 school - just curious?
2) Go to Standford
3) Keep working on your sites
4) Pay off school with sites
5) Be a self-employed rich dude with a grad degree from stanford, ballin.
 
See if Stanford can up its offer. I have a friend debating between a few schools including Princeton right now for grad school, and his offer from Stanford was below Princeton and some similar schools. I have a friend who got another school to up his grad school stipend last year, and it might still be possible this year.
 
If you have over 100k savings, I would choose Stanford. But UT is super great school. However, Stanford is top 1-3 in most engineering degrees and very reputable. It is in an area full of companies that can hire you, and pay you very well. Ive been in Palo Alto few times, and it is very cool town. I really love SF Bay area.

I have been a grad student for 6 years, working PhD right now in one of top 10 schools. Reputable school helped me to get interviews easier (not jobs).

The only advice I have to you is "make sure you want to be a grad student"..... It is a lot of time and dedication.. Projects/homeworks are time consuming...

So, if you have over 100k savings, stanford is the way. If not, UT your option. If you join Stanford, do not really be very optimistic to be RA or TA. They give them to PhD students more often... But you can try to get RA by contacting professors you can contribute to their research. BE very careful when you contact profs...

I wish that helps!
Adi
 
adi.azar said:
If you have over 100k savings, I would choose Stanford. But UT is super great school. However, Stanford is top 1-3 in most engineering degrees and very reputable. It is in an area full of companies that can hire you, and pay you very well. Ive been in Palo Alto few times, and it is very cool town. I really love SF Bay area.

I have been a grad student for 6 years, working PhD right now in one of top 10 schools. Reputable school helped me to get interviews easier (not jobs).

The only advice I have to you is "make sure you want to be a grad student"..... It is a lot of time and dedication.. Projects/homeworks are time consuming...

So, if you have over 100k savings, stanford is the way. If not, UT your option. If you join Stanford, do not really be very optimistic to be RA or TA. They give them to PhD students more often... But you can try to get RA by contacting professors you can contribute to their research. BE very careful when you contact profs...

I wish that helps!
Adi
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. By the time I start school I should have close to 100k saved up.

I'm going to be visiting both schools in the next couple weeks to get the feel of them. Hopefully that will help me decide.

Why do you say be very careful when you contact profs?
 
If you have healthy savings and enjoy your visit, hands-down go to Stanford and keep plugging away at AM at the same time.

UT-Austin is a great school, don't get me wrong, but Stanford is head & shoulders better. You will be so much more likely to be around future leaders and successful entrepreneurs at Stanford. Plus that brand and the access is provides you will stay with you forever.

On the flip side, don't just be a brand whore. It matters but it's not everything. Make sure it really is the better program for you content & faculty-wise, and gut check on if you can see yourself enjoying living there.

Good luck & congrats either way -- there really isn't a bad decision to make here.
 
I'm a college counselor by day so i help students in this type of situation all the time...You have to look at the individual programs and what the schools offer for their students in terms of placement/ internships/ jobs, etc after completion of the program.

First hunch, go to UT and get ur education paid for. MANY employers don't look for what school you went to as long as you have a degree and you know what your talking about...experience helps. Now, if it was Stanford VS ITT Tech or something like that then yes, there is a big difference. But UT being #11 is a great option that would be hard for most students to pass up, especially having it paid for.

However, there are a lot of other things to look at and consider (differences in specific program of engineering, possibility of internships, cost of living, etc). If you going to Stanford has a special connection for you (always dreamed of it, father went there, whatever) then that might steer you more towards Stanford.

Ultimately, you'll have to weigh out the pros and cons and make that decision yourself. Hope that helps.
 
I meant, you have to be careful of what you write, know what he is doing and you are sure that you are capable of contributing to his work. If u start sending emails to many of them, they will share your info among them on one of their meetings and you will never get RA....



transistor said:
Thanks for the reply. By the time I start school I should have close to 100k saved up.

I'm going to be visiting both schools in the next couple weeks to get the feel of them. Hopefully that will help me decide.

Why do you say be very careful when you contact profs?
Click to expand...
 
My instinct is Stanford. Everyone knows it and if the job market is a bit tough in 2 years it might be the difference between a great job and no job.

Plus it is a great time to be spending a few years out of the real world.

That might be why their offer is not that great. In bad times people go back to school.

But I am not an engineer. I might be full of shit.
 
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