I was admitted to UCSD’s PhD program in the ECE department with the ISRC focus, and Yale’s MEMS program with a focus on robotics. I am having trouble choosing, I have created a comparison list attached below, but I would love feedback from others? I went to UCSD for undegrad in the ECE department. Thank you so much for any help!
Comparison of UCSD to Yale
UCSD
• +Higher ranked engineering school (More possibility of collaboration)
• +Near the beach, possibility of doing underwater AUV research
• -Much worse funding, and higher cost of living
• +Friends live here (however may move away after 6 months – 2 years)
• Warmer weather / no seasons
• -Nervous people “talk” a lot but don’t follow through, changed group I’m working with, new group seems better.
• More difficult program / qualifier exam
• +More machine learning people
• Large department
• +Climbing team, near beach for Scuba
• +National Geographic Explorer’s club people, I have not yet done my exploration stuff I’m interested in, but I would like to. I spent undergrad collecting skills, now I can use them more.
• -Underwater SLAM may not be feasible
• +Has a nice machine shop
• -I like the idea of focusing on ML, in implementation I’m not so sure (REU last summer was in ML working alone, it got frustrating at times, I really love hardware)
• Aggressive and ground breaking projects proposed, but not always followed through?
• EE PhD program
• Lab has a great dynamic
• Similar lab organization as at Yale
Yale
• +Aaron Dollar is a much more experienced professor and very well known. Seems very nice from talking with him and his students. Knew my professor at UCSD.
• +I like mechanical systems a lot, Aaron feels the walker is a feasible full PhD thesis. (I don’t understand fully how, but if it is that is great!). This walker could do amazingly well in difficult environments
• +Much better funding and a guarantee throughout all four years.
• +Yale name, lots of funding for lab work (they just got the UV laser PCB mill, plus 3 nice FDM printers and a Projet!!!) I’m especially excited for the PCB mill, fast board prototyping is so nice for quick and fun projects.
• Small department
• I’m nervous about the “change”
• +Climbing team, mountaineering team, water is too cold for scuba in winter
• +Has a nice machine shop (not as nice though)
• -Not a ton of experienced ML people, but do I want to do ML (algorithm development solely, or application to novel systems and development in that instance?)
• ME PhD program
• +Everyone at the visit was so excited for this school, including others in this same lab.
• Similar lab organization as at UCSD