CMU in Qatar or UWM? Please help me!

minolta001
Tue, 14 Apr 2015 04:22:33 +0000

Hey guys.

I am an international student. I got accepted to both Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Doha Education City, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. I major in Computer Science. Now I have a difficult choice. Can anyone helps me?

One upperclassman in CMUQ told me that, though the CS in CMUQ may be not as good as that in Pittsburgh campus, the CS in CMUQ is still quite strong. The officials declare that the professor are from main campus, or trained in there. And I will receive the same degree and diploma in CMUQ as on the main campus. However, the upperclassman told me that through the teaching quality is fine, there are few directions of CS for you to choose because the limited number of professors. He has to contact with the professor in main campus through Skype and other internet methods to finish his undergraduate research. I think this may cause great difficulty for students to continue their studies. And I think CMUQ may not offer some upper courses for junior and senior.

Besides, I am worried about the employment of graduates. I know CMU maintains a great reputation in job market, especially its CS. But when you graduate from CMUQ, you may have less opportunities to attend the career fair in main campus, in the United State. And companies may not consider a student from CMUQ. And I will not gain OPT, which allows me to find a job in USA in 12 months. Is there anyone knows any information about this issue?

If CMUQ could not offer the courses I want to learn, I may consider to go to main campus through internal transfer or other universities in the Unites States. The FAQ on the official website says that transfering to main campus is quite difficult. but it doesn’t mention how difficult it is or any statistic. And that is what I am worrying about. Is it just a day dream?

My parents hope me to choose UWM. Of course the CS department in UWM is fairly good too, but CMU have a better reputation and education. Besides, CMUQ has a much higher teacher-to-student ratio. I think this may cause a great difference in education quality between CMUQ and UWM.

But in UWM, I don’t need to worry about transferring to other colleges. I may have a more stable college career. In CMUQ, there is always something uncertain, the information on Internet is too limited. That is what I thought and what my mum said.

I don’t want to work in Qatar after graduation. My original destination is America, not Qatar (Yes, the totally different culture is also a great problem to me). Now I cannot decide which one to go. Is there anyone studies in CMUQ or knows any information?

Guys, I need your help! Please HELP me! Thanks!