My D has both these options and cost is almost the same. Which one we should select?
Which country is she from?
University of Massachusetts at Amherst is very good and in ai it’s one of the very best. Great town. New facilities going up everyday and awesome campus dining. Great men’s ice hockey if that matters. It’s fun.
The same could be said for McMaster, except the pro hockey is close by. The difference will be in where the student is able to work after graduation. There’s no point in getting a UMass degree if they don’t plan to work in the US or a McMaster degree if they don’t plan to work in Canada.
If the student is international for both locations, you need to carefully investigate the differences work permission both while in university and after graduation. In the past, Canada has had much friendlier policies.
Thanks for your reply.
She is an International student from India.Most likely she will like to go for masters after undergrad. In that case which university will be better?
If she plans to work after undergrad then which option is better considering work permit permission in US and Canada?
Both universities can get her into a good graduate program. You do not need to worry about that.
See https://www.immigration.ca/ for information about student and work visa eligibility. The rules are much clearer than for the US.
It is difficult to get work permission in the US. Also, many potential students are denied student visas each year because the Visa Officer who interviews them does not think that they plan to return home after graduation. If your daughter does decide to study in the US, she must be able to look that Visa Officer in the eye and clearly state with all honesty that she intends to return to India after completing her education and any Optional Practical Training (OPT) that is permitted with that future bachelor and/or master degree.
“Both universities can get her into a good graduate program.”
Yes, exactly.
I know several people who went to MacMaster, and one professor there. I have worked with tons (literally) of software engineers who graduated from U.Mass Amherst. Both are very good universities. Both specifically have very good software engineering programs.
As such first of all congratulations! Your D has two great options.
In terms of which to pick, it might indeed depend upon what country your daughter wants to end up in after graduation. Canada has very friendly policies for graduates to stay on in the country with a 3 year work permit after a 4 year degree. Because the work permit is tied to your degree and not to the job, it is possible to change jobs without losing the work visa. If the work goes well, her employer can help her get a permanent resident visa after the 3 year work permit runs out. In the US there is reasonably broad support for legal immigration, but it is still a political hot potato and it is hard to know what the situation will be in four years. Of course the high tech industry in the US is overall stronger than the high tech industry in Canada.
In terms of going on to graduate school, both schools will be recognized as very good by admissions at other universities. I do know several people who did undergrad in Canada and graduate school at very good universities in the US. This will be possible also.
I don’t think that I am being very helpful, but both are great choices.
Well, the big dogs when in southern Ontario when it comes to CS are Waterloo and U of T, but McMaster is probably good. It’s known for it’s pre-med and Medicine. While it is a good size school, it won’t dominate the town the way that UMASS does. Hamilton is a city of over half a million, and only a 45 minute drive to Toronto. There is a very large Indian population in Toronto, and a smaller one in Hamilton, if it matters to you. They have a decent sized regional airport there, And the Toronto airport is on the west side of the city, making it easier to get to from McMaster.
Amherst is a much smaller town than Hamilton. Boston is further away…about two hours.
I have family who were on the faculty at UMASS, but not in CS. I’ve heard it’s pretty good there, maybe a bit better than McMaster, but neither school should hold one back.
I do find it humorous that someone is bragging about hockey in Amherst when comparing it to a Canadian school.
@57special I find it humorous that one can read a post designed to be simply helpful and classify it as bragging about hockey.
Good lord. I was only mentioned it having considered they were aCanadian student and perhaps it was a sport of interest played at a high level at the school.
It was a fun pastime at the school this year for the kids. Playing for a frozen four championship is no small feat.
As an aside, the best player in the USA is a Canadian star on the minuteman squad.
But head to head academically in cs , Massachusetts is a leader in this space. especially if they have any intent in ai.
Text your relative and ask the question. I would be interested in their feedback. They would know better than any of us.