I have been accepted to USC -Viterbi school, Purdue (IN) and UW Madison for a direct PhD program in Electrical Engineering. I have also received a fellowship from USC.
I know that Purdue ranks higher that USC and UW Madison but I am still confused as to which university should I join for my PhD. What are my chances of getting a job if I go to USC or Uni of Wisconsin Madison as compared to Purdue?
Does anyone know which university ranks higher if we compare USC-Viterbi and UW Madison in Electrical Engineering Graduate Program?
They’re all terrific so I’d go to the one that is the cheapest/offers the best stipend.
USC has a strong alumni network, something to keep in mind. Also LA is really nice + they are offering you a fellowship.
I’d vote for USC.
This is a question to ask in the Grad School Forum, so you may want to take it there.
You can get equivalent jobs from any of these places, don’t wory about that. But for a PhD program, you should be looking at the research teams at each institution. Are any of those groups focused on topics that interest you? Have you been in communication with any of the Principal Investigators of those groups? Have you spoken with any current or recent students yet to find out about the various PIs, about different teams, and any general gossip about how the departments run?
Wherever you do go, you will probably be there for something like seven years. It is best if you can feel that you and the institution are a good fit. It is best if there are several research groups you could imagine working with - too many grad students find themselves in trouble if their PI drops dead (that happened to two different friends of mine), or doesn’t get tenure (one friend), or takes a job at a different university (in two cases I know of, the students followed the professors to the new U), or turns out to be an absolute jerk (yup, one prof I know of couldn’t keep a grad student for more than one semester).
While you are chatting with the current students, find out what their experience has been living in that community on their funding. How grim is the housing situation? Is there decent public transportation if you don’t have a car? Are there graduate dorms/meal plans that worked well for them? A PhD program in your field should be fully funded, but the mix of support can vary wildly. If the money won’t cover tuition, fees, etc. at the university in question, and doesn’t give you enough to live on, and isn’t guaranteed to remain at least at that level for the entire time that you can be expected to be there, then they don’t truly want you all that much. Crunch the numbers before you decide.