<p>Hi guys, I have received three offers(all PhD Programs):
Applied Mathematics @ Carnegie Mellon
Applied Math, Statistics and Scientific Computing @ University of Maryland
Computational and Applied Math @ Rice University</p>
<p>Does anybody know detailed information about these programs? It's hard for me to make the decision. I appreciate your kind help!</p>
<p>I attend Rice with a minor in applied math and I can say that the Applied Math dept is fantastic. The teacher quality, that is, is second to none because they are exceptionally caring and personal while still being the top in their fields. Look at Mark Embree, Richard Tapia and Steve Cox for good research professors (if they take students which I think they do). I don’t know about the others, but the quality of professors and attention to students is top notch at Rice.</p>
<p>Based SOLELY on the ranking, UMD is ranked the highest. Also, UMD seems to have the biggest research applied math department out of the three.
If you are leaning more towards computer science, then yeah, CMU is more of an obvious choice.</p>
<p>to Sephiroth226: yeah, I know that Rice has very nice professors. But don’t you think that CMU and UMD are stronger in academic pursuits? Based solely on appmath ranking, CMU 11th, UMD 12th, Rice 19th… I’m not sure these rankings make sense, though.</p>
<p>TO ccpsux: thanks a lot for your reply. I want to take a job in industry rather than the academic world after graduation. Do you know which school is the best from this angle?</p>
<p>Well, oludom, CMU and UMD actually both rank 12th in the latest USNEWS ranking.</p>
<p>The rankings system is not reliable for a decision. This is the way to look at graduate school. It is more of an apprenticeship than anything else, so, first and foremost, one must find a good professor fit. Simply put, that is where Rice is without a doubt top. With regard to rankings, the reason Rice is not ranked higher is because of the way ranking is done–size has a major influence on rating and Rice is very small. </p>
<p>For instance, look at this style of ranking</p>
<p>[Faculty-Productivity</a> Index Offers Surprises - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/Faculty-Productivity-Index/19118]Faculty-Productivity”>http://chronicle.com/article/Faculty-Productivity-Index/19118)</p>
<p>with this as the result for EE</p>
<p><a href=“http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/page.php?year=2007&primary=5&secondary=50&bycat=Go[/url]”>http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/page.php?year=2007&primary=5&secondary=50&bycat=Go</a></p>
<p>I admit, Rice is not as prestigious as many of the more established institutions such as the Ivies, but, in terms of caliber, Rice is up with the best. Anyway, I recommend getting a feel for the schools by speaking to profs or grad students in the dept or visiting because you must find a good fit.</p>