Both masters degree, Communication and Networking,
Both the uni’s cost almost the same, but don’t know about the cost of living. Dallas vs Hoboken?
Alumni’s or prospective students, please advise.
The two schools are in completely different parts of the country and would give you very different cultural experiences. Is that a consideration?
Stevens is small and in a tiny town that’s nice in itself, and that town is located across a river from NYC. The school looks out on the skyline of the City. It’s quite remarkable. You can get to NYC easily by ferry that leaves frequently during the day. The ferry terminal is walking distance from the school. You’d have access to all that NYC has to offer from the arts to food to activities – and networking opportunities. NYC has an international outlook. Stevens is a hidden gem IMHO. While its a small school, the quality of the education is high and it is situated in a great place.
SMU is a great school too, and offers a very different experience. Much larger in size from Stevens, your social life would be inside the school population more. It’s access to networking in major cities outside of Texas would be somewhat limited – but not completely so. Texas is certainly an interesting experience, but it’s not as international as NYC. Houston is a very different place to live from NYC. Houston is car oriented while NYC you have public transportation that gets you everywhere, including train lines up and down the East Coast. Texas has a lot to offer and Houston is growing in terms of arts – the art museum recently recruited the head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC to run its art museum, for example.
My feeling is that in general the NYC experience would be more exciting but that doesn’t mean that Houston doesn’t have a lot to offer.
Dustyfeathers, SMU is located in Dallas, not Houston. And Houston is more ethnically diverse than NYC, per the US census.
Thanks for letting me know about SMU being in Dallas and not Houston. @roycroftmom I missed that bit. Great to know that Houston is more ethnically diverse! Ethnic diversity wasn’t in my comments, not for NYC or Houston (or Dallas) and it’s certainly something to think about in addition to the other factors. By “international” I meant how many people come and go from every location on the planet on a daily basis. When you’re in the NYC area everyone seems to come and go from there – and that means you get exposed to those ideas. If you’re interested in, say, hearing the leader of X country, good chances they will be coming to the NYC area to speak. If you’re interested in Y performer from N country, then the same is true. Everyone it seems comes through NYC sooner or later and so that makes it different from many other places in the US.
So, based on your inputs which one should I opt for? I’m in a very deep dilemma. Also waiting for Northeastern and UMCP decisions. Compared to those how would this fair out?
What type of job are you expecting to get, and,are you authorized to work in the US?
It’s rather vague. But I’m expecting to work on telecom/networking type jobs. And yes it’s a STEM course so I will be authorized to work up to 3 years after successful graduation after which I have to sponsored for H1b.
Then I would look at the job placement rates for each school.
Yes, I could not blindly trust the statistics they put up on their website, so asking around for some insights.
Hoboken is a fun town, but it’s really, really expensive. 5 minutes to Manhattan doesn’t come cheap! But Stevens is a good school and a great location for internships/job prospects.
I’d pick SMU. Not even close. It’s an incredibly beautiful and peaceful campus, right in the middle of a busy Dallas neighborhood. Lots to do, right next to campus. Quite affordable compared to anything in vicinity of New York City.
Hey, I know the thread is old, a bit of update. I got into NJIT too, anything good with that uni?
Between Stevens and NJIT, I would take Stevens. NJIT is not in a very nice area at all.
Hoboken might be more expensive but the job prospects after graduating might be better in terms of pay.
Here is Payscale’s report on expected salaries after graduating from various colleges.
Stevens early salary rate is $73K with 79% STEM grads
SMU’s early salary rate is $57K (about) with 22% STEM grads
https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/bachelors
Some of that difference may be because Stevens graduates many more engineers and tech people. SMU graduates students in the humanities and other fields that pay less at the beginning.
Still living in the Hoboken./ NYC area with $73K starting salary is not hard at all. And the networking and jobs availability in the NYC area is almost endless.
To my mind, I’d go with Stevens because it offers so much beyond the education itself. In addition to the leverage to get great jobs in the area, there’s so much more. There’s not just a cute neighborhood around Stevens with a little coffee shop and a pizza parlor. Surrounding Stevens is one of the world’s major metropolitan areas – about 22-24million people in the area served by NYC, literally a sphere of international influence. It’s served by three major airports in the NYC metro area alone. (And there’s the option of going into the mountains and to the seashore fairly easily, in case it worries you to be so immersed in a city!) There’s some of the world’s greatest art museums, the world’s greatest theater, the world’s great cuisines, the world’s confluence of politics and learning at some of the top universities nearby (Columbia, Princeton, NYU, Yale and Harvard are easy trainrides away) Washington DC is not that far by an easy train ride–close enough for a day trip, also offering its own amazing museums and job connections and culture and politics.
You may or may not feel as if you fit in at SMU. The undergrad student body has a substantial number of very wealthy and attractive students who dominate the social life there. I don’t know about the NJ schools, but I don’t think either would be considered upper class enclaves.
Yes, I know, dustyfeathers. I attended it. Class of 1984. I referenced the NJ schools he is considering. Princeton isn’t on that list.
@Dustyfeathers - so is Stevens!
Yes, @Engineer80 You are absolutely correct. I think it’s clear from the earlier posts that I’m aware that it’s in Hoboken, across from Manhattan. I was referencing the thought that NJ schools have bastions of the upper echelon – because I’d missed a single word in @roycroftmom post – the word was both. I just wanted to point out in a lighthearted way that NJ has schools that are indeed bastions of the upper echelon.
Stevens Institute of Technology for STEM placement. But, I love SMU & Dallas. Two great choices.