<p>I am an international student majoring in structural engineering. I have been admitted to these amazing schools master program. They are Umich, Northwestern, CMU, UCLA, USC, UC Davis or Columbia.</p>
<p>As a general note,
1.Money is not an issue for me
2.According to the USNEWS, the subject ranking is: Umich>CMU>Northwestern>UC Davis>UCLA>USC>Columbia.
3.I come to US because I want to broaden my horizon. So the subject ranking is not so important to me. I have not decided whether I would like to do research.
So could you please give me some suggestion? The deadline is coming. Many Thanks.</p>
<p>Michigan, Davis, USC, and UCLA are all extremely large schools. You’ll meet people from all over and be part of a huge program. That could be both a plus and a minus. CMU, Northwestern, and Columbia are considerably smaller, so you might be able to get a little more individual attention from staff and faculty, which can be a definite positive. Some people also find it easier to make friends when there’s actually fewer people you’re interacting with.</p>
<p>UMich, Northwestern, and Davis are not really part of a major city. Columbia has NYC, UCLA and USC are both part of Los Angeles (though very different parts), and CMU is on about ten major bus lines that run through Pittsburgh.</p>
<p>I would recommend going through the particulars of each program and see what courses are required and which ones seem most interesting, personally. Take a look at some faculty webpages and see which ones have things you’d like to do.</p>
<p>US News rankings are patently useless when it comes to deciphering specialties. MIT is a top 3 Civil program according to US News but it’s more like a top 30 structural engineering program, for instance. I do know UCLA has a strong structural engineering program if you’re interested in seismic analysis, USC not so much. In terms of structures, UCLA and Columbia might be better choices than the others.</p>
<p>Additionally, quality of life shouldn’t trump academics as you’re likely enrolled in a 1 year master’s program. If it’s an intense one year master’s, it’ll be like a full time job. You’d have less time for socialization.</p>
<p>I´m an international student too, and I have finally decided to head for UC Davis to get a M.S. in structural eng… As the previous poster says, US News rankings can give you an overall idea but they do not seem to understand the difference between civil and structural eng…
Regarding Davis, I am quite concerned about its local atmosphere…
good luck dude!!</p>
<p>Thanks for your information. Do you mind if I ask you whether you are a structural engineering student? As you just mentioned, UCLA and Columbia might be good at structural engineering. Could you please tell me more details about this conclusion? Many thanks.</p>
<p>I was a structural engineering student back in the day and went through the gauntlet to get my BS and Ph.D. I’m now in a different field. But when I was researching graduate schools years ago, I remember compiling my list of the top structural engineering schools, based on discussions with professors during interviews at the different schools at the time. Another important metric I also employed was to go to Berkeley’s (or another school you already know is prominent for graduate or undergraduate structural engineering) website and see where the most successful professors (with the most funding) did their grad schooling or what other schools they were collaborating with for research. I saw a distribution of something like this (based on interviews and data aggregation) when I applied for structural engineering schools for undergrad and grad (not ranked absolutely):</p>
<p>UIllinois (experimentation and theory focused.)
Berkeley (experimentation and theory focused)
Columbia (known more for computational theory with a mix of design and analysis.)
Cornell (finite element powerhouse with aero and material considerations. Very theory focused.)
Princeton (very good design and theory school. you learn quite a bit about the architectural aspects and structural implications of a certain design coming out of this school. Known for its research on unique structures. No experimentation).
Stanford (very theoretical school with a strong seismic program. A lot of collaborations with Berkeley for experimentation. Some small-scale testing done in-house)
UTexas (heavy reliance on Department of Transportation experimentation research)
UCLA (some experimentation but with greater integration with biomedical and aerospace structural analysis implications. Strong seismic program)
UCSD (They have a pure school of structural engineering that focuses on seismic research experimentation via shake tables and small-scale testing).
UMich (known for some experimentation with concrete and transportation projects)
CMU (known for probabilistic analysis and simulation)
SUNY-Buffalo (known for seismic experimentation).</p>
<p>You’ll see that the above list is more bent towards a research student’s view. But that could help if you’re interested in research. If you’re interested in structural design, most of the schools above will prepare you very well (save for perhaps SUNY-Buffalo and CMU).</p>
<p>Other schools on your list such as Northwestern are more known for Transportation (traffic optimization). USC does primarily seismic research with analysis for geotech applications.</p>
<p>I really appreciate your help. Now I kind of want to go to Columbia University. Because the NYC appeals to me very much and I think a global city will offer more opportunity to an international student. Besides, someone told me the courses selection is very flexible there. Maybe I can develop my own interest in management. Do you think it is a good idea?</p>
<p>I really appreciate your help. Now I kind of want to go to Columbia University. Because the NYC appeals to me very much and I think a global city will offer more opportunity to an international student. Besides, someone told me the courses selection is very flexible there. Maybe I can develop some skills in management or finance. Do you think such a idea is practical? Thanks a lot.</p>
Don’t look at US News rank. Believe me when I say its shitty. I have been accepted into similar schools (Columbia, Umich, Northwestern and UIUC). I am mostly going to Columbia. An Ivy league tag will help you go places.