CMU, UMICH or UCLA

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>My name is Parag, n i m a final year electronics and telecommunication engineering student from the Mumbai University....well i hav applied for MS in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Wireless Communications and Networking ...</p>

<p>Universities Admitted To: </p>

<p>1) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.</p>

<p>2) Carnegie Mellon University </p>

<p>3) University of California-Los Angeles</p>

<p>4) Carnegie Mellon University - INI</p>

<p>5) University of Pennsylvania</p>

<p>6) University of Southern California</p>

<p>7) University of Colorado, Boulder</p>

<p>8) Polytechnic University, Brooklyn</p>

<p>University Applications Pending: </p>

<p>1) Georgia Institute of Technology </p>

<p>2) Cornell University</p>

<p>3) University of California- San Diego</p>

<p>4) Virginia Tech University </p>

<p>have a lot of questions in mind....if u could help me out, then it would be gr8...i am extremely sorry if i am disturbing you..but i am in a complete dilema..</p>

<p>At UMICH, I have been admitted for a Phd Program and haven't heard as yet about the aid decision. The fees are 32K tution for 1 year and including living nd stuff goes upto 45K. The climate is damn bad for a student comin 4m India, as in the cold. Although a minor factor but just stating it. </p>

<p>CMU is another great plc but even more expensive. It has the name and job prospects similar to UMICH but i have been offered no aid and a MS degree only.</p>

<p>Now UCLA's tution is 22K/ year and it's in California. However, standard of living is high again. Been admitted for a Masters Degree with no aid though. Job propects are equally good i feel at all three places but the climate is the best according to me at UCLA ( Correct me if i'm wrong. ) </p>

<p>Money is not a criteria for me nd I plan to do a job after graduation, maybe an MBA later on. Could you guys plz temme as to which uni I should select taking into account all the factors such as cost, climate, job prospects, possibility of assistanships etc. </p>

<p>Also consider the colls that i'm waiting to hear 4m.......All your suggestions are welcome and plz do correct me if i'm wrong in stating any point.</p>

<p>it would reallly gr8 if u guys cud help me in making a decision at this point...i am throughly confused...dunno whether i should take such a big plunge and get into any of these big colls and then repent my decision..... </p>

<p>thnx a lot ......Parag</p>

<p>DETAILS:</p>

<p>Name: Parag Bharat Mehta
College: Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi College of Engineering (Mumbai University)
Email: <a href="mailto:parag.b.mehta@gmail.com">parag.b.mehta@gmail.com</a>
Address: 3, Lovely Rose. Apts.,
Near Hare Rama Hare Krishna Temple,
Juhu,
Mumbai 400049
Tel: +91-22-26202709
Cell No: +91-9820595969
URL: <a href="http://www.paragmehta.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.paragmehta.com&lt;/a>
Qualification: Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunication </p>

<p>Percentage: 74%</p>

<p>Course Applied To: Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Specialization : Wireless Networking</p>

2

<p>easy choice...upenn</p>

3

<p>Don't listen to mackinit. For engineering, Michigan is the top university on your list. If you plan on pursuing a Ph.D., Michigan sounds like the cheapest option also because you cwould only have to pay for the Ph.D. program at Michigan while at CMU and UCLA you would have to pay to get the MS, and then a Ph.D. on top of that if you wanted one. So I think Michigan is the clear option unless you hate the weather or something.</p>

4

<p>CMU is a more prestigious name than the rest on your list (maybe apart from upenn if accepted)</p>

5

<p>Actually Anonamous, Michigan and Penn are the most prestigious schools on the OP list. However, in Engineering, Michigan and CMU are the most prestigious. And since Michigan is cheaper and has guaranteed PhD track, I would go for Michigan. Besides, Ann Arbor is more pleasant than Pittsburgh.</p>

6

<p>i dunno but personally i have this liking 2wards ucla.....michigan is almost out cause they r not givin me aid and i'm not keen on doin a Phd.....it's ucla v/s cmu.......now i think tht the job prospects shud be equally gud at both plcs........but ucla is 10K cheaper thn cmu.....main is to know whr wud i get a better exposure in wireless networking........i mean whr is more research goin on in this field....if some can help me out on tht wud be amazing.......</p>

<p>also cud u'll plz temme as to y has no1 opted for ucla.....i mean is it tht bad a school.......????</p>

7

<p>I don't get it, why are you willing to go to CMU for full tuition but not to Michigan? You do realize that Michigan will most likely be free for you. In fact, Michigan is probably going to pay you $15,000-$20,000 to attend since you are admitted into their PhD track, and that usually means you are virtually guaranteed a TA/RA position by your third semester as the very latest, possibily even earlier. You should contact the department/faculty member to check on the details.</p>

<p>In terms of quality of life, Michigan and UCLA are both good, depending on what you like. Ann Arbor is a laid back and intellectual college town (only 150,000 people, of which 40,000 are students and 5,000 are faculty). UCLA is in Los Angeles, a large city that you will either love or hate. The weather in Los Angeles is definitely more temperate, but I lived my entire life in the Gulf (which is much hotter than India) and I did not have any problems adjusting to Michigan's winters.</p>

<p>With regards to cost, UCLA is NOT cheaper than Michigan. Maybe tuition is lower, but cost of living will probably bridge most of the gap. In the end, both schools will cost you in the $40,000-$45,000/year. However, like I mentioned above, since you were admitted into the PhD program at Michigan, chances are you will be able to find a TA/RA position by your second year at Michigan at the latest. A TA/RA gets a full ride plus a $1,500 monthly stipend. So in the end, attending Michigan will probably cost you less than attending UCLA. Remember that accepting the PhD track at Michigan will not limit you. Should you decide to leave after you are done with your course work, you can do so.</p>

<p>In terms of graduate school quality, Michigan's EE program is better than UCLA's.</p>

8

<p>the thing is tht i'm sure on not doing a phd....nd on contacting my seniors at these unis, i've told that chances of funding at ucla are better thn umich.......secondly, i've been denied aid at umich.....called them up recently....nd wats the point waiting till the third sem 4 aid if i'm sure of doing an ms.......dunno but am reely confused at this point.....only something reely strong will make me take up umich.....as in some prof contacting me or dept. promising aid after the first sem.......lets hope 4 the best.....</p>

9

<p>I live fairly close to UCLA, and i could tell u that school is awesome!!! here in LA, we have awesome weather!! no snow! hardly any rain...mostly sunshine and all the chicks are hot!! (if your a boy you'll enjoy this) Just imagine the girls during the summer wearing bikinis :) Anyways, educationally, UCLA AND UMICH rank the same. Uh, i would prefer UCLA cuz the weather is amazing and the location is great...we have the beach, entertainment industry, celebrities in every corner...ITS GREAT COME HERE!! HAHA</p>

<p>Oh yeah, and i applied to Umich because i have lived in LA all my life and i would like to experience something else, so that should answer your question why i would be leaving LA. </p>

<p>DONT GO TO CU boulder! that school blows and they gave me 0 financial aid !!! augh!!</p>

10

<p>First of all, Michigan and CMU trump UCLA in GRADUATE engineering ranking (any ranking). For USNWR,</p>

<p>Overall grad engr: Mich(6), CMU(8) > UCLA(15)
ECE: Mich(6), CMU(7) > UCLA(13)</p>

<p>Secondly, even if you are admitted to the PhD program, you don't have to graduate with one. You are not given any research grant so there is really no obligation. If you don't want to continue on, you can always exit with a MSE degree. Many students do that. You can typically complete all your MSE requirements in one year (3 semesters) ... 30 credits (master thesis optional).</p>

<p>Re: financial support
Even if you are not awarded any fellowship or research grant, you may be able to get some support as teaching assistant or GSI (graduate student instructor). Universities are more willing to support their PhD students and they need a lot of GSIs to lead discussion sections.</p>

11

<p>First of all, Michigan and CMU trump UCLA in GRADUATE engineering ranking (any ranking). For USNWR,</p>

<p>Overall grad engr: Mich(6), CMU(8) > UCLA(15)
ECE: Mich(6), CMU(7) > UCLA(13)</p>

<p>Secondly, even if you are admitted to the PhD program, you don't have to graduate with one. You are not given any research grant so there is really no obligation. If you don't want to continue on, you can always exit with a MSE degree. Many students do that. You can typically complete all your MSE requirements in one year (3 semesters) ... 30 credits (master thesis optional).</p>

<p>Re: financial support
Even if you are not awarded any fellowship or research grant, you may be able to get some support as teaching assistant or GSI (graduate student instructor). Universities are more willing to support their PhD students and they need a lot of GSIs to lead discussion sections.</p>

<p>For bonus. In my days, you automatically qualify for in-state tuition with a 30% teaching appointment (2 discussion sections). Not sure if that is still true today.</p>

<p>Re: weather
I'm sure you know that there are a lot of Indian students in Michigan, especially in grad school. You can adapt to the snow and cold weather and may even enjoy it.</p>

12

<p>lets c guys...........don't think will be able to come thr unless i get aid........else it's ucla........thought a lot on it.....thnx 4 ur inputs.....plz tell me iif my decision is correct or not....</p>

<p>diff in tution for 2 years.....ucla 20K cheaper......
life better in La......
equal job opportunities....
better climate in LA....</p>

<p>these are the points of my selection.......</p>

13

<p>Life better in LA? Who told you that? You may love it there...but you may also hate it. As for cost of attendence, I'd say that if done right, Michigan would cost less than UCLA. I agree that jobs will be pretty much equal, but I think the education level at Michigan will be slightly more advanced for graduate EE students. </p>

<p>Anyway, you seem to have made up your miond, but you probably based it on faulty assumptions.</p>

14

<p>You don't need 2 years to finish your MSE degree, unless you plan on doing a thesis. In Michigan, the MSE degree typically takes 30 credits and 3 semesters (fall-winter-spring) if you already have an undergrad degree in EE.</p>

<p>Also look into the possibility of getting a teaching assistant appointment (GSI). If you have friends already in grad school in Michigan, they may be able to tell you whether 30% appointment will qualify you for in-state tuition. That will save you a lot of money. (note: budget for 4 semesters if you teach).</p>

15

<p>alexandre is lying, LIFE WILL BE BETTTER in ucla! for example, the climate is better and michigan's weather is depressing, thats already proof of how much better your life will be!! lol</p>

16

<p>Mojojojo, that's my point, some people prefer Los Angeles, others don't. But LA is not unquestionably better than Ann Arbor. Those two cities are hard to compare, but by most measurable standards (crime, educated people/capita, etc...), Ann Arbor more than holds its own against LA.</p>

17

<p>yea but LA is more fun ;-), plus, stupid people are funny :)</p>

18

<p>hey mojojo..........to be frank i'm comin to US for studyin........agreed it's necessary to enjoy 2.......but not to the extent tht u screw up ur studies man....agreed LA is a gr8 plc.........maybe better thn ann arbor....but the main point is the job tht i secure.....nd wanna be completely sure of which school can gimme a better job prospect.......thnx neways.....</p>