<p>I have been accepted into both the master of engineering degree of Systems Engineering at Cornell and to the MS of Engineering Management at USC.</p>
<p>Here are the two programs:
<a href="http://www.systemseng.cornell.edu/CourseList.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.systemseng.cornell.edu/CourseList.html</a>
<a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/ise/assets/003/50325.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.usc.edu/dept/ise/assets/003/50325.pdf</a> page 10</p>
<p>USC pros:
- Wide variate of courses to select from ( there is no any core courses)
- Better city(LA)
- Better weather
- The program is MS, which is better if I wanted to get Ph.D later
- More focus on Management and Technology
- They have Ph.D program in the same major
USC cons:
- Too many students ( the Engineering graduate school at USC is in of the biggest in the nation)
- Less selectivity in students
- The campus located in a very poor area in LA downtown (dangerous)</p>
<p>Cornell pros:
- Better reputation
- Better educating quality
- More selectivity in students
Cornell Cons:
- Bad location (Ithaca), small town, 4-5 hours to NYC
- Bad weather (very cold)
- The Systems Engineering is just a program (not department), they do not have Ph.D program so If I decided later to get Ph.D, I have to change the University
- The program is master of Engineering (not MS), more practical but not the best path if I want to pursue ph.D</p>
<p>Can you please help me decide? I need to get advice, and If you know more pros and cons please share them with me. Also, if you can comment about the mentioned points</p>
<p>the engineering school at USC is ranked higher overall than the engineering school at cornell. have you actually visited usc? i almost picked them over UT austin for chem e., even though UT is a much better academic environment for me...just because the campus and atmosphere was so amazing. you will be completely safe as long as you aware of your surroundings, so that should not be something that factors into your decision.</p>
<p>I grew up around USC. The area, although statistically "dangerous," is very safe as long as you mind your own business, stay near campus and don't start dealing drugs. My dad worked as a social worker down there for many years and never had a problem. Alot of the violence is gang related and doesn't involve laymen or college students.</p>
<p>Although USC has been in the top 10 of the graduate engineering schools for many years based on US news ranking, but that is mainly because of its high total research expenditures, research expenditures per faculty member ( which do not make any different with me as a masters student), and the total graduate engineering enrollment (the most in the nation with Georgia Tech).
The ranking based on the overall score put USC #7 and Cornell #10. But if you consider only the most important factors (especially for masters student) , the peer assessment & recruiter assessment, that will put Cornell #8 & 7 (it got 4.3, and 4.2 out of 5). In the other hand, USC will be # 28 & 23 (it got 3.5, and 3.7)</p>
<p>Chillax2
thank you for your reply. in chem eng. UT austin ranked # 8 while USC # ranked # 34. I am wondering, did you like the campus that much? what you think is so special about USC?</p>
<p>i've lived in LA my whole life, i personally don't like LA very much, it's a love-hate relationship. and although i may argue with you on the "better city" part, the area around USC isn't all that bad. i've walked around with ~$200 in cash past midnight and i've lived to talk about it. just mind your own business and don't be stupid like me (i came from a poor neighborhood so i do stupid things).</p>
<p>i think the important question is where do you want to end up working? going to USC would most likely give you more links with socal jobs and etc.</p>
<p>If you are thinking about a PhD, go with USC. Just make sure the department doesn't have the "we don't eat our own dog food" issue so you don't waste time retaking the courses at another school. </p>
<p>Ignore the previous post about USC graduates end up with (social) jobs. Both Cornell and USC are on the top engineering school list of many recruiters. Admitedly, most will prefer to LA over Ithaca but there is no shortage of Cornelians recruiting at their alma mater.</p>
<p>I said SoCal, not social. maybe i should start capitalizing my sentences...or not...i'm lazy...</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I hope that this thread is still active!
I have an admit from USC for Engineering Management. Should I accept it?</p>