<p>hi, everyone.</p>
<p>I have got these two offers for applied math.</p>
<p>I'm interested in computational mathematics, I do not know which should I choose.</p>
<p>In fact, I am worrying that I would not be able to find a good position in a usa research after I got my phd from both of these school. Can you give me some advice about what should I do after I attended one of them? Transfer to a better school after I got my ms degree? or change my major?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot in advance!</p>
<p>Getting a PhD is hard enough that I doubt your career will be hindered if you go to FSU or Buffalo. I'm sure you will land a very adequate and nice job after graduating from either of those schools.</p>
<p>Now get ready for a wave of people telling you "Unless your PhD is from Harvard or possibly Princeton, prepare for a life of unemployment and hardship." College Confidential is ridiculous like that.</p>
<p>Thank you for your reply, I feel much better now.</p>
<p>mathsz,</p>
<p>You should feel good! Getting into a PhD program is touhg no matter where you are applying.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Getting a PhD is hard enough that I doubt your career will be hindered if you go to FSU or Buffalo. I'm sure you will land a very adequate and nice job after graduating from either of those schools.</p>
<p>Now get ready for a wave of people telling you "Unless your PhD is from Harvard or possibly Princeton, prepare for a life of unemployment and hardship." College Confidential is ridiculous like that.
[/quote]
The simple truth is that hiring committees will give CVs with doctorates from Princeton longer looks than CVs with doctorates from Eastern Washington University, even if the candidates have roughly equal qualifications. Furthermore, students at better universities have access to working with much smarter people.</p>
<p>mathsz, if your ultimate goal is landing a research position at a top university, you might consider leaving FSU or SUNY with an MS, and then applying to places like the University of Michigan or NYU. Both have great applied math programs, and both aren't extremely difficult to get into.</p>
<p>drbott,</p>
<p>No offense, but your response to mathsz question included pretty much all the hallmarks of a good College Confidential answer, namely a lack of respect for any degree that isn't from Harvard or Princeton, as well as a belief that only those who go to the best schools can access good (not even great) jobs.</p>
<p>Firstly, mathsz NEVER said he wanted a "Research Position at a Top University." He just said he wanted a "Good Research Position" after graduating. When someone asks "Can I get good employment with a degree from Buffalo?" the correct (and polite) answer is usually not, "No, you cannot, because only graduates from the top Ivy's make millions." The guy just asked if we could get a research position, not if he was in position to be the next Nobel leaureate.</p>
<p>Secondly, when you say that the CV from a Princeton PhD graduate will be looked at longer than that from an Eastern Washington graduate...are you serious? Because I was pretty sure that the guy who graduated from Harvard was probably in the back of the line in terms of potential employment, right behind the guy who graduated from Walla Walla Community College and the other guy who matriculated at Appalachian State Christian University.
Harvard grads are looked at more favorably by potential employers than grads from FSU or SUNY? No WAY! In other news, the sky is blue, humans need oxygen to live, and smoking can cause lung cancer.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure that mathsz knew, before asking his question, that getting a PhD from a SUNY or FSU wasn't the same as getting one from Harvard or Princeton, which might explain why he never even alluded to such a thought in his message.</p>
<p>I really am getting disillusioned by reading all these "educated" responses where posters, many of whom are not yet in the workforce, proceed to take a dump all over someones dreams just because that person isn't going to a Top 10 program in whatever their field is.</p>
<p>The director of the ME Department at Berkeley is from SUNY, so you can take any degree anywhere. However, it is true that a higher ranked institution will give you better odds of a research/faculty position. But if you are doing good research, it will show. So, do a master's, see how far you go, and - maybe somewhat perversely - if you do really well, just stay in SUNY and publish really good papers or if not, try applying to a higher program, and see if you can get in to do new research.</p>
<p>Exacly. I would say a PhD from Harvard or Yale makes it easier to get a job but this does not mean that you can't get a top position. Or that if you go for a mid range university all is lost. In 2005 2 Australians won a nobel prize and they tought at the not elite: University of Western Australia at Perth.</p>
<p>FSU = Hot beatiful weather/girls</p>
<p>Buffalo = Cold not so beatiful weather/girls</p>
<p>and FSU has a far better maths(computer) dept. for grad.
SUNY has a great program aswell, but on the overal my opinion would be fsu.</p>
<p>merp and psmyth,</p>
<p>You guys bring up the obvious (and very true) point that at a place like harvard or Yale your chances at making meaningful contacts with big time academics, and sconequently doing big time research with them, are much greater. That is a given, and this is why so many people want to go to places such as Harvard or MIT. Beyond that, however, I am glad that you both pointed out that it is helpful, but by no means critical, to have a degree from HYPSM to get a respectable research position upon graduation. We need more posters on CC that aren't drinking the Prestige Kool-Aid.</p>
<p>prestige kool-aid whahahaha</p>
<p>Just for fun, suppose there was a 'prestige kool-aid' man. Aside from being a giant pitcher of kool-aid, what distinguishing features do you think he would have to separate him from the regular, non-Ivy League kool-aid man?</p>
<p>I'm actually in the applied mathematics boat and I was wondering what other schools you applied to. Here is my situation:</p>
<p>University of Maryland College Park AMSC program - Waiting
University of Texas at Austin CAM program - Waiting
Carnegie Mellon - Waiting
SUNY Stony Brook (Applied Math and Statistics)- Accepted w/o funding
University of Virginia - Accepted with Funding</p>
<p>U of VA seems like a cool place but they only have a Math Department, not an Applied Math dept. so I don't know if that might make a difference in my experience. Has anyone else heard from the schools I'm still waiting from?</p>
<p>Wanted to add a little to my previous post. I feel like in terms of research I'm more interested in Applied Math but the other thing is that I've found teaching to be something I really enjoy but it sometimes feels like that's more the domain of pure math, which is why I'm not sure where I would go if I got another acceptance with funding, I don't think I'll go to SUNY.</p>
<p>Just for the record --- I said if mathsz had the ultimate goal of doing research at a top school, chances would be best with a degree from a good school in the field. Anyway, mathsz did said,
[quote]
In fact, I am worrying that I would not be able to find a good position in a usa research after I got my phd from both of these school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's true that someone with a degree from, say, FSU can get a good research job. But it's much, much harder than if that person had a degree from a place that's better respected in applied math. If you look at the professors in applied math at, say, my university, the University of Washington, everyone has a PhD from somewhere that's at least #20 in applied math. And the UW isn't a top-10 school in applied math.</p>
<p>(Please no flaming!)</p>
<p>I believe the prestige kool-aid man... wouldn't be a big jug of kool-aid... but rather a smaller martini glass full of kool-aid made with top of the line handmade Italian kool-aid powder, mixed with really expensive water.
He would also be wearing a blazer... or atleast a polo, and some nice boat shoes....</p>
<p>LOL, Groenveld9! That's the kind of response I was looking for!</p>
<p>lol no problem</p>
<p>Groenvold,</p>
<p>Also, the Pretige Kool-Aid is only served at America's finest academic insititutions. if you aren't drinking the Prestige Kool-Aid at HYPSM, you arent drinking it at all.</p>
<p>true... veery true.
well.... i guess they could serve it at country clubs and yacht parties aswell...</p>
<p>Prestige Kool-Aid Parties > Tea Parties
. . . one small package of powder . . . one large step in the evolution of preppiness. . .</p>