<p>I want to study signal processing and have received full funding to attend any university in the US that offers a MSEE (ruling out MIT ;-( as they only have a PhD) but still leaves a number of other top programs to attend. Having this opportunity has really overwhelmed me on where I should put my energy into getting into and eventually attending (I believe I am likely to get in anywhere I apply based on my stats). Because I am fully funded (including living costs) I'm not sure if I should go to Stanford and spend my entire living budget that my fellowship gives me or go to somewhere like UT or GT and get to save a few hundred a month in the bank for graduation. I already have a job lined up after graduation that will pay high 5 figures to low 6 six figures upon graduation and it is my understanding that choosing #2/#3 (Stanford/Berkely) over UT and GT (both top 10s) won't affect my salary when I arrive so how should I make this decision? I really need advise. </p>
<p>I keep hearing MSEE at Stanford is a cash cow - but it doesn't matter since I'm fully funded and have 0 loans from undergrad. So the ONLY things I'm concerned about is getting the BEST education. I like how Stanford is on the quarter system allowing me to take 15 classes instead of 10 for a normal non-thesis MSEE so the extra knowledge excites me. But at the same time maybe graduating from UT or GT with an extra 15-20k in my bank account might be a better option? </p>
<p>I feel Stanford or Berkeley is worth the 15-20k I'll lose out on upon graduation that I would just use for future investment income from the networking advantages but keep in mind I'm going to do a non-thesis and not do any research. I already have an R&D job and have been doing that for a 5 years so I don't really want to deal with doing more research different from my work that I already love and enjoy! I just want more classes to build my base to apply to the work I already currently do. I know the courses I need to improve what I do so excited to get the knowledge and get back to work!</p>
<p>Other factors to consider, I have little interest in silicon valley because of the cost of living in that state and my job is in a much more affordable part of the nation where my family lives and pays great already. So I'm truly looking for a place to allow my brain to grow to it's full potential but I'm not sure because of losing that 15-20k and I hear there aren't many women out there (bad ratio as listed in another news feed) and being fully funded and not having to work I may want to actually enjoy my free time in the area (assuming I have free time - who knows if I will) and with the women that the locale has to offer after spending the last 4 years of undergrad studying and not having much of a life besides school and engineering work.</p>
<p>Factoring in the fun factor UT seems like a better place to be but it's not as presigious to individuals outside of engineering. I feel that all of the top 10s will offer me a great education so choosing between them when cost really ISN'T a factor to me is hard. I have ruled out a few (Illinois - Champagne Urbana) because I like being warm though. Any insight for my circumstances would be greatly appreciated because I'm stressing out over this! Thanks!</p>
<p>Congratulations! I would go to Stanford. I think you would have an immersive, peak experience. And, look up “Berkeley goggles” in the urban dictionary.</p>
<p>SXSW and the music scene would be a great draw to UT. In the end, it’s just some courses anyway. Why not go to UCLA/CalTech for the surf and sand or the culture of Pasadena?</p>
<p>Seriously, though, I would be interested in the work going on at Salk, and the Neural Network work that originated at UCSD, and ongoing work with delta-theta processors (1-bit A/D). Maybe, though, classes are classes and these things are research.</p>
<p>Hotshot, I wish I had your confidence. Obviously I do not know your qualifications but my choice would be Stanford/Berkeley hands down. If you are concerned about the women/men ratio then you might want to take Georgia Tech off your list as well.</p>
<p>I am not sure why it is not rated more highly in EE ratings, but I am very biased towards UCSD. The institutional culture is influenced by such recent (living) notables as Irwin Jacobs, and the cadre of his employees, starting with Viterbi, who are working in CDMA and pushing much of the signal processing from a wireless standpoint. The center for magnetic recording has a big influence, as well, more from an error-correction approach. And the MPL (SIO) is very heavy into sonar processing, as well as other topics such as coded aperture, etc.</p>
<p>Add to that culture, the contributions of current and past professors such as H. White and his seminal contributions to data mining/big data, T. Sejenowski and his signal processing, bordering on image processing, work centered around blind source separation (the so-called “cocktail party conversation” problem) at Salk, and R. Hecht-Nielson and his pioneering contributions to Neural Networks that form the engine for Fair Isaacs Company (FICO) ratings of consumer creditworthiness.</p>
<p>As far as signal processing goes, and a fundamental culture steeped in cutting-edge signal processing, you could do much worse than UCSD.</p>
<p>UCSD is NOT known as a party school, but San Diego itself offers many diversions.</p>
<p>I appreciate all of this input! It is surely having me lean towards Stanford as my number 1! Is there any way I can try and get these schools to fly me out there to their campus’s to tour the and see which environment I like the most? Assuming I am admitted to all 4 Stanford would get it by default unless the others flew me out and convinced me otherwise is why I ask. GT did invite me to apply for an all expenses paid visit which I find out on within the next couple weeks. Any chance the remaining ones will do the same (despite being top 10)? I’m hoping I can leverage the full funding of a huge blank check for them to try and convince me what atmosphere is right for me as I don’t have the ability to spend 2k per trip for half a dozen visits… Ironically a lot of the 11-20 schools have been offering to waive my application fee, any way I can get the top 10s to do the same or do I just have to suck it up and eat that cost? Thanks for all of your inputs everyone! I appreciate the help.</p>
<p>But again UT does sound more fun! As for UCSD I would feel bad about wasting my maybe 1 time full ride and not going to at least a top 10! I have considered Cal Tech and will likely apply there as well I just haven’t done as much research on their program so they will have to convince me to get me! Stanford, Harvard, and MIT were my dream schools for undergrad so Stanford has the upper hand, I often kick myself in the head for not going to MIT when I had the chance for undergrad but the state school kept me debt free so can’t complain! I am more mature and experienced now though to know that other schools could be a great fit too so not unwilling to go elsewhere if they can offer the best education and experience possible! </p>
<p>Don’t get hung up on rankings. As you will see elsewhere on this forum, the rankings are imperfect at best. Instead look for criteria that fit you personally. If Stanford is your number one choice, and it is a fine choice, make it about the program, the environment and so on. Once you have your M.S. degree and you are working, the place where you got the degree won’t matter so much any more. Don’t reject a program that fits you better because it has a lower ranking in some metric.</p>
<p>I have only heard of fly ins for PhD students, not MS students, but I suppose it could be offered if you are the top candidate. Terminal MS are usually full pay students so I don’t think that you have funding will matter unless you are a PhD student, but that’s just guessing. </p>
<p>I’m getting flown out full expenses paid to Georgia Tech in January. So I know it’s possible but I’m not sure past that. The fellowship also allows me a 4 day trip to the campus I attend to arrange housing but that’s after I attend and I don’t want to waste that going to a different university if I don’t end up going there due to still needing to arrange lodging wherever I attend. I have also had a LOT of top universities waive the application fee. Haven’t had luck with the top 10s but 11+ have been more than happy to waive it to get me! Seems my work load just got a lot busier on applications. As for rankings I’m not hung up on them, I think any top 50 will be pretty good so trying to factor in location, networks there, etc. I already have a job when I graduate so not as concerned about job placement though.</p>
<p>So, your fellowship is paying for your trip and not GT. That make more sense at least to me. If you don’t mind disclosing, who is the source of your fellowship</p>
<p>GT is paying my trip 100% and I will get to use my fellowship to fund me to choose housing wherever I decide to go later on. So I still have a free trip “bankrolled” later on. My fellowship is sponsored through the company I work at as an intern. I don’t have to work just be a student though so I can’t complain, and because they’re sending me I have a job with them already when I graduate.</p>