<p>I am admitted to both Purdue and UCL for graduate studies. Purdue for the MSC In CS and UCL for MSC is software systems engineering. Both seem to be great universities (which is why I applied), I now have to make a decision ok which to attend. I would be an international student in both cases. I am leaning towards Purdue as I feel like Purdue's program is better balanced and well rounded and UCL is packing the degree into a one year program. But UCL is also quite strong and faculty in the department of computer science is particularly strong. And they seem to feed London's investment banks and tech startups.</p>
<p>This will be my first masters and I might want to move into a phd program when done or even branch off into finance or management in which case I would only want to attend a US university, ideally Stanford, Cornell or MIT.</p>
<p>I know it would quite silly to try to make this life altering decision solely based on what I read on the Internet and I fully expect to sleep on it a few nights (and days) and use a detailed list of pros and cons to settle down on a school at the end of the day. But I would really love to hear your opinions on this dilemma. Information of job prospects upon graduation and placement (maybe from experience) is absolutely welcome.</p>
<p>Since your intention based on an earlier post is to eventually work in the United States you’ll find it generally easier to do that if you do your graduate work in the United States. In effect you need to establish a beachhead in the United States.</p>
<p>The obvious choice is Purdue.</p>
<p>I agree. If you want to end up in the US, go to the US for graduate school.</p>
<p>Is it harder to attend a top US university for PhD if one has studied his/her master’s in a good university in Europe rather than another US university? (Why?)
In this case, UCL seems to me to be a great university. I don’t understand why it might make it any harder to attend top US schools for PhD with a degree from UCL.</p>
<p>The US system for graduate school is generally different from it is in Europe, so if you want to continue on in the US system, it makes sense to start there. It will also give you a better chance to make connections with potential PhD advisers and institutions that would be harder if coming from overseas.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with UCL, and it’s not that the OP couldn’t get admitted to a US university coming from there, but the continuity makes more sense given the stated end goal of the US.</p>
<p>I’m in a similar situation. For master’s I’ll probably go to a university in Europe, but for PhD I might go to a US university. One of the reasons is that I’m having difficulty finding a program with fund for master’s in US.
But I think as long as a university has a good program and there are opportunities for the student to do quality research there, there shouldn’t be a problem, except possibly about making connections. Maybe US universities know other US universities better and it might affect the PhD admissions? Any other factors?
“The US system for graduate school is generally different from it is in Europe”
Could you explain more please?</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies guys…just wanted to add some extra info.</p>
<p>Rankings love UCL and admittedly that’s how they got my attention initially but I looked at the course outline for SSE and it is pretty strong, very geared towards AI with a strong faculty. UCL seems to be not prestigious overall but I am not sure it’s better bet than Purdue for CS. I like Purdue’s thesis option as I feel I can open up doors for future studies even of I spent a couple years in the industry after graduating. Again I’d like to work and/or study my PHD in the US after my masters degree. </p>
<p>I am a little torn because on one hand UCL looks a whole lot prestigious, I know the rankings are to be taken with a grain of salt but UCL seems to be in the top 4 consistently (in us news I think) and I just don’t want to have deal with folks saying to me in the future “man, you passed up on UCL?!?!” :-). On the other hand in the US Purdue might actually have an edge because it is more “known” in the US. So I guess my question is do you think the academic quality of UCL is enough to warrant traveling to the UK to study even when knowing I want to work and or continue studying in the US? ( being an international student in both cases).</p>
<p>I think the academic fit is also important. If I’m reading this correctly, you think Purdue is a better fit for your interests, but you’re worried about the quality/ranking difference. You’ll get a good education at either one, I think. Rankings are iffy enough for undergraduate institutions, but for grad schools it’s even more BS, since it depends so much on precisely what you want to study.</p>
<p>@Protocolo: I’m considering applying to UCL this year for master’s.
Did you have an exceptional resume? 
I mean, I want to know how much my chances are.
Also, did you get any financial aid?</p>
<p>@nanotechnogy, Thanks For the replies, out of curiosity are you doing any studies related to nanotech?</p>
<p>@shoudred, you should go for it. I have :</p>
<p>-A 3.9 GPA from undergrad studies in computer engineering.
-Honors for all semesters of the undergrad degree.
-honorable mention certificate upon graduation.
-2 years industry work experience (TI).
-I won the Facebook inc world hack competition last year.
-speak fluent Spanish and some french, native English.
-two of my recommenders are pretty big researchers.</p>
<p>Those are the things that might have participated most in helping me get unconditional acceptance. UCL is very selective so it’s most times a reach, very seldom a match. But you must try to know… I felt like I matched but well, I guess confidence helped me write a good essay. </p>
<p>I didn’t get any aid but there are many sources of aid many are merit based and competitive ( competing with a bunch of geniuses for funds), other aid packages depend on your nationality. No mention was made about RA or TA Ships. I’m pretty sure I asked about it and didn’t get a positive answer ( or any answer come to think of it). The general idea I get is that you resolve to pay your tuition and living expenses ( in London ), I mean it’s usual only one year ( for masters).</p>
<p>What field do you want to pursue? What are your grades like now? Are you from the UK? Or intl? </p>
<p>Regardless of the answers I say go for it, but UCL should never be safety, unless you’re some kind of super genius 
and maybe famous… I think I just described Sherlock Holmes :-D.</p>
<p>You disappointed me (-: Your resume seems to be much better than mine. Do you think yours is typical among successful applicants or not? I mean does admission alone (without fund) require such resume? What about GRE and TOEFL? Are they important too?
I’m an international student too. I’ll be applying for their nanotechnology MSc program (EE Dept.).<br>
P.S. So, you didn’t get any kind of financial aid? Is it feasible to work to pay for part of the expenses?</p>
<p>Actually, no I don’t do anything nanotech-related. I made the account when I was in high school and thinking of majoring in physics. I’m now actually studying neuroscience.</p>
<p>@shouded
I think my credentials would be about typical for accepted students but I also know you are your biggest critic and you should let the admissions committee decide if you are a good fit. Check the website for typical cut off GPA’s for your major. I get the idea that your essay can possibly swings things in your favor if your GPA isn’t too high ( imperial has a video on their website about essay writing, check that ). UCL prides themselves in attracting a lot of the bright foreign students. I believe admissions is need blind, as they accept you and then proceed to point you towards possible aid options. I did report GRE scores even if they didn’t require it, you must take the toefl if your home country is not on a list of countries that has English as their first language and I recommend the Internet based test ( this is important you must report these scores if it applies to you). I get the impression that you’re not too familiar with the fact that UCL is pretty much tier 1 in the UK, you must make as strong application as you possibly can so start working on it as soon as possible. Maybe check if your major is available at Imperial, widen your options. If you don’t feel you’re ready beef up your credentials a bit, good luck applying!</p>
<p>@nanotechnology
Cool stuff, where are you studying? How is that going?</p>
<p>It seems there’s no official cut-off GPA in their website. I reported both my toefl ibt(107) and GRE scores to UCL. (I don’t have the results yet though. Took the test recently, and it was pretty good, I guess. But since they haven’t asked for it, I’m not sure whether they’ll pay attention to it at all.)
I do know enough about UCL, I think. It’s the best university I’ll be applying to. Currently I’m just concerned about the admission alone (without aid). My GPA had an upward trend, but I can’t say it’s competitive. Other things in my application are pretty good though, I think.
I’ll check Imperial’s video(You meant this: [How</a> to write an excellent personal statement - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube) ?)
Thanks.
Btw, if I’m not mistaken, the deadline of the program I have in mind is in August(!) and they assess the applications on a first come first served basis. (from their website: “We accept applications from November for the following academic year, with all full time programmes starting in September. Places are offered to suitably qualified applicants on a first come first served basis so early application is recommended”) When did you apply and when did you get the results?
P.S. Did you apply for any scholarships yourself?</p>
<p>I applied earlier this year, and got an offer long before the application deadline, the earlier you apply definitely the better. Admittance is good for one year, I deferred my offer. I think the scholarships vary depending on the applicant, because first and foremost one would have to qualify for the scholarship in question. Depending on where you’re from, gender, grades, etc. you will notice varying funding opportunities. Check out this page on funding for Intl Graduate Students, see if any of those apply to you (<a href=“https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships/graduate/overs-master/index[/url]”>https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships/graduate/overs-master/index</a>). But make your actual application your main focus for now, if you are admitted then begin a relentless search for funding, its much harder to get funding in UK schools is the impression I get so in most cases a mammoth effort is required. Good luck with your applications.</p>
<p>I didn’t apply for any scholarships, although I was nominated for the Global excellence award, which I apparently didn’t win :-(.</p>
<p>I’ve already visited that page.
If I apply February 1, when approximately do you think, based on your experience, I’ll get the results? Does it take more than two months?
btw, do you think it’s possible to work to pay for parts of living expenses?(Most scholarships mentioned in that page don’t cover tuition+living costs completely)</p>
<p>@Protocolo - I’m currently working on my undergrad at Northeastern University in Boston and am looking at grad schools for a neuroscience PhD. My top choice right now is Northwestern, but that’s not something I have to decide yet. :)</p>
<p>@shouded, I didn’t actually attend UCL so i can’t help but think answering your last question might possibly be misleading, I can offer some speculation though; its a one year degree I imagine, so I don’t believe you would have time to hold a decent Job and get decent grades…that said, one of my friends that studied at imperial did advise me to start applying for jobs as early as possible because the Job market was a little tough right now and tougher for internationals. My application took a short while to get reviewed (about 6 weeks) but I am sure it depends on the candidate and degree program. As I said before focus on being accepted and then worry about paying, these schools are very selective and very expensive you must be ready to at least take a small to medium hit on your bank account. I also believe you would get more attention and better advice if you started a new thread about the general cost of attending UCL, maybe even checking out “the student room”. </p>
<p>@nanotechnology, sounds great! good luck with undergrad and grad school when that time comes around.</p>
<p>thanks. actually, one of the country-specific scholarships of UCL has caught my interest. It pays for the tuition and part of the living expenses. That’s why I asked about a part-time job, maybe even an RAship in the university.
I hope it wouldn’t take them more than 8-10 weeks to announce the results. I want to know their decision no longer than April. By that time most universities have announced the results as well.</p>