Structural Engineering: Stanford vs. UIUC vs. UTAustin vs. GaTech vs. UMich

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hi. I applied to way too many grad schools. I was kind of a crap-shoot candidate because had some things going against me for the programs I applied for, however I ended up getting into most of the programs I applied for and now have too many decisions in front of me.</p>

<p>I have been accepted to these master's programs in structural engineering:
UCLA
UCSD
USC
Cornell
Columbia
Purdue
Stanford
UIUC
UT Austin
GaTech
UMich</p>

<p>I have narrowed it down to these five: Stanford, UIUC, UTAustin, GaTech and UMich. I am leaning heavily towards Stanford because:</p>

<p>1) I live in and hope to work in California upon graduation, so the contacts I would make at Stanford would be valuable.
2) One area I am interested in is earthquake engineering, and Stanford's offering in this area seems strong.
3) In terms of cost, the cost for these schools would be approximately the same.</p>

<p>Now, I would like to seek input from those who attended, have knowledge of or any experiences with these programs. Is there anything I haven't taken account into? Should I reconsider some of the schools I have eliminated?</p>

<p>Thank you for your help.</p>

2

<p>Scratch Michigan. Include UCLA, particularly if you’re interested in seismic. </p>

<p>Stanford, UIUC, Georgia Tech, and UCLA would all be strong candidates for seismic research and coursework. You’d get good contacts in the earthquake engineering world at any of those four programs. Possibly at UT, too, though they’re not hooked into the Mid-America Earthquake Center (or at least, not as heavily as Illinois and Georgia Tech are).</p>

<p>You’re reeeeally sure that the cost for these schools would be approximately the same…? Some of those programs are one year, a year and a half, two years. Tuition may be roughly equal, but take a look at how long it takes most people to get their masters’ degrees.</p>

3

<p>My final two choices were UT and Stanford… job prospect in Cali is absolutely crap, I almost choose UT just to test out new job market. I accepted Stanford admission without any fundings… I hope it’s worth it, see you at Stanford.</p>

4

<p>Well it seems like the Stanford name will carry even outside California… it is Stanford after all.</p>

5

<p>If it’s between UTAustin and UCSD for electr engineering, which would be the better choice and why? I’m out of state for both schools.</p>