<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I am choosing between Portland State University(Portland, OR) and Florida International University(Miami, FL), for Doctoral program in Computer Science.</p>
<p>I am an international student, and I need more info about the two cities / universities. Could you tell me how is life like in these 2 places? How are these universities generally regarded?</p>
<p>Thank you !</p>
<p>Any additional info is welcome!</p>
<p>Wow, the two cities are both wonderful but totally different.<br>
Portland is laid-back hip, coffee bars, beautiful forests and mountains.
Miami is glamour, up-tempo, sunshine and beaches.</p>
<p>I don’t know about FIU, but PSU is right downtown, so you are in a very urban environment. What part of the globe are you from? Portland has a large Asain community, and is home to people from many other parts of the globe.</p>
<p>^ Thank you!
I am from central China.</p>
<p>Portland’s very bicycle-friendly, if that makes a difference. I honestly don’t know much about Miami. :)</p>
<p>^ Thank u!</p>
<p>Miami and Portland are very different cities. I’m a FIU graduate from a long time ago (1983), the school has changed a lot, for the better, since I graduated. Miami is a very urban, very fast paced city with great food and great beaches. It does get very hot in summer, well actually it’s always hot. There is a large Hispanic presence in Miami, better practice your Spanish if you go to FIU. Good Luck!</p>
<p>^ :-)</p>
<p>Thank you, gentleharp.</p>
<p>cookiecar, there is probably an international student’s office at both schools that can offer advice and more information than a bunch of strangers can.
If you just want to read parent’s impressions of both areas, you can search this site for threads on both colleges. The Portland area is frequently discussed, I haven’t paid as much attention to talk about Florida.
One thing to think about - do you want to be in a city with a fairly large Chinese population? If so, the West Coast is better. Or, do you want to be where the sun shines all year, there are many people from Spanish-speaking countries, and you will never be too cold?</p>
<p>Will you try to remain in the US after graduation (you don’t have to tell us)? Research which school has better ties or location to high-tech industry.</p>
<p>^ Thanks dragonmom, your advice is very helpful!</p>