Tell me about FIU and PSU.

Graduate School
1

<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>

2

<p>I can’t comment on FIU but I can provide a little information about PSU and Portland, OR. PSU is literally in downtown Portland, however Portland has to be one of the nicest cities in America that I have visited (with the exception of Washington DC and Denver, CO). The public transportation is very accessible and accurate, making traveling through the city (and to/from PSU) a breeze. It’s actually free to ride the Max (high speed light-rail train) downtown. Buses and the Max run every 15 minutes and they’re nearly always on time. A LOT of people here ride bikes. Nearly every road has a bike line on either side, even in the suburbs! It’s a fairly low-cost city to live in. If you choose to live in Southwest or Northwest Portland, it’s a bit more expensive (maybe $800+ for a decent 1 bedroom apartment). However if you live East of Portland (on the other side of the Willamette), apartments are cheaper. It’s even cheaper if you live out in the suburbs. Portland doesn’t have a ton of diversity, but it’s not completely one dimensional either. There are A LOT of restaurants catering to every cuisine imaginable. Seattle is a 3 hour drive. The Pacific Coast is a 2 hour drive. It rains quite a bit but I think the weather is lovely and very comfortable, especially from April to October. There are a lot of events, concerts, bars/clubs, farmers markets, outdoor activities, ect… just like any major city.</p>

<p>I work for one of the other universities in Portland so I don’t know specifics about the CS department at PSU, but I do know that they have ties with OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University) for research opportunities if you’re interested in Biomedical Informatics. There is also a large campus for Intel in Hillsboro, OR (about 30 minute drive from PSU) that provides internships and hires many Oregon graduates. </p>

<p>I hope that helps a little!! I wish I could give you more information.</p>

3

<p>^ Thank you a lot, creolan!</p>