<p>Hey CC people,</p>
<p>I posted earlier, about my choice between UIUC and UMICH, but I have some new concerns. I'm looking to get my Ph.D in Computer Engineering, and I have been accepted into two completely different research groups. The research group I have been accepted to at UIUC is not exactly what I'd like to be doing, but the one at UMICH is much closer to what I enjoy. Yet, UIUC is ranked higher in both ECE as a whole and computer science. </p>
<p>So, can you guys advise me as to which school is the better choice based solely on academics and the fact that I'd like to enter academia? It seems possible to switch research groups, but it doesn't seem like a great objective to start with. Both my advisors seem like great people though, both are very personable.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I think you have to think about going with the group doing the work you want to do. It is a long haul to do a PhD and if you aren’t researching what you want with the people who are going to get you there you might end up not getting through it because of being miserable doing what you don’t want to do or losing the drive for what you are working on. You will want to be productive and publishing for your goal. Having enthusiasm for what you are doing will help.</p>
<p>Ok… Hmm, I also have a TA offer, and I may take that just to spend a year searching for a group I love. </p>
<p>Thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>In computer science, UIUC is ranked at 8 and Michigan at 12. In ECE, UIUC is ranked at 4 and Michigan is ranked at 8. The difference between them (especially taking into account margin of error) is really not large enough to justify going into a lab that does something you don’t actually want to do. Those schools are going to viewed as roughly equivalent when you go onto the job market.</p>
<p>It is FAR better to go to a slightly lower-ranked, but ultimately very comparable program and work in a lab with research you enjoy than it is to go to a higher-ranked program that doesn’t match your research interests.</p>
<p>If you’re going into academia, definitely go with the group where your interests are more aligned. Also, you may want to look at some of the graduates of each of the respective advisers and where they have gone off to work. </p>