Purdue Vs. Austin-Texas

[him406]

Hi All,
I have got admit from Purdue as well as from Texas-Austin for MS in computer science.i am in dilemma in choosing the College.While Purdue is more selective in taking students, Texas is higher in ranking for computer science.Research wise i think both are same.So any insights in making the decision will be really helpful .

[rjt]

Originally Posted by him406

Hi All,
I have got admit from Purdue as well as from Texas-Austin for MS in computer science.i am in dilemma in choosing the College.While Purdue is more selective in taking students, Texas is higher in ranking for computer science.Research wise i think both are same.So any insights in making the decision will be really helpful .

Tough choice. If you go by the publication based rankings, UT is 7 and Purdue is 8. Purdue is more selective than UT. Also, if you are interested in research, I would say go for Purdue. UT MS CS takes people more with work ex, and they do not expect much research. Also, I heard that only around 10% of UT MS students end up doing a thesis. The rest go for early jobs. Whereas, at Purdue, they select more people with a good academic background plus research oriented outlook. Another point could be noted here that the class strength of Purdue CS will be much lesser (but more diverse in nationality) than UT (which has more Indians). I would give a thumbs up to Purdue. Although it is costly, aid chances are good enough to cover your tuition and living (partially atleast if not fully). In the long run, both has equally good reputation and hence ROI.

[nishant2984]

I have close to 2 yrs of work experience in Yahoo! R & D Bangalore , India and good projects and reco still rejected from UTAustin . Strange

[rjt]

Originally Posted by nishant2984

I have close to 2 yrs of work experience in Yahoo! R & D Bangalore , India and good projects and reco still rejected from UTAustin . Strange

This should clear your doubt then:

I don't make the decisions. There is a committee for PhD and one for Masters.We do not provide evaluations for applicants or rereview. We receive far too many applications to give detailed evaluations in return.

Applicants believe there is a "specific" reason for the denial. They believe if they "fix" that, then they will be certain to be admitted next time. That isn't true. Most applicants who reapply are denied again.

While an applicant may have high test scores and good GPA, often there is something less specific that is missing. A "spark" that the committee saw in one applicant's materials that wasn't in another's. It is not something easily defined, nor easily resolved.

I understand your desire to know. Unfortunately, there isn't really a single, "specific" reason for a denial. It is a decision based from an overall impression on an application when compared to the others, not just scores and GPA.

We lacked the "SPARK" it seems .. ROFL .. Well, I had read this reply in some other forum a year back. This is the most generic copy-paste reply I guess. Don't get bogged down, UT selection procedure is weird and unique (like other univs ) Some of the most weird patterns that I found out is UT weighs work ex. TAMU is crazy about NIT chaps from India. Stony Brook weighs toppers, and so on and so forth.

[CalmLogic]

Rjt brings up some excellent points, some of which I had no idea about. I would also suggest checking out the course websites for each university if you haven't already.

BTW, in 2006, Intel hired a similar number of people from both Purdue and UT Austin:
Jobs at Intel - United States, Student Center, Campus Page
Jobs at Intel - United States, Student Center, Campus Page
But that doesn't necessarily mean anything since they hire even less people from MIT.

[him406]

it seems the replies that the thread has got so far, will increase the confusion a bit more:

[CalmLogic]

Well, for me, the big issues are:

- Research interests (What are your research interests, anyway? Do you want to do a thesis or just do more coursework? Do have interests in working in academia and getting a PhD later on? What kindof job do you want in industry?)
- Rankings (UT Austin wins)
- Selectivity (both are in the "very ambitious" category according to Edulix; though Purdue has less slots, I would assume UT Austin gets more applicants)
- Tuition (maybe a draw since Purdue is easier for aid)
- Job placement (I don't know, may be a draw; checkout Edulix forums)
- Number and quality of courses in topics I like

(Regarding selectivity, I looked at the profiles at Edulix and it seems they are both so selective that it's hard to see a distinction in profiles. I did see one guy who was accepted by Austin but rejected from Purdue, which is what one would expect given Purdue's lack of slots.)

[nishant2984]

yeah , thanks rjt for posting that info. I agree with you that the selection procedure of UTAustin and even GATECH is weird. I know some of my seniors getting into these two with acads less than me and no work ex at all. I thought my work ex at Yahoo would definitely count and I might have an edge over others but alas got reject from these two. I have admit from Upenn USC Stonybrook and waiting for UMCP. lets c where I land up.
Thanks anyways

[Ancalagon The Black]

Selectivity doesn't always mean that that place will be better (case in point: Brown)

I would say, they are both about the same with Austin winning the photo finish. So, choose wisely.

[w_guy]

[quote=Ancalagon The Black;576456]Selectivity doesn't always mean that that place will be better (case in point: Brown)

Do you mean Brown MS Computer Science is very selective?