Physics GRE Discussion Forums

Hello,

I'm currently debating between U Chicago and Cornell for CME. Location doesn't matter too much, I'm mostly concerned with research quality. I got similar research fellowships for both, and at least at Chicago I know I would be able to work in a lab over the summer.

Any thoughts? My initial impression is that Chicago is very strong in pure physics while Cornell is top in applied physics, and Cornell also has a whole bunch of people in AMO, nanoscience and photonics that Chicago doesn't have. I will visit both in a couple of weeks and hopefully have more familiarity with both places.

Well, I will most likely choose Chicago for CMT (I was rejected from Cornell though, but within these two choices I would choose Chicago anyway).
CME in Chicago seems very good, particularly for soft matter. For me it's quite exciting because I'm into soft matter theory, and the synergy over there at the James Franck Institute between theory and experiment seems great. I don't know much about experiment with AMO though.

I think there's no wrong choice here from the bird's eye view. How you get along with professors (and how they receive you) during your visit is likely to decide this one.

If after visiting you can't make a decision, know that similar $$ amounts at Chicago and Cornell translate into decidedly different standards of living. An apartment in a decent part of town (northern Hyde Park/Kenwood) in Chicago is more expensive than a 3br house in Ithaca. If you've factored that into your 'similar stipend' statement, I'm out of useful information.

Also, as an aside, if you've narrowed to these two, be sure to let the other schools know, so they can let that inform whether they'll move to admit a waitlisted student.

Why not go to UIUC? They are top 1 for CMP.

I would choose Chicago. They are going on a hiring spree in CMT (my subfield) and probably in experiment too since the new provost is in condensed matter experiment. I was actually admitted to these two schools as well as UIUC. I have visited both UIUC and Chicago. I absolutely loved Chicago overall, it is really a fantastic place. I loved the professors at UIUC but from what I hear there are too many students and a very heavy teaching load. I also like a more urban environment but that is a personal preference.

tsymmetry wrote:I have visited both UIUC and Chicago. .

I visited Chicago too! Probably met you Yeah, for theory I think Chicago is the obvious choice, but Cornell is very strong in experiment and has people like Seamus Davis and Dan Ralph... Anyway, I'll visit Cornell this weekend and decide then.