Stanford or U of Wisc - Madison?

[Moemg]

Has she applied for aide ? She may get a very generous offer from Sanford which may sway her decision. My son went to MIT and his package was very generous .

 

[Aiming_4_55]

Ha, ha .. that idea has entered my mind many times.

I can hear it now, after the start of the school term...

2 weeks later: Spanky to DW - DD called, she misses you. Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her.

1 month later: Spanky to DW - should we visit DD, I know she misses u. Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her.

2 months later: Spanky to DW - it's kinda quiet hear, I miss DD. DD is doing great in CA, do u miss her? Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her.

3 months later: Spanky to DW - should we do something different for the holidays, like visit DD. It'll be a great surprise to DD. Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her.

Beginning of MN Winter: Spanky to DW - wow, it's alot of snow, I hate to replace the old snow blower, I bet DD is comfortable in CA, I wonder how she's doing? Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her and state she doesn't miss the snow.

Middle of MN winter: Spanky to DW - my bone chills, I wish it was as warm as CA. I wonder if DD is enjoying coffee at the outside cafe with her studying. Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her and state she doesn't miss the snow.

 

[LARS]

Stanford. A name she will be proud to carry her entire live, (which when the $120 thousand is amortized over isn't very much).

 

[Brat]

I have nothing against UW Madison but the Silicon Valley & Stanford is where the action is in her field.

The importance of professional networks cannot be underestimated and a degree from Stanford in her field needs no explanation. Alumni relationships with students transitioning to employment is outstanding.

 

[landover]

Is is possible to get some sort of part time research job? I think 120k is too much, if this can be reduced to 50k, then Stanford degree is worth it. At least two of my ex-workers were from Stanford, one was really smart, second one was good like many others. Having said that, second person got job in Google.

 

[Spanky]

Has she applied for aide ? She may get a very generous offer from Sanford which may sway her decision. My son went to MIT and his package was very generous .

No, she has not. Stanford does offer very, very generous financial packages for undergrads - students with parental income less than $60K can attend for free, less $100K = free tuition, >$100K will also qualify for some assistance.

 

[Spanky]

Which school does she want to attend?

If all things were equal (or close enough), she would choose Stanford.

 

[Spanky]

I can hear it now, after the start of the school term...

2 weeks later: Spanky to DW - DD called, she misses you. Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her.

1 month later: Spanky to DW - should we visit DD, I know she misses u. Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her.

2 months later: Spanky to DW - it's kinda quiet hear, I miss DD. DD is doing great in CA, do u miss her? Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her.

3 months later: Spanky to DW - should we do something different for the holidays, like visit DD. It'll be a great surprise to DD. Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her.

Beginning of MN Winter: Spanky to DW - wow, it's alot of snow, I hate to replace the old snow blower, I bet DD is comfortable in CA, I wonder how she's doing? Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her and state she doesn't miss the snow.

Middle of MN winter: Spanky to DW - my bone chills, I wish it was as warm as CA. I wonder if DD is enjoying coffee at the outside cafe with her studying. Spanky tells DD to tell mom she misses her and state she doesn't miss the snow.

Yes, that's a great strategy to move the entire family to the Bay Area.

 

[Spanky]

Stanford. A name she will be proud to carry her entire live, (which when the $120 thousand is amortized over isn't very much).

The importance of professional networks cannot be underestimated and a degree from Stanford in her field needs no explanation. Alumni relationships with students transitioning to employment is outstanding.

Good points. These benefits may easily out-weight the cost.

 

[Hamlet]

People are making it sound like it will be hard for her to get established in Silicon Valley with a masters from Madison.

I don't think a woman with an undergrad in EE/CS and a masters in CS from Madison is going to have any real difficulty in going out to Silicon Valley if she is any good.

The most comparable person I know (masters EE from UofMinn) got snapped up pretty quick by some company out there.

 

[MichaelB]

What great news. Congratulations! Now, who pays for Stanford?

It might be worth the extra cost if you can articulate in few words exactly what that worth is. For example, their graduates have a high rate of employment where (location, company, ect) I want to work. If there's not a specific purpose in mind, the "Stanford advantage" might not be such.

It also may be worth the extra if the additional cost is not significant.

My experience was that the University name guaranteed interviews in some highly sought-after employers. When a personnel decision was to be made, all other thing being equal, it was a tie-breaker. Once the person got hired, however, it never again mattered where they studied, just what they were able to contribute.

An unsubsidized $150K debt is quite a burden for a new graduate. Kind of like starting a swim match with lead weights around the legs. Joining the work force debt free is a positive enabling force.

 

[Brat]

The question IMHO is the return on investment. My daughter choose Santa Clara U for her undergraduate degree. The tuition made me choke but I took a look at the placement rate of their graduates and changed my mind. She are now about 15 years post diploma and doing VERY well financially.

 

[Spanky]

People are making it sound like it will be hard for her to get established in Silicon Valley with a masters from Madison.

I don't think a woman with an undergrad in EE/CS and a masters in CS from Madison is going to have any real difficulty in going out to Silicon Valley if she is any good.

The most comparable person I know (masters EE from UofMinn) got snapped up pretty quick by some company out there.

I agree that any decent engineering school will suffice. Even now I am having problem finding an associate software engineer. I made a couple of offers recently and they have decided to accept a position elsewhere. The candidates are expected to graduate in May from not top but very good engineering schools, Michigan Tech, Penn State U and U of Minnesota.

 

[Spanky]

The question IMHO is the return on investment. My daughter choose Santa Clara U for her undergraduate degree. The tuition made me choke but I took a look at the placement rate of their graduates and changed my mind. She are now about 15 years post diploma and doing VERY well financially.

Hi Brat,
The ROI is small or nil if you are comparing potential difference in earning between the two schools. University of Wisconsin at Madison is considered a top university (a member of Public Ivies).

 

[FinanceDude]

While I cannot argue that Stanford has more "prestige" than UW-Madison, UW-Madison may be the best value for the money of any university out there........

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I have nothing against UW Madison but the Silicon Valley & Stanford is where the action is in her field.

The importance of professional networks cannot be underestimated and a degree from Stanford in her field needs no explanation. Alumni relationships with students transitioning to employment is outstanding.

Valid points but you may be surprised at how active and successful the UW alumni newtork is. When you are pouring out some 9000 undergrads each year
from a school that spawns a great deal of successful high achievers, it is nearly impossible not to run into a bunch of rah-rah badgers happy to cut a break for the young applicant from Madison.

The same is true for other public Ivy schools like Virginia, Michigan, North Carolina, and several others. Lots of ways to get the brass ring.

 

[JBmadera]

I have nothing against UW Madison but the Silicon Valley & Stanford is where the action is in her field.

The importance of professional networks cannot be underestimated and a degree from Stanford in her field needs no explanation. Alumni relationships with students transitioning to employment is outstanding.

I always thought that was the case too but I've had a few Stanford grads work on my teams (been working here in the Valley for 15+ years) and they all downplayed that aspect of the Alumni influence. Could just be that their expectations were too high, after all they ended up working for me, a lowly CSU grad.....

Congrats to the OP and the OP's DD - two outstanding choices!

 

[eridanus]

An alum from a top 10 graduate school will not have any problems getting a good job, even if the school is in Madison or Urbana-Champaign.

Being able to claim that you went to Stanford will impress people, no doubt, but the sound economic choice is obviously Wisconsin (barring a lucky break at a startup in Silly Valley).

 

[steelyman]

If all things were equal (or close enough), she would choose Stanford.

I am a graduate (masters) of a school that I consider very similar to UW, is also ranked among the top, and is also public. I'm in the same field as your daughter is pursuing, and over the course of my career have worked closely with colleagues from both Stanford and UW.

My impression is that both institutions turn out very high-quality, sharp people. If I were hiring someone, and I had to make the choice, it wouldn't be the school they attended (given those two, both of which are excellent), but rather broader considerations. It's what they do while they're at the school that counts, not so much the choice at the pre-entry stage.

I didn't have any assistance from my parents for graduate school (didn't ask), so it's good that you appear to be willing to provide. I am guessing that this means that the financial considerations are high on your list of concerns. A compromise might be to offer to pay the costs to cover the UW education and let her choose.

 

[RunningBum]

I would pick UW for the huge cost advantage.

In Comp Sci, the big name will count a lot for the first job. If she was looking to work in Silicon Valley, Stanford might be worth it. In the midwest, I don't think it will make so much of a difference.

My experience, back in the days when I reviewed resumes and interviewed people for jobs at a networking company, was that we didn't have much say on where the college hires came from. The company limited it to a few universities, Stanford being one, so I don't think that someone from UW would've gotten in. That may have changed since the company stock stopped doubling every year and the masses stopped getting options, so it because less desirable. Also, we didn't have a lab presence in Wisconsin or the upper midwest, otherwise we probably would've considered Big 10 schools.

Once someone had experience, it was all about the experience. I barely glanced at the education, and focused on someone having the necessary skills just to get the interview, then drilling them about those skills and other things during the interview. Of course contacts always help, but then again, if I was interviewing someone solely because someone recommended them for artificial reasons like being a fellow alum, I'd make the interview harder. This could actually work to their advantage because if they did well, I'd make a strong hire recommendation. If they stumbled ...

Also, there was always a bit of question about why someone got an advanced degree in comp sci, instead of just going out into the work force and getting experience. In the back of my mind I wondered if they just couldn't get a job out of school, or didn't really want to face the real world. I'm not that familiar with AI, maybe an advanced degree is required or desirable there.

Well, that's a long explanation of why I'd take UW for free over 6 figures at Stanford for a comp sci degree, coming from someone with a BS in Comp Sci at a state university and 25 years of experience at a couple of big name companies.

 

[steelyman]

I would pick UW for the huge cost advantage.

Also, there was always a bit of question about why someone got an advanced degree in comp sci, instead of just going out into the work force and getting experience. In the back of my mind I wondered if they just couldn't get a job out of school, or didn't really want to face the real world. I'm not that familiar with AI, maybe an advanced degree is required or desirable there.

My area when I was in graduate school was indeed AI. And while I did some of that once I entered the working world, it wasn't the most valuable thing. But you do need an advanced degree to be taken seriously (and probably a PhD is in order).

I think the bachelor's demonstrates that you can complete something, while a masters shows a greater ability to focus on specific problems. I don't mean to be offensive there, I believe experience in the field is an equivalent to higher degrees.

 

[Brat]

An alum from a top 10 graduate school will not have any problems getting a good job, even if the school is in Madison or Urbana-Champaign.

Being able to claim that you went to Stanford will impress people, no doubt, but the sound economic choice is obviously Wisconsin (barring a lucky break at a startup in Silly Valley).

Ah, but that is where a very high % of technology start-ups are founded. Let's set aside the just plain technical skills taught at each institution, what other skills are also acquired? What % of graduates are in venture level companies? How about patents? Is this even something that interests the student?

There is a price paid by venture technology professionals, long hours for a start. The daughter of a classmate of mine works for Google. Her Dad, also a Stanford graduate BTW, expressed concern about the toll it takes on family life. Those professionals will earn a lot of money, sometimes a huge amount, but there is a calculus to be made here.

So, Dad talk to your daughter about not only her academic goals but about her personal goals. There are women in the Silicon Valley who are leading technology professionals and have children but they are made of tempered steel.

If she doesn't have a passion for the venture culture maybe Stanford tuition wouldn't be worth the premium.

 

[Spanky]

So, Dad talk to your daughter about not only her academic goals but about her personal goals. There are women in the Silicon Valley who are leading technology professionals and have children but they are made of tempered steel.

If she doesn't have a passion for the venture culture maybe Stanford tuition wouldn't be worth the premium.

Good advice. I will find out more about her career ambitions.

 

[mb]

If you talk to most academics in my field (engineering) they will tell you that there isn't that much difference between top 10 schools. Stanford is tied for #1 with Berkeley, MIT and Carnegie Mellon in CS in the poll that I looked at so they are not head-and-shoulders above everyone else and according to the OP Wisconsin is #10 and therefore I think that many of the respondents recommending Stanford are under estimating Wisconsin's value.

Although I have benefited from getting a Ph.D. from a school that is usually ranked in the top 2 or 3 in my discipline in this instance I lean toward Wisconsin unless Stanford offers something unique. That is sometimes the case for a Ph.D. where the choice of thesis adviser for example is often more important than the school but in my experience it is usually not the case for a Master's.

It is true that Stanford is ground central to Silicon Valley so if your daughter thinks that being a Silicon Valley entrepreneur is her future then perhaps that is a valid argument for Stanford but I personally think that the economics are to one sided. Remember Marc Andreessen came from Illinois and he seems to have done OK in Silicon Valley.

 

[mb]

FYI, I live in Silicon Valley and we have a lot of people with funny accents from exotic places like India, China and Russia.

But if you really pay attention you will also realize that we also have a fair number of blonde-headed people with funny accents (I think they call it middle American) from exotic places like Minnesota and Wisconsin.