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Deciding between UBC and UC Irvine

Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 2:06 pm
by demetkirmizi
Hi everyone! Could you give me your opinion on whether UC Irvine or University of British Columbia would be a better choice for a PhD in Physics? I am currently working on observational/computational astrophysics but I want to focus on theoretical astrophysics with computation for my PhD. My mind is 90% set on UBC because I have some contact with the advisor there and I really like his work. Yet, part of my brain is going crazy trying to calculate if I'm making the right choice or not. I've been checking threads here and I've seen many people saying UC Irvine is really great at computational astrophysics, that made things a bit more confusing. You'd be really helping me out with this over-anxiety of choosing the right option by sharing your opinion :) Thanks!

Re: Deciding between UBC and UC Irvine

Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 3:11 am
by epluseminus
Both places are great! I am not in your field, so I don't know much about which school is better for theoretical astrophysics. Have you been able to visit? If not, here are my overall impressions.

- UBC is a bigger school and typically ranks higher in overall school rankings.
- UCI feels a little smaller and more relaxed, it is also a newer school.
- UBC has a lot of rain, but also nearby mountains and skiing.
- UCI has very little rain, nearby beaches and surfing.

Both schools seem equally diverse with a lot of interesting things happening in their departments. They also both seem to have the same overall West Coast culture. The best thing I could imagine for you to do would be to contact as many professors as possible that you might be interested in working with and chat with them. The more professors that you click with the better. You could also mention that you are trying to choose between UCI and UBC, and ask them on their opinion on the differences between the two. I have found that most profs have been happy to give me their honest opinions on the differences between the schools that I am looking at and it has been helpful.

Good luck!