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How Strong is Michigan State University in Combinatorics?

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 4:21 am
by Helpmepls
Hi, I've been admitted to UIC and Michigan State so far. My interests are in combinatorics. I have experience in extremal combinatorics more so than algebraic combinatorics. I was hoping someone would be able to help me figure out whether Michigan State is very strong in either of these areas.

I read The Art of Counting which happens to be written by Dr. Sagan at MSU. It seems the other faculty member in combinatorics is Dr. Magyar. Both seem to hold high standards for their courses and have degrees from top-tier universities. However, I don't know the university's general reputation, and I can't seem to find information on how the grad students of these professors have placed in academia or industry. On the other hand, UIC has the grad students of Dr. Dhruv and Dr. Turan listed, most of whom seem to place decently into good academic or industry positions.

Idk, I'd appreciate any insight.

Re: How Strong is Michigan State University in Combinatorics?

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 11:57 am
by Dragan
I know nothing about combinatorics, but my recommendation is to pick ADVISOR, not a SCHOOL. You could tell if an advisor is good by asking previous students, looking at previous students of his/her and where they ended up and what kind of work they did during their PhDs, what kind of connection he/she has with other universities and faculty (e.g. coauthors) etc