Best university for studying AI or automation?

[Takusui]

Hello, I am looking to apply for CGS and I am not sure which universities to pick( undergraduate program). Right now I only know about Tsinghua's Automation and Peking's Intelligent Science and Technology ( from what I've seen on their online application site, all the undergraduate programs are closed).

 

If anyone knows any other option, please let me know!

 

Bonus questions: Does anyone know how I should apply for pre-admission letters if the applications for the CGS start in february? Do I have to get one for the university I'll be having the chinese prep classes or for the one I'll be spending those 4 years at?

Do I have to apply beforehand for universities to get my pre-admission letter or will the EU office send my details?

[Hofmann]

Just wondering, why not go to an American school?

[imron]

OP might not be American, and might not have the means to study in America.

 

Also, China is currently right on the forefront of AI research so it's not an unreasonable option for someone looking to build up both their knowledge in the field *and* their Chinese domain knowledge.

[Takusui]

Yup... I'm from Romania and America seems quite expensive. My country only has automation programs and the competition here is really high(not like that is a problem, but I would like to study about neural networks and make it easier to jump into practice). Just as imron said, I would love to study AI while learning mandarin, broadening my vision and meeting other open minded people.

[Angelina]

Zhejiang, the person who married a robot has a master's degree from Zhejiang University. 

 

There is something called 之江实验室 now, where academia, government, and business work together. Less bureaucracy than schools in Beijing, not as good as the US, go to Carnegie Mellon if you can afford it, by all means, but ok compared to other affordable parts of the world and other schools in China. You can look into this initiative. 

 

It is easier to secure funding for graduate students than it is for undergraduate students. You should apply through a Chinese embassy or diplomatic office. Does the EU cover bachelor's degree studies? 

[Takusui]

@Angelina Thank you for answering!

 

I want to apply to this scholarship and from what I've read it pretty much covers everything. My only concern now is finding the best university for my desired program and getting the pre-admission letter( which I have no idea how it works and I would rather not get thrown in a random university).

As to going to Carnegie Mellon... It's too expensive.

 

Zhejiang seems pretty ok, but what is it like compared to Beijing?

[Angelina]

22 hours ago, Takusui said:

Zhejiang seems pretty ok, but what is it like compared to Beijing?

  

 

It depends on what you want to study, some programs are stronger than others. We just got free Matlab (full suite, one year) when the  Singles' Day shopping holiday happened this year, I am not sure if other universities in China offer this, it seems the facilities in general are better. Plus, Hangzhou (public services) is using AI more than other city anywhere in the world.

I think is it is the fact that there is more private business and this drives innovation, when talking about the city and startup culture. Everywhere you go in China you would have to deal with bureaucracy, this is reality, every university has this problem, Zhejiang University too, but there is less bureaucracy because the city has more opportunities for private business. 

 

I think it is a good choice for AI. I have experience with applying for graduate studies and not with undergraduate studies. The way the Chinese Government Scholarship works, we usually list three universities, you can try putting Zhejiang University as one of them. 

 

 

 

 

This is Zhejiang Lab 之江实验室

 

http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/rCeDb18ZeXjotrO7LyYWLQ

 

 

 Free Matlab

http://zuits.zju.edu.cn/2017/1110/c7943a689905/pagem.htm

 

 

 

[Takusui]

@Angelina That seems pretty nice, but how do I get a pre-admission letter if the deadline for my scholarship and the one at the university are the same? I have yet to apply and I am kind of in the dark here. Every admission page asks me to provide proof that I have a scholarship and HSK test results, but I have yet to take the courses first( if I am admitted).

[Angelina]

If you find that the university does not help you with this and you also find the whole admission process confusing, China might not be the best place to study.

 

Someone I know from high school is working at Facebook now, I am not sure if the job she has is the same kind of research you want to do one day, might be a different area. Anyway, she went to a local school, similar environment to where you are right now I assume, for her undergraduate degree, then went to EPFL in Europe for graduate school. Hope it helps. 

 

Studying in China can be affordable, but it is not the only way to go. There are so many options out there. If you are passionate about something, you can find a way. Don't waste your time if you see that the people whose job is to help you are not helping you. 

 

When I applied for my master's degree, I did not use a pre-admission letter, I did use a letter from a professor who agreed to be my thesis supervisor though. This is an official document required for admission. It was enough for the scholarship. You can't use this for undergraduate studies, I am not sure about your situation. 

 

 

 

 

edit:

 

Here is EPFL. 

If you can't afford Carnegie Mellon, EPFL is a good alternative. You can try China, but if admissions makes no sense to you now, do you think that you want to risk everything and actually study there?  What if nothing makes sense once you start school? 

 

 

https://bachelor.epfl.ch/cms/site/bachelor2/lang/en/practical

 

Quote

Tuition fees amount to CHF 633.- per semester.

 

 

 

https://sac.epfl.ch/tuition_fees

 

[Takusui]

@Angelina Thank you for your insight, it really helps me. I'm willing to struggle a bit more to find more information and if that doesn't work, I'll just apply without a pre-admission letter.

 

I'll hope for the best! Thank you once again for taking the time to answer my questions, I'm really grateful.