u/Legal-Whole-3635

I am a second year transfer student with a 3.675 GPA and I got into honors applied math and cs minor, but I was planning to switch into the CS AI option after my second year.

For reinforcement learning specifically, I know UAlberta is probably the strongest university out there because the profs here like rich sutton and the focus on RL classes are excellent here. The eventual goal is to get a phd in the RL scene and work to become a research scientist.

Amii being located here and the Google DeepMind office opening up in Edmonton weights in the decision I should take, but is getting a lab position at Amii as an undergrad realistic? Usually its masters students being accepted into Amii labs. I dont know if should weigh Amii being here very highly if i dont have a lot of access to its labs as an undergrad. I know i have to do an honors thesis, and if anyone has done one or has experience in one, what does that look like? Do you get to pick the topic you research?

My main problem is the global rep. I know UBC is a lot more recognized when it comes to international job markets and phd applications. Does this worry about global reputation matter if you want to get a big tech job as a research scientist? Like i know places like UBC and UWaterloo have more streamlined paths for getting global jobs in tech compared to UAlberta so idk if going here would affect my chances in landing jobs.

Ive posted a thread like this on UBC's page too. Any responses are appreciated!

I recently got in to the faculty of science as a transfer student with a 3.675 GPA. I was placed in second year standing and I want to pursue a CS + Math specialization.

I'm pretty deadset on reinforcement learning research, specifically, aiming toward a phd to become a research scientist. I know CAIDA is the AI umbrella and PLAI is strong on probabilistic/Bayesian machine learning, but is there an active RL research scene here? Any faculty doing RL, any labs an undergrad could realistically join to get RL research experience?

The global reputation im taking into consideration. I would want to work internationally and was wondering if the name UBC really carries its value when it comes to job hunting and research gathering. UAlberta is recognized for its RL research and has insane professors there, butI've heard UAlberta isn't as widely recognized to the general public as UBC, but idk whether that matters for RL research specifically.

Does the brand/prestige matter for research jobs and PhD admissions, or is it more about the specific field reputation and letters when it comes to big tech or US phd programs. Amii is also located on campus in the U of A and the Google DeepMind office opening in Edmonton also weighs into this decision.

Any takes are appreciated. Thanks!