Biostat2017

Hi everyone, I have been admitted to a few M.S. programs in biostatistics, but have narrowed my choices - for a variety of reasons - to the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania. Even though I might be interested in obtaining a Ph.D., I wasn't ready to commit to that yet so my preference was for an M.S. first. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with or observations of the two programs. I know Michigan is ranked slightly higher than Penn (~#4 vs #8), but not sure if that really makes a big difference? Penn's program is housed in the Medical School, while Michigan's is affiliated with the School of Public Health. Seems relevant even though course requirements look about the same. Penn requires a thesis and comprehensive exams even if you're not applying to the Ph.D. program - thoughts? Both programs seem to accept people into their PhD programs from the M.S. (application required of course) but it seems more common or more likely at Michigan...? The biggest issue: I have been notified that I'll get funding at Michigan, but no word yet from Penn. Does anyone know how likely Penn is to fund M.S. students? I am leaning toward Michigan for that reason, but Penn's location is a bit better for me personally. Thanks in advance for any comments. BTW, in case it matters, I am a US citizen just graduating from undergrad (Stat major, bio minor, top 10 research univ.).