prospectivestudent2013

hello, I am currently attempting to decide between the M.S. program at Mich, Ann Arbor and the Ph.D. program at Pitt. I would like to pursue an academic career (or at least have the option of doing so). Mich unquestionably seems to be the better option in this regard; however, funding decisions remain in the air. I'm posting this because my situation has led me to two questions that may be of interest to future applicants: (1) If one were to enter a funded Ph.D. program (in my case Pitt), how detrimental would it be to attempt to transfer to a stronger program after earning the M.S.? An obvious problem is related to letters of recommendation; also, academic communities tend to be relatively small, and one wouldn't want to alienate one's peers... (2) If switching programs is not a viable option, how difficult would it be to enter an (ideally upper-mid tier) academic position having come from Pitt (or a similarly positioned program)? Might it be better to simply wait til next cycle given the goal of working as an academic? To provide more specific information, my limitations arise primarily because of a lack of mathematics courses. My GRE was stellar, GPA solid, and research activity high. The benefit from taking an extra year would likely be considerable. Thanks, and I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

I have been informed that UCLA Quant interviews will be conducted on an individual basis.