origin415

phd.org IS the nrc rankings. These are unfortunately 17 years old, so you are right, they are probably very inaccurate. The most recent rankings I would know of is US News (http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-mathematics-programs/statistics), but you have to pay to see past the top 10.

Search for some salary statistics for environmental engineers, how long would it take you to pay back the debt? More importantly, is an MS from a top school really going to out earn a PhD? It could very well turn out to not be worth it.

I wouldn't take debt if I didn't have to, so I would go UMD.

I don't see how the first could help you get in, though I guess it would help once you got there. The second could help make a stronger personal statement, which could definitely help. Having a clear idea of what you want to do and talking comfortably about the topics would make a good impression. Something which may be very beneficial is to get a job in your field or do some research, if possible. Overall, it seems like it was a really crappy year to be applying to grad school, hopefully next year will be better. Also, apply to a ton of universities. Especially in these crappy times, admissions are a fickle process and there is no way to ensure success better than to hedge your bets. I applied to 10 and my professors were encouraging me to apply to more. If you can afford the fees, putting the work into the applications is entirely worth it.

Last week was OSU's spring break, apparently. Hopefully stuff will happen when they come back monday!

Is anyone else still waiting? Well never fear, as of this writing, we have like 19 days left until D-Day, when we will definitely know if/where we are going! We've made it to the final stretch of our arduous journey.

If I were you, I would take the PhD without much thought. I seriously doubt that an MS, even with a better name, will out-earn a PhD from a very respectable department. Look here for some statistics about salaries for statisticians: http://www.amstat.or...information.cfm The median entering salary for someone with an MS is $63k, with a PhD its $82k. The 75th percentile of statisticians with an MS still under earn the median of statisticians with a PhD consistently.

Its looking like you might want to apply to some masters programs in addition to applying to phd programs at the very least. Well, as long as you are willing to pay. There are also departments with both phd and masters programs, and will automatically consider you for the masters if you aren't prepared for the phd. Off hand, I know Washington and UIC does this, but I haven't been researching this, so you might look into that, which will allow you to cover your bases. NYU offering masters without funding to their PhD applicants is basically their version of rejection, too. Overall though, not many american universities offer strong masters programs, so you can also look abroad. No matter what you do, its very important you take the math gre this fall and kick ass at it. Buy some books and study over the summer. I don't know how it works with taking it abroad though.

April 15th happens to be my birthday :]

I emailed a bunch of math grad students with some questions, here are some responses (salary for math TAs is $13.7k + $3.6k optional summers): "Very. If you don't mind living with roommates, you should have no problems at all. If you really want to live on your own, that can be a bit more expensive, but I think it's still definitely doable on the salary. It's also easy to find tutoring to make a little extra money here and there, if you have the time." "I've found the grad student stipend to be quite sufficient, especially without a car." On the math department website it says "A variety of off-campus rental housing is available: rooms in boarding houses or shared apartments can usually be found for about $250-$500 per month, studio apartments for $450-$650 per month, and one-bedroom apartments for $550-$750 per month." Though I would guess those prices are for the very cheap U-District, and I haven't heard anything good about living there. I'm looking to Wallingford and Fremont, myself. Theres more information the Seattle thread in the city guide: You'll probably get a wider response if you post there.

Look at what the departments are doing, which department has research and such that interests you more? They are ranked close enough that looking at their ranking isn't going to help you decide (from US News, in EE, GaTech is 6, CMU is 7, in CE, CMU is 4 GaTech is 7), so use stuff like research and location instead.

Those questions about atlanta might see a bigger response if you ask them in the city guide section. In fact, theres a lot of information there already:

You seem to have a choice for paying $120,000 for an MS from the #1 school, and a full ride for a PhD at the #5 school. Unless you are going into industry straight after, and having a PhD won't be an advantage over an MS, and the Stanford name carries $120,000 of extra earning power, I think your choice is clear. http://studentaffair...ademic-calendar This year, winter quarter went from January 4th to March 12th. The fall and spring quarters are smaller at Stanford than your undergrad, the year is divided into quarters instead of semesters.

Does either school have an advantage as far as research which is more interesting to you? While it might not be important if you go into industry, if you do decide to go for a PhD, it could be helpful.

What do you want to do with your degree? A PhD is necessary for academia, so you will just be putting it off by getting a masters, and you'll accumulate debt too. However, if you plan on joining the work force where a PhD is unnecessary, the better name Stanford has could be a bigger deal.

I think it would be best to ask them, just saying that you have another program which you don't expect to hear from in time, would it be possible to get an extension. I don't see how that could get awkward, its not your fault the other school hasn't responded.

Congrats! They only offered me $325 in compensation for a visit, so I chose to stay at a hostel downtown to save money. They said they had a discount with a hotel near the university, but they couldn't beat $28 a night...

If that is the case, then its A all the way. Don't take out loans if you don't have to.

As long as you can cover all your expenses, I wouldnt put much weight in money. Other things will contribute much more to your happiness with your grad school, I think. I would follow the research. If you don't know any specifics from B, then I would ask.

I dont think the fact that its a commuter school/dead on the weekends/etc should affect your decision at all, as you, a grad student, will be commuting/not there on the weekends/etc. Regardless, I am from LI, so I can't speak too much about the university (though a lot of my friends and my brother went there, my dad works there, and my mom used to work there (these were big reasons I decided not to go in the first place), etc). I can talk tons about the area. LI is basically a bunch of small towns which are adjacent to each other, forming one massive island-covering suburb, though it gets a bit more rural out east. Some of the larger towns have little "downtown" areas, which are basically a bunch of shops along main st. There isn't much more as far as places to hang out and stuff to do as your average suburb, but in total there is probably anything you could ever want somewhere on that island. You will definitely need a car, but if you do have one, there nothing is more than an hours drive away, SB is fairly central. If you ever do want to go to a big city, NYC is a train ride away.

It seems that there are only two problems you have with Emory, that its overall reputation isn't as good, and its location isn't as good. As for overall reputation, I don't think this matters as much, as your research is going to be what people look at. If you enjoy the subject, your research is going to be better regardless of the perceived quality of the department as a whole. As for location, you already visited, can you see yourself living there? If you are going to be unhappy in Atlanta despite your department, then its a serious consideration, if its just that you would prefer Duke then I don't think its a deciding factor.

Which school is a better research fit and reputation? Where would you rather live? Exactly how much is each school going to cost you, the numbers you give don't give any idea of that. If you are only probably going to receive assistance, you should probably hold off on making a decision until you know for sure.

Macs are more expensive, is there something they do that PCs don't that you want? Personally, I use linux.

I would wait until you have some financial information before jumping to a decision.

Definitely a question for the department, different departments will handle deferrals differently. Your reason is a completely acceptable one, if a deferral is at all possible, so they will understand you asking.