I've been accepted into all the schools that I received interviews at and now I'm having serious anxiety over where to choose. They are all good for different reasons and I'm sure any of them I'll be fine at, but grad school is a huge decision. The schools are:
UVA - Degree: Pharmacology
Pros: A lot of professors with my specific research interests (diabetes pharmacology) / professors are very amiable and "low-key"/ grad students are all very nice/ relatively close to home/ weather is pretty nice/ cost of living is super-low (net earnings would be much higher than other two most likely)/ they seem to really want me (sm. signing bonus offered)
Cons: Charlottesville isn't exactly a metropolis or social hub (I'm usually going out in NYC on the weekends with my friends.) This is one of the things that I thought I really wanted in a grad school, since I went to school in a secluded, suburban environment and didn't like it that much.
BU- Degree: Pharmacology
Pros: Great program and amazing industry connections (very easy to gain access to big pharma). They also have a great career services center (which wasn't present at all at my undegrad school). I can realistically seeing myself working with 3-4 of the professors. Two are super cool and one is directly related to my specific research interests. Everyone publishes in really good journals. Boston is a cool city as well.
Cons: Atmosphere was much more uptight than the other two (only one I had to wear a suit for)/ Boston weather kind of sucks sometimes (was -5 when I visited)/ cost of living is super expensive (even though they are paying me the most)/ not a lot of opportunity for outdoorsy things
UCLA- Degree: Integrative Physiology
Pros: Ranked as a number 1 program (albeit not the most popular major) / beautiful location, close to both the city and the beach/mountains/ very interesting professors (however most are not directly interested in diabetes pharmacology)/ better industry connections than UVA, but worse than boston / about 3-4 professors I can see myself working with and one really wants me to rotate in his lab/ have some friends in the nearby area/ over 100 professors in the program all together/ most labs are incredibly well-funded (one has 5 RO1s??!?) / very nice faculty and grad students
Cons: Across the US (will very rarely see my best friends)/ not a pharmacology degree (not sure how that may affect job prospects)/ Some of the professors publish in very good journals, but not all/ Cali has a much slower pace than what I'm generally accustomed ( I can see this going both ways)
Tl;dr Boston will probably get me the best job, but Cali has the best work/life balance and UVA has the professor I want to work with the most. Any advice?
