I'm debating between accepting UCSF (Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics) or UW (Pharmaceutics), both PhD programs. Both seem excellent, but the differences as I see them:
PSPG is part of the broader Quantitative Biosciences Consortium (QBC) at UCSF, so has more faculty and incorporates genomics along with traditional pharmacokinetics (PK) research. There is only one year of coursework, which seems rushed to me. The current students and other interviewees were amazing. San Francisco is cool, but expensive.
UW does not have an emphasis on genomics, so I would have to take classes outside my home department if I wanted this skill. I've emailed Genome Sciences at UW to see if they offer graduate certificates or coursework to outside department students; waiting to hear back. UW has three years of coursework that includes advanced PK coursework, and space for 5 electives (hence my email to Genome Sciences). I currently live in Seattle, so this would be a pretty low-cost transition. The department is about half the size of UCSF, and has more of a family feel between faculty members.
Basically:
I want to live in a cool city (both satisfy)
I want to work with excellent faculty (both satisfy)
I want to have a good foundation in Pharmacokinetics (UW seems to satisfy better, but maybe coursework isn't everything?)
I want to expose myself to and incorporate genomics into my research (UCSF seems much better in this regard, but maybe I could do coursework at UW and then post-doc at UCSF?)
I want to be around cool people (UCSF had a comfier vibe to me)
I want to be prepared for either industry or academia (both satisfy)
Any guidance much appreciated
