I've narrowed down my final two choices for a PhD beginning Fall '17 to Johns Hopkins University's Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics (School of Engineering) and Brown University's Department of Biostatistics (School of Public Health). I've been accepted at both.
I'm interested in applied statistics (I have work experience in data science and an M.S. already), so biostatistics sounds like a natural fit. I'm curious about the reputation of the Brown program. It seems small but mighty! My concern is that by going to Brown, I'm throwing away the opportunity to rub shoulders with JHU Biostatistics (they rejected me), but I suspect it's better to like the department you're in rather than the department you're near. I haven't heard much about JHU AMS.
Thanks in advance for your $0.02.