Hi everyone,
I was hoping to get some advice on the degree that prestige should shape my grad school decision. I’m lucky enough to be choosing between the biomedical science PhD programs at Columbia vs Harvard. I’ve been working at Columbia as a tech for the last few years, and while I don’t “love” Columbia, I like the labs a lot and absolutely love New York City/my social circles here. Also, I have a good relationship with the program directors and many of the PIs in the department. I enjoyed my Harvard recruitment weekend, but I’ve never really liked Boston that much. Both universities definitely have PIs doing work that interests me, and I’ve applied to the umbrella programs so I have a wide variety of choices.
Basically, I’m stuck deciding between these two because I think I would enjoy my time at Columbia / in NYC more than at Harvard / in Boston, but I can’t tell if the difference in prestige between the universities makes Harvard the better choice. I am open to staying in academia if my PhD is successful, but can really see myself moving into industry after finishing my studies, if that helps. Anyone have any insight? Would I be dumb for choosing Columbia over Harvard?
Thanks a lot!
