Hi everyone,
As of yesterday, I've heard back from most of the schools I applied to. It is exciting to have been accepted to these amazing schools. My undergraduate major is Statistics and really want to learn something in Ph.D. training. I am very confused about these three programs as they rank very close and all have profs I would like to work with. During my undergraduate, I have been exposed to research about high-dimensional data, network analysis, and statistical inference. My research field is not that clear but at this stage, I prefer high dimensional data and network analysis. I am not sure how well I could do so I am not sure I could go to academia or industry. But if I do well in academics, I prefer to being a professor.
UC Davis
Pros:
1. rank highest among the three programs
2. prestigious profs such as Hans-Georg Müller and J.L. Wang
3. it's California, although the corner
Cons:
1. I could not find the placement of Ph.D. students so I'm not sure if they have a good way out
2. the research is too theoretical
Rutgers
Pros:
1. talked to one prof from Rutgers, got to know that the size of the program is relatively small (no more than ten Ph.D.) and the rank of it is significantly underestimated
2. it's New Jersey and close to NY
Cons:
1. way out to academia is not very satisfying
2. I know it's naive but the overall ranking of Rutgers is relatively low
Rice
not very familiar with this program and can not find much information about it
Pros:
1. Houston is a big city and the life there is more comfortable
Cons:
1. research area is relatively narrow as there are only 12 faculty members
I have confidence in finishing the Ph.D. training in either school. However, since my research area is not settled and I am not sure about academia or industry, I really need your advice, especially the details about the three programs and way out of them! Any advice or perspective is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!