Kumari

Thanks for your take on Chapel HIll. Kind of what I gathered from my visit. Am sure that it's a great place for what it is. I'm hoping to be able to come & go a bit so I don't lose the urban energy completely. As for Princeton, close to NYC but yes....def not that diverse socioeconomically or racial/ethnically....after a few days in quaint Princeton, I actually love meeting friends in Philly. So, I suppose it's just about what you like. I'll definitely have to make the most of the Chapel Hill area if I'm going to be there for several years. Thanks for responding. I'm glad there are others, who get where I'm coming from.

Hey... Thanks so much for understanding. I just went down there and I felt the same way. Very beautiful pocket of culture, nature, etc....but, isolated when compared to the East Coast, which is where I live now. While I believe the RTP area has a lot to offer in a completely different way, I also thrive on the heartbeat and energy of the East Coast...just feel more alive. (Sorry to all of those that love the area.) At the same time, my dept is very good and I can see a lot of opportunity from that angle. Did you go to Chapel Hill to work or for school? Did you decide to leave because of the "isolation" alone or were there other factors? I'm still very mixed...if I could go back & forth between Chapel Hill & NYC area, I'd be completely happy but that's not quite reality.

Hey...thanks for the info!

Curious to know if anyone knew the average time it took to complete a biostats PhD. I've been hearing 4-5 years. Does that sound right? Any chance one could do it in 4 or less?

Wow. Thanks again for more feedback. Like I said before...really appreciate it. Now, I totally get what you are saying about RTP, the strong academics in the area, and the high concentration of PhDs. I have always felt that Boston is really snobby in terms of academics. The # of good schools here is incredible, though. And, if you live here long enough & work at top notch places, the mindset rubs off a little and you take the access to all sorts of things for granted. I wouldn't have applied to UNC if I didn't think it had a good program...it's just a huge lifestyle change. And, since it was my bottom choice & I didn't get into my top choice...I have to wrap my head around it a bit more. Really like the diversity in the northeast so it's good to know that Chapel Hill/Durham is so diverse. While most people say good things about Chapel Hill overall, almost everyone pauses & no one up here wants to move down there....regardless of weather. And, yes...that's also northeast snobbery & pure ignorance (believing that the US revolves around the northeast only) of the area so thanks...thanks for highlighting the positives of the RTP area!! Thanks again!

Wow. Thank you for replying!!!! I appreciate your feedback so much. You have no idea. I know it's supposed to be nice & all but I'm sick about moving there...seems so isolated from other parts of the country where so much is happening in terms of research...like the northeast, etc. Are you serious about the diversity? Would you describe it as more of an "urban" or "small town" or "suburban" feel given the mix and landscape, etc? I am thrilled to hear that you are excited to move from LA back to RTP. But, I feel like it's going to be so quaint & I kind of like the mix of urban grit & high end.

You did? Wow. I was actually thinking of that or even deferring. This school is ranked #3 in the field, though, so only a few places higher to go. Harvard has given me the chance to work 1/2 time & go for a 1 year MS 1/2 time...total time = 2 years including summer. It's Harvard so it's been a tempting option....not sure it's worth the time of the MS, however. The other school was a direct road to a doctorate...faster in the end. And, while Harvard is Harvard...#3 is far from bad & most likely less full of themselves. But, at this rate of slow to no doctoral funding...maybe it's my best option. THANKS again!

Hey... Thanks for your responses. The graduate chair (unlike the staff, who don't respond at all to email/phone) immediately emailed me back & said that they were struggling to find funding and only were looking for candidates, who had sent in their formal acceptance/deposit. He said he didn't know when he'd be able to tell me more. So, with that, I was sort of forced to mail in the $250 deposit just in case. Yesterday, the registrar for the dept emailed several of us an application for an RA position in another related dept...would have to write a cover letter, get letters of recommendation, etc. It actually asked for an MS student (not doctoral) and entailed hanging up posters for seminars, organizing events/lunches, etc. Paid a $12K stipend but no tuition waiver. I don't mean to sound too good for that offer, but I was really hoping that I'd get a TA or an RA, which might help me with my dissertation. An administrative role really wasn't what I had in mind...I also wonder if I'll be viewed as seriously as a student, if I'm doing an RA like that vs one based on some level of research. Just very disappointing. If no funding comes through, I don't know if I can go. Thanks again for your thoughts.

Hey..got into a good state school, but I still have no idea of how much funding I'll get. When I emailed the grad chair, he said they were struggling to find funding & didn't know when he could tell me. Is this normal to accept doctoral students and not have the funding streams sorted out? Is it normal to accept w/out knowing how much you'll be funded?

Thanks to everyone who replied. I definitely agree with all of what you say. I'm not funded, of course, at Columbia...too much to live in NYC (even tho I love the city) & pay the school fees. Harvard...I can work part-time at least for the 1st year so a big chunk of the cost will be paid for by Harvard. But, I'll have to work part-time and take 10 credits, too. Seems like a busy couple of years. Still don't know if UNC is offering funding...altho I'm assuming I'll get something since it's a PhD program but you never know....

Gang fight? Wow. No...not worried at all. Just love the mix of people in a city & Boston attracts a large international community due to the universities here. Sounds like you really liked it. Thanks for taking the time out. Appreciate it.

Hey...thanks! Just very disappointed that I didn't get into more urban schools at the PhD level....not thrilled w/the small town feel of Chapel Hill. Totally agree with both of you, but after living in Boston & working at Harvard, I've become a bit affected by the brand name mentality. I was told to apply to Yale (by a Harvard PhD graduate), even tho their biostats program isn't ranked high at all. Yale, this person said, would sound better. Thanks again for the advice.