LacroixBoix

I was accepted to both UNC and UCLA's biostatistics programs for fall 2021. I'm trying to decide which to attend. Both are fully funded with tuition, healthcare and stipend (with UNC offering slightly more which is interesting bc cost of living would suggest otherwise). I guess consider funding pretty much equal. I also don't fully know where my research interests lie yet, so it's hard to use that as a criteria. Both are great programs, but I know UNC is slightly higher ranked. Is the difference in ranking significant? Does anyone know any meaningful differences between the cultures of each program? I've included the poll, but am more interested in hearing about the qualitative merits of each program so I can compare the two. Thanks!

I've been attempting to do some research into Biostatistics programs and was wondering if anyone has some insight into some of the qualitative differences between the top programs. I've found that program websites usually have very similar descriptions of their PhD programs, making it difficult to evaluate the differences between them. From USNWR I've found that the top 6 programs are Harvard, Hopkins, UW, UNC-Chapel Hill, Michigan, and UC Berkeley but aside from rank what are the different qualitative merits of each program? For example, what are each of these programs known for? Do they have any differences in academic focus or pedagogy? Do they specialize in any specific area of study? Does placement of graduates differ meaningfully between them? Do they attract different kinds of students/faculty? My general feeling is that Harvard and Hopkins are more oriented towards private sector/clinical trials, UNC-Chapel Hill and Michigan (perhaps because they are public schools) are more directed towards the public sector, and UW and Berkeley have closer ties to silicon valley type work. This could be completely wrong though. Obviously there's not going to be a hard rules about any of these programs, just looking for more insight into the differences among them (as well as other programs I might have missed). Thanks!

Thanks, for the context. In your opinion, what would be some schools that are reaches but not totally unrealistic? And what are some examples of lower/safety-ish schools for my profile?

Hi, I only recently started looking into Biostats PhD programs and was hoping to get a little more clarity on the strength of my profile. Undergrad Institution: Northwestern Major: Mathematics (with departmental honors) and Statistics Type of Student: Domestic white male GPA: 3.65 GRE: Still studying but just assume V: 165+ and Q: 165+ since that's how I'm scoring on practice tests. Related Math Courses: Calculus 1/2 (B+, B), Linear Algebra (B+), Optimization (B), Probability and Stochastic Processes Sequence (A-, A, A-), Combinatorics and Discrete Math (A), Graph Theory (A-), Qualitative Differential Equations (A), Real Analysis Sequence (B+, B+, B), Abstract Algebra Sequence (B+, A-, B-), and Independent Study (A, A, A). Related Stats Courses: Statistical Methods Sequence (A, A-), Regression Analysis (A), Survey Sampling (A), Statistical Computing (A), Human Rights Stats (A), Binary Response Data (A), and Analysis of Sports Data (A-). Plus some physics, business/finance, and a lot of humanities classes. From this you can see my major GPA for math is ~3.54 and major GPA for stats is ~3.93. Also, this might be confusing, but don't pay too much attention to the calc and linear algebra grades. It was in a really specific rigorous program specific to NU. I have A's in calc and linear algebra when I took in high school at the local university I could also probably submit a transcript for. Experience/Other: Not much formal research experience but I did write a senior thesis in math, so I can have my advisor at least write a "research potential" recommendation. I've been working as an analyst in the private sector for the past couple years, but realized recently I want to be doing more rigorous policy-oriented and prosocial work with data and statistics, hence why I'm looking at PhD Biostats programs. I know my grades aren't amazing and I'm lacking some research experience. However, I'm hoping that the rigor of the classes I've taken and test scores can make up for some of that. Plus my grades do show steady improvement throughout undergrad. Also, I feel like a masters might not be as worth it since I'd mostly be retaking classes (but maybe I'm wrong). Overall, I'm just looking for some clarity on the strength of my profile and which programs I should be targeting. Are Johns Hopkins, UChicago, and University of Washington pipe dreams? What about UCLA and Emory? Should I bother taking the math subject test? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!