possumvibes

@Vibsong Hey out of curiosity how were they with communicating with you? I was accepted and tried to reach out to them but they never responded to me. I ended up declining the offer but will still be interested in their PhD program down the line, and am wondering if I just was contacting the wrong person and if their department number is no longer in use.

Just wanted to give a quick shoutout to @bayessays for being around and giving solid input/advice to a lot of people on here.

I submitted it back in early November.

I think so. I was accepted by Minnesota last week, and prior to that week, saw several acceptances reported on the results page. I still haven't heard back from UNC. I don't think they make decisions on MS students until they've gotten a bulk of their PhD applicants handled, but that's just my hunch.

@coffee_7 I also wonder this! I'd also like to know how top heavy the enrollment numbers are at these top-6 schools relative to the amount of students who attend institutions in the tier directly below. I think (from what I have heard) the departments at all the schools you mentioned are growing relatively quickly and some may breakout to compete with the top schools down the road.

@BioStatKid If it comes down to two programs that cost about the same, I'd probably choose the one with the curriculum/research you'd want to engage with the most. I got an offer at Minnesota very recently which is great, but I still need to break down the costs before I seriously consider it. One of the things I really like about Duke is the mathematical statistics track in their curriculum. I also second @bayessays point that you should also consider where you'd enjoy living since grad school can be so tough on people's mental health. I don't know about you, but Minnesota may be too cold for me lol. However, if Michigan can guarantee you funding prior to your enrollment decision, I would almost certainly pick that.

@bayessays This is very insightful, thank you so much!

@bayessays I apologize, it's the MS in Biostatistics. In the handbook it says something about the degree being a MS in Public Health with a specialization in biostatistics, but I believe they are the same thing at OSU.

Hey all, I'm sorry to post this here. This whole grad school thing has produced a lot of anxiety on my end and I feel like I need more input from people in my field. For starts, I have received several great offers and I only have a few more to hear from. However, barring any fantastic new offers down the road, I think my choice comes down to two schools. I'm going to list them below and what I like/dislike about each option. Duke Master of Biostatistics: First off, they offered me a $20k scholarship for the first year and said I'd be eligible to receive a second $20k scholarship for the second year provided I maintain good academic progress. The wording "eligible" scares me a little, because to me it isn't a guarantee I'll receive such a renewal despite good progress. I think I may be overthinking this, as I'm confident I can do well in the program and obtain this eligibility. The other thing is that I just absolutely love the people I've interacted with in this program so far, and the curriculum is almost exactly what I want in a biostats program. The location also happens to be where I've wanted to live and work for as long as I've been interested in this field. My family is hardcore advocating that I go here, mainly because of the reputation Duke has as a university. However, I've read on here that name brand doesn't always matter, and I really have no idea how to measure the validity of that sentiment. Ohio State MS in Public Health with a specialization in Biostatistics: The biggest seller for me here is that, if nominated and granted a fellowship, I will be able to get my degree here, rent and food included, without accruing any debt. This is a huge deal to me as I am not exactly wealthy. Like at Duke, I really like the people here as well. The only negatives at OSU compared to the other option is that I don't think the curriculum is as much of a fit for me as it is at Duke, and the location/reputation aren't as good either. I'm positive I'd still be happy studying at this school, but I don't know how I would feel working in Ohio after graduation (if that ends up being the case). I feel like if I don't get this fellowship at OSU, I can make my choice on my own without much hesitation. However this offer would really, really would be hard to turn down if I got the fellowship. I apologize if this isn't something that should be posted here, I just feel a little bit desperate for an an external opinion. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hey everyone. I was admitted to Duke's Master of Biostatistics program with a $20k/year scholarship. I would like to know what people think about this program if they have any experience with it. I'm pretty compelled to go from a financial and academic standpoint, with the only better pending offers coming from Michigan, UNC, and UMN. However, I don't know how likely it is for these schools to give funding to MS students. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

I've heard back from four programs for early decision. However, these were all Master's programs.