Hi everyone, hoping to find some help on this thread. I've been accepted to a few biostats programs for Fall 2021 and am having a tough time picking a destination. My math background's not too deep -- only have calc 1-3, linear algebra, probability (C/B), math stats (C/B), normal & nonlinear modeling in R, and biostatistics. As for research interests, anything on the epi side of things interests me as I have prior coursework there as well. I don't have any interest in academia but rather would like to work in industry or the public sector down the road. Really interested in coming out with a solid understanding of theoretical foundations and a very robust technical skillset in statistical programming/computing.
See below for the list of programs I'm choosing among. I'm still waiting on Harvard's MS program to get back to me.
Washington MS (thesis) - no funding
Michigan MS to PhD - funded
VCU PhD - funded
MUSC PhD - funded
Right now, I'm pretty torn on trade-offs between going for a lower ranked PhD vs. a higher ranked MS with (1) option to get into the PhD if I do well / like it, or (2) even transfer to another field if it's not the right path -- I know I'll eventually want a PhD in some quantitative field. And aware there's also the risk of mastering out of any PhD program for various reasons (e.g., don't like it, quals, unexpected life things), so also have that in the back of my head.
Realize this is kind of a strange place to look for advice, but any input would be really helpful. Thank you!