casual_learning

I'm still waiting for the results from PhD program in biostatistics at UNC-CH and statistics PhD program at NCSU and can't figure when they will tell me.. Will the possibilities be low for being admitted to the programs or at least for being told of the final application status?

Hello, although my application results are not completely announced yet, but I have been admitted to the Statistics PhD program at TAMU and Penn State and I want to make a choice between those schools in advance before the remaining results come out. Since those two programs exhibit a broad range of research topics and the life at Penn or Texas seems obviously different, it is hard to choose between those programs. Basically I am interested in statistical learning and causal inference both theoretically and with their applications to personalized medicine. While there are a considerable number of faculty members researching into machine learning at both programs, it seems that causal inference/sampling theory/measurement error models have been studied a little bit more actively at Penn State. And it seems that Penn State has a broader range of research topics(such as algebraic geometry, topological data analysis etc) than TAMU does, since the latter seems to have a focus on Bayesian methods. Since I am open to topics other than the ones aforementioned, Penn is more attractive. Furthermore, it seems that the graduate assistantship from PSU has no TA duties.. though I have to search for further information regarding that matter.. However, there is one faculty member at TAMU who has an interest of research at the very topic I am also interested in, which makes me hard to choose. And anyway, TAMU also has a nice Stat PhD program. Furthermore, the location of TAMU is definitely nicer than that of PSU since the former has a better accessibility to the metropolitan cities such as Houston or Austin while PSU is relatively isolated in a rural area. With all things considered, it is so hard for me to choose which to go between those two programs. Any advice is welcomed. Thank you for your time reading this!