whatfuture

I just took a slight look at both cities' housing costs, and considering the amount of the fellowship, I don't think there will be a huge advantage in choosing ISU solely based on that. Anyways, living costs will be cheaper in Ames in the long run I presume. I should definitely be looking more closely into prospective professors. Thanks for your advice!

Thank you for your sincere replies! Your advice has really helped me clear my thoughts in deciding between the two universities. I will keep in mind your words throughout my Ph.D. process, whether I choose to stay in academia or go for the industry. As an international student, I was both thrilled and worried at the same time about pursuing my Ph.D. degree in the US, but your advice has helped me a lot! I have been looking for job placements for Ph.D. graduates from both universities and will definitely ask for them in both departments. I will keep on contemplating between the two and will try my best to make the best decision suited for me! Thanks again

Thanks for your comments!! I really agree that quality-of-life and faculty research interests are certainly the most important factors. But I won't be able to visit them since I am an international student. As for research interests, I believe both schools have great faculties in the field that I am interested in. But as you know, it's really hard to actually work with the professor that I wish to, and my actual research field could definitely change in the future, depending on who I actually end up working with. This is why I am trying to decide between the two schools based on their graduate program as a whole. In this aspect, do you have any suggestions on which school you would choose or recommend based on their programs overall?

Hello, I hope your graduate admissions are going well so far! I have been luckily accepted to Iowa State and Ohio State University for Statistics Ph.D., and I have a hard time deciding between the two. ISU seems to have a long history with many faculties and seems like a better choice if I'm hoping to go for academia. Also, the ranking is a bit higher, although they are pretty similar. However, I am a little worried about life in Ames as it is a very small college town. Although I will spend most of my time studying and researching, five years is a long time. In addition, I am open to going into industry, and I thought that getting intern opportunities and jobs in the future would be more accessible at Columbus. Also, I have been offered a fellowship at Ohio State, so the funding will be much better. As for my research interest, I am currently inclined toward the field of Statistical Learning or Causal Inference. Any advice, from life in both cities to any aspects of both graduate programs, will be really appreciated! Thanks

Does anyone know whether UNC-Chapel Hill, U of Wisconsin, Michigan (Ann Arbor), and Minnesota gave out all their admissions? I haven't heard anything from them and only saw 1 or 2 admission results for each university. They are all for Statistics Ph.D.