2018 MA stat Columbia vs MS stat Uchicago

[jstatie]

Hi, I'm a student applying for a masters degree in United States. I've been accepted to 2 masters in statistics(Columbia, Uchicago) so far where I have 8 more schools pending for ms in stat/data science/machine learning. I haven't decided if I will directly head to the industry or pursue a phD after graduation. But definitely I would prefer taking challenging courses during my semester since I've already took a few grad school stat/math courses. Which school would be a better choice between Uchicago and Columbia? It seems that Columbia is well known to general people, although Uchicago seems to be a top tier in Statistics. Even if I get a phD, I will work in the industry. And considering that I'm a international student and many in my country thinks Columbia is a better school, I would like to here your opinions if there is anyone currently attending one of these schools or know well about the alumni placement & reputation in the industry.

Edited February 16, 2018 by jstatie

[Stat Assistant Professor]

University of Chicago is one of the best schools in the world, definitely on par with the Ivy League. For the field of Statistics specifically, I would also place UChicago in the very, very top-tier (in the top 3 programs in the country, along with Stanford and Berkeley). So as far as education goes, I vote for UChicago. That said, for industry hiring at the Masters level, location is probably a concern for companies -- particularly for international students. Companies based in NYC may prefer to hire local MS candidates, so I would factor in location as well (although I personally love the city of Chicago more than NYC). If you plan to get a PhD, this is less of an issue. 

Edited February 16, 2018 by Applied Math to Stat

[jstatie]

Thank you so much! Your kind reply helped tons.  

[KStat]

I would personally choose Columbia. While they're both top schools (although Columbia may have a slight edge), Columbia has the benefit of being located in NYC which could be very, very helpful for placement within industry after graduation. I'm going to be attending Chicago in an adjacent field (computer science/machine learning related) and the placement seems to be mostly centered around Chicago.

[bayessays]

This is not even close. The MA at Columbia has a reputation as a way to make $ for the school and is not on par with their PhD program. The Chicago master's is probably the best in the country along with Stanford.  Unless you really want to live in New York, this is a no-brainer. 

[ErdosJr]

First of all congrats!! Those are definitely two amazing schools.

I have to agree with @bayessays here, Columbia's program does not come close to Chicago's. The only program that at the master's level that would be better is probably Stanford's imo. Berkeley has a stronger PhD stats program , but their MA is arguably at a similar level to Chicago's. I'm also a huge fan of Duke's program. But in general, if you do an masters, you definitely want to have a thesis option.

 

Edited February 20, 2018 by ErdosJr

[jstatie]

Thanks everyone for your heartful opinion! I think I'm leaning towards UChicago.