Biostatistics PhD: UMich vs. Emory

[Alex830]

Hello! I am very stuck between Michigan and Emory right now. I know Michigan has a better biostatistics program than Emory. But in terms of location, I like Atlanta way better than Ann Arbor. In addition, I think the coursework (and the Qual) at Michigan might also be much harder than Emory. 

My plan after graduation is to find a job (Pharma/Tech/Consulting), so will there be a huge difference between these two programs? I know PhD students at Emory can find an outside intern job during the summer. I'm not sure if I could do the same at Michigan.

Any comments are very welcomed, like the pros and cons for each of them?

Thanks! I appreciate that very much.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Alex830

[bayessays]

You could definitely get summer internships at Michigan. Your academic job prospects would be better at Michigan, but it won't matter much for industry jobs since Emory is also a good department. I think you are right that the coursework and quals will be more difficult at Michigan.  If you want to live in Atlanta, I think Emory sounds like a good choice - the ranking shouldn't be the only thing sending you to Michigan if there aren't other factors about Michigan that make you want to go there more, given your career goals. 

[Alex830]

16 minutes ago, bayessays said:

You could definitely get summer internships at Michigan. Your academic job prospects would be better at Michigan, but it won't matter much for industry jobs since Emory is also a good department. I think you are right that the coursework and quals will be more difficult at Michigan.  If you want to live in Atlanta, I think Emory sounds like a good choice - the ranking shouldn't be the only thing sending you to Michigan if there aren't other factors about Michigan that make you want to go there more, given your career goals. 

Thank you for your comments! I have spent the last four years in New England area. I really want to move somewhere warmer. One additional thing is that I'm an international student. I believe that University of Michigan is more internationally recognized/renowned than Emory. I'm not sure how US companies view these two schools in recruiting. 

[bayessays]

Do you want to stay in the US? I have heard companies in Asia often care a lot about the brand names, but that's not as much the case here in industry.  I'm not saying there is absolutely no difference, but a pharma or tech company here will absolutely value an Emory biostat PhD.

[Alex830]

2 hours ago, bayessays said:

Do you want to stay in the US? I have heard companies in Asia often care a lot about the brand names, but that's not as much the case here in industry.  I'm not saying there is absolutely no difference, but a pharma or tech company here will absolutely value an Emory biostat PhD.

Thank you!