UNC (loans) vs UT Health Science (free) Biostat Master's

[burd]

Hello everyone! So I am super thrilled to have gotten into UNC Chapel Hill (ranked #2) and I was sure I would go; however, I would be taking out 34k in loans just for tuition in the first year. Meanwhile, I have also been accepted into the UT Health Science Center in Houston. Due to TX residency and my father's military service, this would actually be free. The only financial aid I received from UNC is loans, but I'm just not convinced it's worth getting $50-70k in debt for a master's when I can get it for free. Essentially I'm asking - how much does the rank matter? 

[bayessays]

Rank matters some, but UT is a decent school and I would definitely take the free offer there. Going into that much debt doesn't make sense IMO. 

[StatHopeful]

I'm headed to UNC for Biostat PhD in the Fall, and I would tell you without question to take the UT offer. It's not worth the debt.

If the masters is your terminal degree, and especially if you plan on staying in TX, there is just too much demand for biostatisticians for many companies to only select the top schools as pipelines. As long as you prove yourself and do good work/projects at UT, you won't be at a (significant) disadvantage -- definitively not $50k worth. 

Edited April 3, 2018 by StatHopeful

[burd]

Thank you so much! I'm going to email UNC to ask for more info about assistanships for Master's students and email both departments about job placement rates and median salary information to help me make my decision. My main concern with UT is the possibility of being constrained to Texas, as I would like to take a job somewhere else if possible. Does anyone have any insight on that? 

[StatsG0d]

On 4/3/2018 at 8:46 PM, burd said:

Thank you so much! I'm going to email UNC to ask for more info about assistanships for Master's students and email both departments about job placement rates and median salary information to help me make my decision. My main concern with UT is the possibility of being constrained to Texas, as I would like to take a job somewhere else if possible. Does anyone have any insight on that? 

I doubt that you'd be constrained to Texas. UNC probably does offer some advantages in terms of opportunities to connect with prospective employers, but these days employers are looking for people with data analysis abilities and whether that comes from UNC or UT I don't think is a huge difference.

[burd]

Thanks everyone! As an update, I've decided to attend UT Health and just be really involved in research. I've spoken to a few professors and definitely feel that this is the best choice in the long term.