stat phd program: UChicago or Harvard?

[Vera]

Hi,

I think I am lucky to be accepted by the two programs (stat@Harvard, stat@UChicago). But at the same time, I feel it difficult for me to make the final decision.

1) Harvard. The name is so appealing to me! The night I got the news that I was accepted by that program, I simply couldn't fall asleep. I do have a very strong Harvard complex. The program is ranked 3rd or 4th. And MIT is just next to Harvard, so I may have great opportunities meeting people of great potential. But the size of faculty is so small (only 5 professors) and they mainly focus on Bayes and MCMC. (Of course, the 5 professors are all stars!) And I've heard from some other professors that they feel the reputation of this program is vastly overrated and they seldom consider PhD graduates from that program as their assistant professors. I am really sad to hear that because I really like the name of Harvard. I would really need a lot of courage to turn it down.

2) Chicago. The faculty size is large and there are several excellent professors whose interest is in stochastic processes, as well as other fields. Although the name of the university of less appealing and the program is ranked 6th, I feel the program is better (I got the idea just by comparing what is posted in the webpages of the two programs). The program seems to be a better match for me. I know that the program emphasizes theory very much and many PhD graduates find positions in universities. The placement is good! But, I personally prefer to live in Boston.

I am not sure about the research direction I am mostly interested in, since I major in math and lack deep understanding of all the branches of statistics. Currently, I feel that I am interested in stochastic processes and MCMC. On the one hand, Professor Kou at Harvard is good match, but he seems to be the only professor at Harvard who are interested in stochastic processes. Of course, Harvard is very strong in regard to MCMC. On the other hand, there are many professors at Chicago interested in stochastic processes, and the research in Chicago is broader and deeper (some professors said that to me). I really can't decide which one to go. I might feel regretful to turn down Harvard, but I might have a better future if I attended University of Chicago.

What should I do? Can someone share some opinions? Thanks!

[Pierre]

Hi,

I think I am lucky to be accepted by the two programs (stat@Harvard, stat@UChicago). But at the same time, I feel it difficult for me to make the final decision.

1) Harvard. The name is so appealing to me! The night I got the news that I was accepted by that program, I simply couldn't fall asleep. I do have a very strong Harvard complex. The program is ranked 3rd or 4th. And MIT is just next to Harvard, so I may have great opportunities meeting people of great potential. But the size of faculty is so small (only 5 professors) and they mainly focus on Bayes and MCMC. (Of course, the 5 professors are all stars!) And I've heard from some other professors that they feel the reputation of this program is vastly overrated and they seldom consider PhD graduates from that program as their assistant professors. I am really sad to hear that because I really like the name of Harvard. I would really need a lot of courage to turn it down.

2) Chicago. The faculty size is large and there are several excellent professors whose interest is in stochastic processes, as well as other fields. Although the name of the university of less appealing and the program is ranked 6th, I feel the program is better (I got the idea just by comparing what is posted in the webpages of the two programs). The program seems to be a better match for me. I know that the program emphasizes theory very much and many PhD graduates find positions in universities. The placement is good! But, I personally prefer to live in Boston.

I am not sure about the research direction I am mostly interested in, since I major in math and lack deep understanding of all the branches of statistics. Currently, I feel that I am interested in stochastic processes and MCMC. On the one hand, Professor Kou at Harvard is good match, but he seems to be the only professor at Harvard who are interested in stochastic processes. Of course, Harvard is very strong in regard to MCMC. On the other hand, there are many professors at Chicago interested in stochastic processes, and the research in Chicago is broader and deeper (some professors said that to me). I really can't decide which one to go. I might feel regretful to turn down Harvard, but I might have a better future if I attended University of Chicago.

What should I do? Can someone share some opinions? Thanks!

Apparently there were two threads and I replied in the other one. Oh well

[floffel]

You are in a very enviable position to be choosing between such great programs. I think most of the statements you make about each program are accurate, except perhaps the importance you attach to the Harvard name. Firstly, the University of Chicago has an outstanding reputation as an institution overall and shouldn't really be seen as less 'prestigious' than Harvard. It's true that to the outside world the name 'Harvard' stands out quite a bit, but within academia and the business world the U of C is always mentioned in the same breath as Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Stanford, etc. when considering the quality of research and instruction. Secondly (and you probably know this), the name shouldn't really be an important factor after all...

[truth]

Who are you trying to impress? A potential employer? Or the lady who does your dry-cleaning? If it's the potential employer, then you have no dilemma at all. Chicago is your choice.

[statsguy]

DO NOT go by rankings! Forget about those. In the stats community, there is essentially no difference between the two programs in terms of respect/prestige etc... In fact, I'd say UChicago is more respected and highly spoken of.

I know you probably made the decision by now and I really hope you chose UChicago.

Do not let the name fool you when it comes to graduate school. Lots of big name schools have some departments which are weaker (e.g. Northwestern Statistics). That's not to say Harvard isn't a great department (it is), but it's so small and the research there is so narrow and concentrated. UChicago has excellent job placement and more diversified (although highly theoretical) research. Please please please forget about the Harvard name when looking at the program. Look at the programs blindly without regards to name.

If you are looking for a faculty positiog afterwards, remember that after a certain point, the quality and quantity of your own research will trump just about everything, including where you went to school.

Edited May 30, 2010 by statsguy

[lhfields]

Think of this way: Boston Red Sox and Fenway.

Harvard. Hear, hear.