UW-Madison vs. UNC Chapel Hill for PhD in Microbiology/Immunology

[eeerr]

Hi all, I have recently been accepted to UW-Madison (MDTP) and UNC-Chapel Hill (BBSP). Both schools have many faculty that I would like to be working with and both support students' career development (e.g. teaching opportunities, internship programs...), which I value a lot. UNC has a much better stipend and the Research Triangle Park area may be a plus when looking for internships, but Madison seems to be a more lively place to live and MDTP has an impressively happy, collaborative vibe. I've been having a really hard time deciding which one to attend. Any idea on which factor to be put as a priority? Any input would be appreciated! Thank you in advance!

[psychisfun]

Create a pros/cons list like a cable package ad! It will help you figure out what factors you personally want to prioritize and more easily compare different factors.

See ex below:                       

                                                school 1            school 2

good funding                          yes                       yes

supportive environment       yes                          ?

lively place to live                  no                          yes

Edited March 19, 2019 by psychisfun

[jm318]

Hi there! I'm actually in a similar situation, except that I got accepted to UW-Madison's Genetics Training Program (GTP) and I got waitlisted for UNC's BBSP program. In the case that I get accepted to the latter, I also have a hard decision to make, and I found it interesting that we have the same goals/rationale when comparing the two schools (with their respective programs). 

First of all, I just wanted to note that just because UNC's stipend is more $ isn't necessarily a guarantee that you'll be earning more because the cost of living between the two areas differs a bit. From what I've heard, the cost of living in NC is a little more expensive than in Wisconsin, so I would take that into account when evaluating stipends (and also see if the labs you want to join have good funding). The conclusion I've reached about the two schools is essentially the same as yours: while NC appears to have a more ideal location for internships and career opportunities, UW-Madison appears to be a more lively, collaborative, supportive environment, in a way. Where I'm torn is that NC is usually much warmer than WI in the winter, and UNC is closer to where my family lives than WI is, as I'm expecting both factors to contribute to my happiness with the program.  However, even though UNC is in a better location, a part of me is leaning more towards WI because they're conducting research I'm super passionate about, while at UNC they have so many labs that I'm having a hard time pinpointing ahead of time which labs I would like to work in. 

Since we're in kind of the same boat, I'm intrigued to see what your final decision is! And as someone who is waiting to get off the wait list, I would highly advise choosing a program sooner rather than later if you can, so that it'll give people the opportunity to consider BBSP as a potential grad school program to attend.  And @psychisfun, I appreciate the advice! Your suggestion has helped me parse out a little what factors I consider most important when choosing a PhD program.