Columbia University VS UPenn

[Fiooona]

Someone helps me! I am so hesitating! I will list pros and cons of these two programs and plz vote!

1. Columbia University Teachers College Applied Statistics

pro: It's location is the best. CU is my dream school. 

con: TC is so independent and I am afraid of being questioned as a student of CU. Also this program is often being criticized. 

 

2. UPenn GSE SMART(Statistics, Measurement, Assessment, and Research Technology)

pro: GSE is better than TC. 

con: Location is not as good as NY(for me).

 

Please share your opinions!

[statsday]

I know nothing about UPenn’s program that you mentioned so I’ll only talk about Columbia.

 

It depends on what you want I imagine. I applied for Columbia’s PhD and was rejected but accepted by their MA program. I didn’t give it a second thought because I’ve heard that it wouldn’t improve my resume were I to apply for a PhD again in the future. Additionally, some of the people I know that went there said they paid a lot and learned very little so you’re just paying for the brand. If you want a job with a fancy bank it might be worth it though. There is a man who posts here often that says many people at banks he interviewed with had done a masters in stats at Columbia. Keep in mind this was a random person on the internet so take it with a grain of salt.

 

Do what will make you happy and will advance your career in the way you want. It sounds like you want to go to Columbia so you should do that if you can afford it and it helps you reach your end goal. Good luck!

[bayessays]

I think statsday is mistaken and is thinking of the statistics department's masters degree, not TC's.

@Fiooona, have you heard criticism of TC's applied statistics masters?  On this forum, there is often criticism of the MA in Statistics in the statistics department because of the large class sizes and expense.

What are your career goals?  Looking at the curriculum, UPenn's program seems very specifically tailored to people who want to do educational research.  Columbia TC's program seems to give a much more broad general statistics education, which would be more useful if you want a job outside of education (like a data analyst or tech job).  I feel like TC is pretty well-regarded, and if you want to live in New York and go to Columbia, it might be a good opportunity.

[Justice4All]

TC is most definitely CU. 

 

Just like Mailman and schools of social work, nursing, etc. Everyone at Columbia knows that TC is essentially Columbia's school of education and it is very highly regarded.