MS Biostatistics UMich vs Brown vs Emory

[21andstressed]

I have had the privilege of being accepted to UMich (MS), Brown (ScM), and Emory (MSPH) for a Master's in Biostatistics, and am trying to make a decision on which school to attend. While UMich did not offer me any funding, Emory gave me $25,000 for the two years, as well as the Rollins Earn and Learn (REAL) award, which would help me get a job that would pay me $3000 for each of the 4 semesters that I will be there, and Brown gave me the 25% tuition scholarship (~$20,000 total for the two years). 

I want to work as a research biostatistician in a hospital or university (think Weill Cornell Medicine, Harvard's CBAR, UNC Chapel Hill, etc.) upon receiving my Masters, but I have also not completely ruled out a PhD, or working in pharma or biotech. I'm currently leaning towards Brown because of the small cohort size and increased access to faculty, the Ivy prestige, thesis component, research opportunities for Master's students, and the proximity to Boston. However, I'm also conflicted about Michigan and Emory because Michigan is the highest ranked in Biostatistics among all 3, and the cost of attendance is the lowest for Emory, not to mention the fact that I could possibly have a confirmed RA position for the first semester (will be confirmed by April 1st) at Emory, and they have amazing professional development resources.

My main qualms about Michigan is that they do not offer the option to complete a thesis (which I want to do), nor do they have a sizeable number of RA/TAships for Master's students, from what I've heard. Their main research opportunities seem to be volunteer, and not academic. As for Emory, my main qualms are their emphasis on Public Health courses (~8 credits out of the 48 required credits), a relatively less rigorous curriculum as compared to Michigan or Brown, and the location (they're not close to any biotech or pharma hubs for potential internships).

The estimated CoA for the three programs for two years after taking scholarships into consideration:

• UMich = ~$158k (tuition = ~$102k)
• Brown = ~$134k (tuition = ~$60k)
• Emory = ~$105k counting the REAL award, and ~$117k not counting the REAL award (tuition = ~$60k)

Although I would not need to take loans, I would still very much like to not pay any more than I absolutely have to in order to get an MS that would guarantee me a good job.

Any advice is much appreciated!!

[fireuponthedeep]

For an MS, the main consideration is cost to earnings ratio: which place will allow you to accrue the least debt while most increasing your job prospects afterward? For MS positions, most employers aren't as concerned with the prestige of your institution after you've gotten the first job, they just want to know you can do the job (prestige does help in getting the first job). Fortunately, the job market for MS biostatisticians is utterly insane rn with intense demand, so you will likely have excellent job prospects after you graduate, even from a less "prestigious" institution (I say likely as I cannot ascertain what the next two years will look like re: inflation and the potential of a recession, but the field has a major deficit of Masters level biostatisticians). 
 

I would encourage you to think about where you'd be most comfortable among the three schools and weigh that against the costs: you'll be spending two years there, which is not that long, but grad school is also pretty difficult! Being unhappy with your environment won't be help with your learning and skill development. Ultimately, each of the three schools will lead to good job prospects afterwards, by virtue of the field (academic research) in desperate need of candidates.

Personally, I would pick the cheapest option! When I was considering my MS options, I ultimately chose the cheaper, "less prestigious" option over the more expensive, higher prestige institution, and it did not hinder my learning, job search, nor my future prospects for a PhD. Regardless, you have some great choices, congrats!