Program vs Rank

[sabomnim]

I recently got accepted into a Medicinal Biochemistry PhD program (UNC Greensboro)

I am also waitlisted for a Chemistry PhD program (NCSU)

NCSU is a much higher ranked school (3rd in the state) and has a very good and large chemistry program

UNCG is much smaller and the program was only started in 2008 so it is not nearly as ranked, but it is exactly what I want to do

I got my MS i chemistry but left because I wasnt doing the type of research that I wanted. UNCG is focused exactly in the area that I love. NCSU Im sure I could find research that is in my focus (there are a few professors that also do what I want) but it is much larger

Another reason I left the other school with my MS was bc I was getting basically Zero attention and help from my advisor bc I wasnt doing his main project. NCSU being larger I also fear this can happen again.

I am very excited about UNCG but i wasnt sure if I was making a mistake by not going to NCSU (provided I get an offer) because it is a higher ranked school

On websites NCSU is ranked around Duke while UNCG is generally not ranked (possibly do to the program being new tho?)

Just looking for opinions I guess

[ghanada]

On US News, it looks like NCSU is tied for #60 in chemistry? If that is the case, you should really not concern yourself with rank at all. As someone else on these forums have said, don't trust rankings past top 25. Now, if NCSU was in the top 10 or top 20 I could maybe understand you wanting to choose NCSU over UNCG. However, the most important factor in doing a PhD is research fit. Time and time again every person that has experience with PhDs will tell you to absolutely ignore rankings/name and go to a place that you will do the best research work. Even US News wrote an article saying that ranking importance is the #1 myth in PhDs. Ranking is important for professional degrees like law, business, medicine, etc, but NOT for PhDs. So yeah, unless it is a difference between top 10 and NCSU, don't sweat the rankings.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2012/04/13/4-graduate-school-myths-debunked