Input on two options

[mill8955]

Hello everyone

 

I'm nearing the end of an undergraduate degree and I'm in the process of submitting applications for masters programs in statistics. I'm studying at a small state school whose academic profile is mediocre, but I have done extremely well there and I believe I have a strong enough application to get into a highly ranked program. 

 

Until recently my plan was to just go to the best school that would accept me, however this last week one of my professors (from outside the stat department) gave me some advice that has made me think again. He said that with that level of education in the field of statistics, employers will care more about my skill set than they will about the name of the school that I went to. He suggested that I consider continuing my studies here.

 

Staying at the same school would have a number of advantages:

 

1. I already know most of the professors pretty well and I would almost certainly get full funding.

2. I am already conducting research with some professors here and would be one of the strongest students in the department. I would probably get to work on projects that interest me, which would give me the opportunity to tailor my resume pretty specifically to what I want to do after graduation.

3. I would get to remain near many of my friends and family for another two years. 

 

I would like to get a second opinion on what that professor told me. Obviously having a highly ranked school on your resume does count for something, but how much does it count for? If I can develop a similar skill set here for a much lower cost, is that a good trade-off? Are top employers going to care that I didn't go to a top tier school if I can show that I excelled at a mediocre one?

 

Any input is welcome. 

 

Thanks,

Steve

[sisyphus1]

If you want to go into industry brand name will be highly relevant.

Even if you want to stay in academia, I can't see how applying to some other schools can hurt you.

[mill8955]

I'm still definitely going to apply to a lot of places. I'm just trying to be informed before I start hearing back from schools.

 

To clarify, I am planning on going into industry. 

[sisyphus1]

I'm still definitely going to apply to a lot of places. I'm just trying to be informed before I start hearing back from schools.

 

To clarify, I am planning on going into industry. 

 

Just saw that you were applying to Master's programs. In that case, I believe brand would be even more important.

 

FYI, I work at a bank and a good % of people I work with have just an MS in stats. Most of them have their degrees from Cornell/Columbia/Stanford.

 

(might be different for other industries though)

Edited January 24, 2013 by sisyphus1

[cyberwulf]

My impression is that companies certainly care about what skills you have, but what they REALLY want is the smartest people they can find. Most decent Masters programs equip you with roughly the same skillset, but being at a top program is a pretty good proxy for smarts/ability.