Harvard Statistics program assessment

[Rob1234]

I have recently got an offer from Harvard Stat department. While Harvard is a highly reputed University no doubt, but I do not have much idea about how good their Statistics program is. I have heard great things about their Biostat program but would like to do my PhD in Statistics. It would be great to know where Harvard Statistics stands compared to other programs like Stanford, Chicago, Seattle among others.The faculty though small, looked pretty strong though.  Anybody has any views regarding this?

[biostat_prof]

Their faculty is very strong although very small. If your research interests align with their research interests, it's a great option. But the faculty research interests at Harvard aren't as diverse as they are at a larger department like Stanford or Berkeley. I'm not super-familiar with the type of research that goes on in Harvard's stat department, but I have been told that a very large percentage of their research involves missing data or Monte Carlo methods, and a quick glance at their web site seems to confirm that. So if you are interested in either of these areas, it's a fantastic option, but it might not be a good option if you are dead set on working in a different area. It's also a bit risky if you don't know what you want to research (which is common for incoming grad students) in that your options will be much more limited than they will be at other departments. I hope that helps.

[bikingrules]

Thanks for the advice biostat_prof. I'm also considering this program and I've pretty much gotten the same impression from faculty webpages.