UWashington, UC Berkeley, or Harvard Biostats?

[sherby77]

Hello all,

 

I hope that everybody has heard back from their desired schools and that everyone got into their dream school!

 

I am having a dilemma choosing between Univ of Washington, UC Berkeley, and Harvard for MS in Biostatistics.

 

In the latest rankings, Harvard and UW are tied for number 1 and Berkeley is a bit behind at number 6. How important should these rankings be in my decision? Do they really make a difference if I am planning on working outside academia post-graduate school? 

 

Also, a big factor for me is funding. Berkeley has offered a position as a TA to cover all my tuition as well as a $1,500 stipend. On top of that, I have received a scholarship contributing $10,000 more for the first academic year. Harvard and UW offer no guaranteed funding for the first year and both schools would cost about $60,000 a year. Is it a no-brainer to choose Berkeley for the funding?

 

I have heard mixed opinions from people. Some say "how can you not choose Harvard?" and some say "how can you turn down free graduate school education?" I am not sure what to think in this situation. 

 

I personally love all three cities and would prefer to get out of the Bay Area (I grew up near Berkeley), but that is just a soft factor.

 

As a side note, I also got accepted into BU, Columbia, and Michigan, but I will most likely not choose any of those programs.

 

Thank you very much for the help!!

[midnight]

As a person who likely has no business offering an opinion but will anyway, I say go with Berkeley and take the funding.

 

Though I have to ask, will attending UW or Harvard allow you specific/unique/desirable opportunities or more money down the road? (Also, what are Berkeley, Harvard, and UW MS alumni doing now? Will you be able to work with people who complement your studies and research at each school? Do the schools have comparable resources? What is likely the best fit for you?)

 

But given an incomplete picture, I say take the money and relish in your success.

[liquan]

if I were u, choosing Harvard.

[mrmolecularbiology]

Hello all,

 

I hope that everybody has heard back from their desired schools and that everyone got into their dream school!

 

I am having a dilemma choosing between Univ of Washington, UC Berkeley, and Harvard for MS in Biostatistics.

 

In the latest rankings, Harvard and UW are tied for number 1 and Berkeley is a bit behind at number 6. How important should these rankings be in my decision? Do they really make a difference if I am planning on working outside academia post-graduate school? 

 

Also, a big factor for me is funding. Berkeley has offered a position as a TA to cover all my tuition as well as a $1,500 stipend. On top of that, I have received a scholarship contributing $10,000 more for the first academic year. Harvard and UW offer no guaranteed funding for the first year and both schools would cost about $60,000 a year. Is it a no-brainer to choose Berkeley for the funding?

 

I have heard mixed opinions from people. Some say "how can you not choose Harvard?" and some say "how can you turn down free graduate school education?" I am not sure what to think in this situation. 

 

I personally love all three cities and would prefer to get out of the Bay Area (I grew up near Berkeley), but that is just a soft factor.

 

As a side note, I also got accepted into BU, Columbia, and Michigan, but I will most likely not choose any of those programs.

 

Thank you very much for the help!!

UC Berkeley hands down. It has name recognition outside of academia and it is still a top ten in your discipline. To me it is a no brainer.

[Biostat_Assistant_Prof]

If funding were provided for Harvard or Washington, they would be the obvious choices, and you couldn't really go wrong with either... I would probably choose Harvard, but that's really just because I like the city of Boston and while the departments are roughly equal in terms of rank, the general prestige of Harvard University is arguable the best in the world (and without a doubt top 3).

 

Now, all three of these choices are great schools, especially for outside of academia where rank will matter even less. With that said, if Berkeley is the only place offering you funding, then I don't think the higher rankings of UW or Harvard outweigh you going into debt to attend them, again, especially for work in industry after graduating... Therefore, take the Berkeley offer unless the other places comes up with funding. 

[compiler_guy]

If you get funding from a top rated school like Berkeley - choose it!

[NanoTech]

Spending so much money for your graduate study is simply ridiculous.

Go to the one that gives you the money.

[ballerina18]

I think an important factor to consider is what life will be like for you after graduate school. How is the job outlook? Pay? Will choosing Berkley impact your chances of becoming a good candidate for a job compared to UW or Harvard?

[ThousandsHardships]

I'm a proud Berkeley alum so I will be biased, but seriously, Berkeley is no less prestigious than the other two. As far as absolute rankings go, it makes NO difference when all these programs are among the top ten, especially for programs that are offered at so many schools (meaning there are more schools to rank). If it were between Harvard and, say, a small unknown state school not among the top 50 in your discipline, then I'd go for Harvard regardless of funding. But for Berkeley, yes, the advantage of funding outweighs the disadvantage in ranking. Of course, if you're really adamant in leaving the Bay Area, then choose one of the others. I personally like being close enough from home to grab some stuff that I forgot at home whenever I need something.

 

Aside from that, how do you like the programs and the professors you talked to? It's not just about the funding and the prestige. A large part of the decision should be whether the program is a good fit for you personally.

[Agun]

Hello

Did you apply for a PhD or MS? I have applied for a PhD at Berkeley biostats and haven't heard from them...do you know if they are done recruiting PhD students and haven't responded to people they rejected.

Thanks

Hello all,

 

I hope that everybody has heard back from their desired schools and that everyone got into their dream school!

 

I am having a dilemma choosing between Univ of Washington, UC Berkeley, and Harvard for MS in Biostatistics.

 

In the latest rankings, Harvard and UW are tied for number 1 and Berkeley is a bit behind at number 6. How important should these rankings be in my decision? Do they really make a difference if I am planning on working outside academia post-graduate school? 

 

Also, a big factor for me is funding. Berkeley has offered a position as a TA to cover all my tuition as well as a $1,500 stipend. On top of that, I have received a scholarship contributing $10,000 more for the first academic year. Harvard and UW offer no guaranteed funding for the first year and both schools would cost about $60,000 a year. Is it a no-brainer to choose Berkeley for the funding?

 

I have heard mixed opinions from people. Some say "how can you not choose Harvard?" and some say "how can you turn down free graduate school education?" I am not sure what to think in this situation. 

 

I personally love all three cities and would prefer to get out of the Bay Area (I grew up near Berkeley), but that is just a soft factor.

 

As a side note, I also got accepted into BU, Columbia, and Michigan, but I will most likely not choose any of those programs.

 

Thank you very much for the help!!

[echlori]

Do you have any good reason why you might pick UW or Harvard over the others - area of interest, professors you really want to work with?

Otherwise, it seems clear to take the one that gives you the money, and as others have pointed out, Berkeley is pretty much well-recognised, even if they are ranked slightly lower.

 

P.S. Might be nice to of you to reject the other three schools early if you're sure you aren't going to accept their offers! 

[Shostakovich]

I'd go with Berkeley personally because of the money. Berkeley is a notch below UW and Harvard in Biostats, but for your MS it shouldn't matter too much since doing well at Berkeley (which is still a very good program) will have you looking at similar career paths as UW/Harvard grads. UW has done a good job of providing funding to its MS students as well in the past, so I might make sure how the funding situation is there before deciding on Berkeley. Harvard also seems to give some financial aid, what they offered me was 10k off the tuition each year plus potentially more once I submit my financial aid application, which I am not going to do since I already decided on the PhD offer from UW.

 

Let me know if by any chance you end up going to UW

Edited March 21, 2013 by Shostakovich

[razzles]

I'm in a similar position as you!

(Except I applied for the MS in Environmental Health: full 1st year funding at UW, a $10,000 fellowship at UCB, and zip from Harvard). 

 

I've spreadsheets open comparing the pros and cons of UW vs Berkeley vs. Harvard and I'm slowly going crazy. 

 

Good luck to you!

 

[midnight]

I'm in a similar position as you!

(Except I applied for the MS in Environmental Health: full 1st year funding at UW, a $10,000 fellowship at UCB, and zip from Harvard). 

 

I've spreadsheets open comparing the pros and cons of UW vs Berkeley vs. Harvard and I'm slowly going crazy. 

 

Good luck to you!

 

Any clue what happens after the first year at UW? Because I think that sounds like a pretty sweet deal, but I'm not sure what that means for you later.

[razzles]

Any clue what happens after the first year at UW? Because I think that sounds like a pretty sweet deal, but I'm not sure what that means for you later.

 

Mhmm, great question. I assumed that getting funding for your second year is always easier than your first because by then, you'd have networked with professors for research or teaching assistantships. 

[midnight]

Mhmm, great question. I assumed that getting funding for your second year is always easier than your first because by then, you'd have networked with professors for research or teaching assistantships. 

 

Then pack your bags for Seattle!

 

I mean, um, good luck with your decision.

[cyberwulf]

Both UW and Harvard are better programs than Berkeley; the gap isn't enormous, but it's there; not sure how much of an impact it will make if you're looking for a job in industry.

 

What you really need to find from UW and Harvard is what percentage of the students they don't guarantee funding to are able to secure an RA/TA position in their first year. Both UW and Harvard are big departments with tons of collaborative research going on, so there are generally a lot of positions to go around. No guaranteed funding can mean anything from "yeah, you're going to be paying $60k during the first year", to "yeah, we can't GUARANTEE that money will be available, but short of an epic disaster you shouldn't have a problem securing funding." You should try to find out where on that continuum unfunded Masters students typically fall.

[sherby77]

Thank you all very much for your responses and input on this difficult decision! I have weighed my options and accepted Berkeley's offer of admission mostly because of funding and similar research interests with faculty members.

If anybody else will be attending Berkeley in the fall of 2013, please let me know!

Best of luck to everybody else! It is now April 16th so I wish everyone luck in their future endeavors.