Small New Program vs Big Established Program

[clove1688]

I got into Arizona's program and am wondering what the views of this program are? Is it worth going to a small, new program such as this and what would be my chances of getting into a PhD program such as Duke or UT Austin after (I want to be a Bayesian). 

 

Is there an advantage of going to such a small program vs. going to a larger program like NCSU where the masters' is 1 year long? I don't know how I would be able to differentiate myself in such a big program in six months to get good recommendations for my PhD application. 

 

Some of you might think I'm an idiot for comparing an unranked program to one which is so highly ranked, but I'm genuinely confused. My math grades have not been the best an I need recommendations and research to make up  for them. I think I could really stand out in a smaller program and leverage that to stand out in an applicant pool in the future. 

 

At the end of the day, I don't want to spend a ton of money and end up in the same place. Especially when it comes to industry, all that seems to matter is being a solid coder and overall skills (both of which will improve more in AZ in my opinion; I'll get to take more classes in a wider range of subjects). 

 

 

[bsharpe269]

Regardless of the program, I think that if you work your butt off then you will stand out. I did mediocure in college but study all day every day now during my masters and am top of the class in a large program. I think that if you set your mind to it then you can be top in either. Being top in a big well known school will mean more than being top in a small, new program. Also, if you work hard and make a large effort to speak with profressors regularly and help them with research then 1 year should be enough to get to know professors. I will be asking for recommendation letters only 1 year into my program so that i move straight from teh MS to PhD.