MS Stats decision: Georgetown vs GW

[ashramsoji]

Hi everyone,

 

So I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the 2 programs I really wanted to go to, Georgetown and GW. I live in the DC area and I cannot relocate to attend graduate school, and they seem like the best programs in the area for an MS in Stats (Hopkins is too far, American and Mason didn't seem too interesting, and UMD rejected me).

 

I am trying to decide between the two. GTOWN's program is pretty new, and their classes seem very focused on teaching one "the basics" instead of letting you venture into more applied work. For example, the 10 course program has 8 requirements, so you really have room for just 2 electives, whereas GW only has 2 reqs. Some of GTOWN's reqs don't interest me, like Financial Mathematics, and I'd like my program to be structured around what I want as the ultimate goal is to land a new industry job. GW's department also seems larger and more established (not just a scion of the Math department), and the course offering seems much broader. 

 

The cost is also about the same, though GW is more conveniently located for me. This is something of a factor since I work full-time and will be attending classes at night and don't want to have to commute across town (traffic in DC is horrendous).

 

Any advice on making this decision? I owe a response to GTOWN by midnight tonight. Currently, I'm leaning more in favor of GW.