Virginia Tech VS Purdue VS Georgia Tech MS in stats.

[phaniteja]

Hey everybody,

I am an international student. I have got admitted into Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech,and Purdue University. All of them without any funding.  My major objective is to land a great job without any hassle. I didn't study stats as an undergrad ,but chemistry. My major in stats is machine learning.

 

 

Purdue has an amazing stats department offering a lot of flexibility in selecting specializations such as quantitative finance and joint MS in stats and CS. It is also the highest ranked among the three. But it is a 2 years program, so more tuition. Could get funding from second semester if I performed well in the first sem( heard this from a girl studying there)

 

Georgia tech is also very good, and my best friend also got admitted into that, but among the three colleges its got the least chance of giving funding. But on the upside it is only 1 and half year program at max. Moreover my friend's sister graduated from Georgia Tech ,and she's giving glowing reviews to both its program and placements. She could even  refer me and my friend for an internship.

 

Virginia Tech's program is least flexible among the three,but its my best bet to get funding. The professor who emailed me about the decision was extremely kind, and he also hinted that all students usually get funded by 2nd semester. A senior in the Virginia Tech said the same. Moreover my brother lives in Richmond (only 3 hours or so from VT) so there's that. It is also 1 and half year program, and cheap to live. But I don't know much about placements.( Are placements good at Virginia Tech in general?)

 

So I am very confused, and I wrote a letter to Purdue office to grant me an extension of a week to decide, but they declined, and I have only 15 more hours to give them a decision.

 

At this point I am leaning towards Georgia Tech, but if you can help me decide ,I will be very thankful

[phaniteja]

Bump. Anybody?

[StatsG0d]

I would probably go with Purdue. As you said, there are a lot of diverse research interests. It's also VERY cheap to live in West Lafayette, so that might mitigate the extra semester of tuition.

[phaniteja]

Thanks footballman2399. 

[bayessays]

I think Virginia Tech sounds like your best bet.

1) It's probably cheaper to live in Indiana, but Blacksburg is also not very expensive.  Since it's a semester shorter, I think Viriginia Tech would probably end up being cheaper, assuming similar tuition.

 

2) Having a professor and a student tell you there is a good chance of funding after the first semester seems a lot more likely than a single student tell you you might get funding if you do really well.

 

3) Yes, Purdue is more highly ranked, but Virginia Tech is also a ranked program, and a name-brand school.  You're also getting a MS degree and not a PhD, so I don't think this should be your biggest concern.

 

4) Virginia Tech says they allow people to specialize in "data analytics, computational statistics, industrial statistics and biostatistics," so I don't think you'll have an issue being trained in things you are interested in.

 

5) Your brother being nearby doesn't hurt.
 

[phaniteja]

I think Virginia Tech sounds like your best bet.

1) It's probably cheaper to live in Indiana, but Blacksburg is also not very expensive.  Since it's a semester shorter, I think Viriginia Tech would probably end up being cheaper, assuming similar tuition.

 

2) Having a professor and a student tell you there is a good chance of funding after the first semester seems a lot more likely than a single student tell you you might get funding if you do really well.

 

Well the professor says that I may get funded if I perform well in 1st sem. Student studying at Purdue said the same. 

 

3) Yes, Purdue is more highly ranked, but Virginia Tech is also a ranked program, and a name-brand school.  You're also getting a MS degree and not a PhD, so I don't think this should be your biggest concern.

 

But Placement wise Purdue offers more opportunities right?

 

4) Virginia Tech says they allow people to specialize in "data analytics, computational statistics, industrial statistics and biostatistics," so I don't think you'll have an issue being trained in things you are interested in.

 

That is for Phd students.The first 8 courses are fixed at Virginia Tech in MS program.

 

 

5) Your brother being nearby doesn't hurt.

 

 

I'm new to this quote interface, so please see the quoted box for my doubts. Can I also contact you through PM?

Edited April 23, 2015 by tekkanphan

[bayessays]

Feel free to PM me.  It's hard to say anything definitive because a big issue here is the likelihood of funding and it seems like Virginia Tech has a higher likelihood.  If you don't get funding, it's also a shorter program.

 

I looked more into the two programs, and Purdue's joint CS/Stats would probably be very appealing to employers if you want to do machine learning.  If you definitely want to do a more "data sciencey" jobs (as opposed to a more traditional statistics job), I think I might revise my opinion--it might be worth going to Purdue.

 

If you think you could gain the equivalent skills at Virginia Tech, I do not think you will have trouble finding a job.  They are both very respected schools.  I do not think the fact that Purdue's PhD program is ranked higher will make their MS degree any more attractive to the average employer.

[phaniteja]

@bayessays, thanks for the help  .  I've also sent you a PM with further doubts

Edited April 23, 2015 by tekkanphan

[StatsG0d]

The cost of living in Blacksburg is decent, but the cost of living in West Lafayette is about 15% below the national average. You can get 2 bedroom apartments for 600-700 per month, making your share only 300-350 per month. Blacksburg, with its proximity to DC, has much higher rent than West Lafayette. This may or may not be offset by the funding factor.