Deciding between three great schools

[Jmoon14]

I've been accepted into all the schools that I received interviews at and now I'm having serious anxiety over where to choose. They are all good for different reasons and I'm sure any of them I'll be fine at, but grad school is a huge decision. The schools are:

UVA - Degree: Pharmacology 

Pros: A lot of professors with my specific research interests (diabetes pharmacology) / professors are very amiable and "low-key"/ grad students are all very nice/ relatively close to home/ weather is pretty nice/ cost of living is super-low (net earnings would be much higher than other two most likely)/ they seem to really want me (sm. signing bonus offered)

Cons: Charlottesville isn't exactly a metropolis or social hub (I'm usually going out in NYC on the weekends with my friends.) This is one of the things that I thought I really wanted in a grad school, since I went to school in a secluded, suburban environment and didn't like it that much. 

BU- Degree: Pharmacology

Pros: Great program and amazing industry connections (very easy to gain access to big pharma). They also have a great career services center (which wasn't present at all at my undegrad school). I can realistically seeing myself working with 3-4 of the professors. Two are super cool and one is directly related to my specific research interests. Everyone publishes in really good journals. Boston is a cool city as well.

Cons: Atmosphere was much more uptight than the other two (only one I had to wear a suit for)/ Boston weather kind of sucks sometimes (was -5 when I visited)/ cost of living is super expensive (even though they are paying me the most)/ not a lot of opportunity for outdoorsy things

UCLA- Degree: Integrative Physiology

Pros: Ranked as a number 1 program (albeit not the most popular major) / beautiful location, close to both the city and the beach/mountains/ very interesting professors (however most are not directly interested in diabetes pharmacology)/ better industry connections than UVA, but worse than boston / about 3-4 professors I can see myself working with and one really wants me to rotate in his lab/ have some friends in the nearby area/ over 100 professors in the program all together/ most labs are incredibly well-funded (one has 5 RO1s??!?) / very nice faculty and grad students

Cons: Across the US (will very rarely see my best friends)/ not a pharmacology degree (not sure how that may affect job prospects)/ Some of the professors publish in very good journals, but not all/ Cali has a much slower pace than what I'm generally accustomed ( I can see this going both ways) 

 

Tl;dr Boston will probably get me the best job, but Cali has the best work/life balance and UVA has the professor I want to work with the most. Any advice?

 

 

[juilletmercredi]

Well, what's more important to you?

Conventional wisdom is to go with the professor you most want to work with. But if you have your eye on industry that change a bit, since the reputation of your advisor is less important for getting a job in industry (usually).

Sounds like the only downside at UVa is that it's in a more remote location. At UCLA, the biggest cons seem to be distance from your current friends/life. At Boston U it sounds like you don't really like the atmosphere, the weather, the cost of living or the lifestyle that you'd have there. Some thoughts:

-Sounds like you currently live in NYC. If you move to Charlottesville or Boston, you still probably won't see your friends that often. A PhD is a lot of work and takes up most of your time. Of course, hopping on a train is a lot cheaper than flying (and getting from NYC to Boston is no problem at all). But you'll also make new friends and a new network.

-How far away from diabetes pharmacology are the professors at UCLA? That may or may not be a bad thing. If the work they do can be directly related or tied back to diabetes in some way, or the professors there are willing to branch into new areas and support your work there, then that could be good. Might be worth it to pick some of those PIs' brains about connections between their work and your proposed work.

-I'm willing to bet that UCLA, at least, also has a great career services center - and UVa probably has one, too.

Based on what you have said, were I picking I would select UCLA. I'm pretty sure that UCLA has good industry connections and reputation, but the work/life balance also sounds good - you have friends in the area, the program is well-funded, you like the location and the departmental atmosphere. All of your New York friends will want to crash with you in LA eventually, and out of a department of 100 faculty, not all of them need to publish in excellent journals all of the time. Some is just fine.

As an East Coast transplant to the West Coast (I live in Seattle) I greatly appreciate the slower culture. I love the laid-back vibe of the West Coast.

[dinny]

I've been admitted to UVA in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics through BIMS, you too I'm assuming (well obviously for pharmacology)?

Idk if I agree about Charlottesville not being a good social spot. Don't forget that the University has 20,000 students and the city does have quite a bit going on. Richmond is also only an hour away by car/train. I live in a similar arrangement in NJ, about an hour outside NYC and make regular trips.

 

Still waiting to hear from UNC BBSP which should be within the next week