Rice vs UCDavis vs UCSB Stat Phd

[TimmyMaomao]

Hey guys, I've got offers from Rice, UCD and UCSB. All of them are Statistics Phd program. I've also waitinglisted by UToronto and NCSU. Do you have any advise for me?

 

[juilletmercredi]

• Which one has the advisor you most want to work with?
• Which one has the most advisors that could advise you or that you could work with on research?
• What are the programs' reputations like in the field? Placement records? They look like they're roughly equal rankings-wise, with UCSB being maybe a bit below the other three American schools (Toronto is harder to place - you have to know your own field).
• Do any of them have special resources, centers, certificates, concentrations, etc., that are appealing to you?
• Did you prefer the fit or vibe at any of the programs?
• Do you have a geographic preference for any of them? All great cities, but going to graduate school in Santa Barbara would be amazing. On the other hand, Houston (and Raleigh) are pretty cheap compared to Davis and SB (and Toronto).
• Is the funding roughly equivalent between them?

[TimmyMaomao]

Actually I am also waiting for news from UNC at Chapel Hill. They told me that I had a strong application. In fact all of the schools that I have mentioned have nice advisors that I would like to work with, such as Yuedong Wang at UCSB, Hongtu Zhu at Rice(jointed), Rosenthal at Toronto. It's hard to tell which one is the best.

When considering programs' reputation and the number of  advisors that could be worked with, UNC is certainly the best choice. However, they are lack of funding and they've lost many good professors for the past few years, which makes me worry about the prospect of the school...

Rice have collaboration with MD Anderson, which is a great advantage. But Rice's Stat department is young and the placement records in academia is not very appealing to me.