UCB vs Duke vs Yale vs USF Analytics

[lynntoujours]

I fortunately got accepted into statistics master's programs at UC Berkeley, Duke, Yale and Analytics MS at USF.

My plan is to work in data science for 2-3 years after the masters and then apply for Statistics PhD. That being said, I guess my future research interest would be in data science/machine learning, etc. After PhD, I will return to industry and work as a data scientist.

Based on my plan, which program do you think I should choose?

UCB's location is wonderful, but it is only a one-year program. I am an economics major, instead of math or statistics. So to prepare for PhD application, actually I need to take a lot of classes in math and statistics. I don't know if one year is enough. Plus, if I am focusing on getting good grades at Berkeley, I am afraid I won't have enough time to apply for full-time jobs and prepare for tech interviews. After all, my primary goal after masters is to work in data science.

Duke's program is two-year, and if I do extremely well, there is a high chance that I can get into its PhD. So PhD preparation-wise, I think it would be a good choice. But on the other hand, speaking of job opportunities, I don't think Durham NC could compete with Silicon Valley. After all, I need to secure a job after graduation.

Should I even consider Yale or USF analytics?

Any suggestions will help. Thank you so much!

[newstyle27]

I also encounter the same problem.

At first, I more prefer Duke because of the course arrangement, but someone told be Cal has better reputation and location.

I am now trying to use the placement to decide which one is better.

I am quite interested which one would you choose, so could you please tell me your decision after you make your mind?

Thanks!

 

[StatsG0d]

It seems to me Duke's program is more theoretical, and given that you were an econ major (I was too), I definitely think that this will boost your profile for a PhD. I also wouldn't worry too much about recruitment. I imagine Duke, with its brand name, places people nationally and not just regionally. Even if they do place regionally, the Research Triangle has probably more technology companies per capita than any other region in the US save for maybe Silicon Valley.

Going off newstyle, I won't deny Berkeley is in a better location, but I think the claim that it has a better reputation is objectively false (equal maybe). If you're interested in Bayesian stats, Duke is THE place to be. Even people on this forum with absolutely stellar profiles get rejected to Duke's PhD program because it's that competitive.

[Innominate]

What information are you using to determine that Berk > Duke is objectively false?  For instance, USNews rankings are a reputation-only measurement, with UCB sitting at 4.7 and Duke at 4.1 (out of 5), a significant difference which indicates the opposite of what you're saying.

lynntoujours, this may have been pointed out to you already but you can get the placement information easily since Duke posts it (http://stat.duke.edu/people/masters-alumni).  Scanning over it it seems like industry placements are by far the most common result (triangle area especially), with very few people not finding a good industry job or a PhD.  However, take a look for yourself and see if those companies are somewhere you could see working!  I think it's also worth pointing out that they seem to have even more folks doing PhDs in not-statistics after leaving Duke.

I have no idea if similar data is obtainable from Berkeley but you can formulate a very precise estimate of your odds of landing an industry job through that info from Duke, to see if the triangle < silicon valley claim is justified.

[StatsG0d]

10 hours ago, Innominate said:

What information are you using to determine that Berk > Duke is objectively false?  For instance, USNews rankings are a reputation-only measurement, with UCB sitting at 4.7 and Duke at 4.1 (out of 5), a significant difference which indicates the opposite of what you're saying.

lynntoujours, this may have been pointed out to you already but you can get the placement information easily since Duke posts it (http://stat.duke.edu/people/masters-alumni).  Scanning over it it seems like industry placements are by far the most common result (triangle area especially), with very few people not finding a good industry job or a PhD.  However, take a look for yourself and see if those companies are somewhere you could see working!  I think it's also worth pointing out that they seem to have even more folks doing PhDs in not-statistics after leaving Duke.

I have no idea if similar data is obtainable from Berkeley but you can formulate a very precise estimate of your odds of landing an industry job through that info from Duke, to see if the triangle < silicon valley claim is justified.

I was referring to strictly the master's programs, not the PhD. The USNWR rankings are really for PhD programs.

[lynntoujours]

On 3/16/2017 at 8:40 AM, footballman2399 said:

It seems to me Duke's program is more theoretical, and given that you were an econ major (I was too), I definitely think that this will boost your profile for a PhD. I also wouldn't worry too much about recruitment. I imagine Duke, with its brand name, places people nationally and not just regionally. Even if they do place regionally, the Research Triangle has probably more technology companies per capita than any other region in the US save for maybe Silicon Valley.

Going off newstyle, I won't deny Berkeley is in a better location, but I think the claim that it has a better reputation is objectively false (equal maybe). If you're interested in Bayesian stats, Duke is THE place to be. Even people on this forum with absolutely stellar profiles get rejected to Duke's PhD program because it's that competitive.

Thank you for your advice! Because I don't have a strong mathematical and statistics background, I really want to gain a systematic understanding of statistics in masters program. Two-year Duke program seems to be better in this aspect, though very theoretical. However, given that I want to work in data science after graduation, Berkeley (strength in CS, location, reputation, more alums in this industry) may help me more with job-search.

To become a data scientist, do you think I should focus more on machine learning and programming (Berkeley) or lay a systematic, solid foundation (Duke) first?

Thank you so much for your help! I deeply appreciate it.

[lynntoujours]

On 3/16/2017 at 4:19 AM, newstyle27 said:

I also encounter the same problem.

At first, I more prefer Duke because of the course arrangement, but someone told be Cal has better reputation and location.

I am now trying to use the placement to decide which one is better.

I am quite interested which one would you choose, so could you please tell me your decision after you make your mind?

Thanks!

 

This may be the most difficult decision in my life. Have been tortured by this for over a week now. I am planning to go to Duke's Open House event next week, hope that could help.

If you have any new thoughts about these two programs, could you please post them here so that we could discuss? I will surely do the same. Thank you!

[lynntoujours]

14 hours ago, Innominate said:

What information are you using to determine that Berk > Duke is objectively false?  For instance, USNews rankings are a reputation-only measurement, with UCB sitting at 4.7 and Duke at 4.1 (out of 5), a significant difference which indicates the opposite of what you're saying.

lynntoujours, this may have been pointed out to you already but you can get the placement information easily since Duke posts it (http://stat.duke.edu/people/masters-alumni).  Scanning over it it seems like industry placements are by far the most common result (triangle area especially), with very few people not finding a good industry job or a PhD.  However, take a look for yourself and see if those companies are somewhere you could see working!  I think it's also worth pointing out that they seem to have even more folks doing PhDs in not-statistics after leaving Duke.

I have no idea if similar data is obtainable from Berkeley but you can formulate a very precise estimate of your odds of landing an industry job through that info from Duke, to see if the triangle < silicon valley claim is justified.

Thank you for your advice! Duke has done a great job in posting placement results, if only Berkeley can do the same!

[Innominate]

Duke's open house may help a lot - hope you get the chance to do the same at Cal

Edited March 17, 2017 by Innominate

[lynntoujours]

On 3/16/2017 at 4:19 AM, newstyle27 said:

I also encounter the same problem.

At first, I more prefer Duke because of the course arrangement, but someone told be Cal has better reputation and location.

I am now trying to use the placement to decide which one is better.

I am quite interested which one would you choose, so could you please tell me your decision after you make your mind?

Thanks!

 

Hey just wanna let you know I chose UCB at last. Duke has better program, but it's all about location, location, location. lol.

[newstyle27]

On 2017/4/3 at 1:50 AM, lynntoujours said:

Hey just wanna let you know I chose UCB at last. Duke has better program, but it's all about location, location, location. lol.

Thank you for your notification.

I guess I will also choose UCB due to the location and cost.