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djgoldma · 07-03-2006, 05:12 PM

Admitted:
1.University of Maryland, PhD pharmaceutical economics and health outcomes research
2. University of North Carolina-Chpel Hill, PhD in Pharmaceutical economics and health services research

-Received full funding and same stipend for each
-This program is administered through the dept of pharmacy, but courses are taken from econ dept, epidemiology dept, stats dept.
-UNC has a higher rank for the Pharmacy school, but the rank only reflects their PharmD degree
-Maryland's program is 25 years older, and they have a flawless track record for jobs after graduation
-My goal is to work in industry upon completion of my doctorate-Both schools have heavy ties with industry, while Maryland probably has more connections, because all UNC has is GSK (glaxosmithkline)
-Coursework is very similar

So, I think UNC is a bigger name school, but Maryland has ties with the FDA, NIH, and Baltimore is the 3rd largest biotech hub in the US. There are 2 biotech parks near the school. UNC also has research triangle park.

Can anyone shed some light as to how they would make this decision. Maryland was exceptiopnally nicer during the interview process, and really made me feel like they wanted me. UNC seemed more arrogant. As well, both programs are exceptionally selective.

Lastly, Maryland has the most pharmacoeconomists in their faculty, but both schools seem to have a lot of publications. To note, I will be taking maybe 20% of my coursework in the faculty of economics, so I guess their relative strengths matter.

ANY ADVICE

**BTW this is for january 2007 admission, and I must decide in 4-weeks.

asquare · 07-03-2006, 05:18 PM

When the programs are incredibly similar in terms of rank, quality, placement, and financial package, you have the luxuary of making your decision based on more personal factors. It sounds as though you will have similar professional opportunities post-graduation which ever school you attend, so you get to choose the one you just plain like better!

The questions I would consider are:
* Is there a particular faculty member you want to work with? Which school?
* Where did you feel like you "fit" into the department better? Where did you enjoy the company of your future classmates more?
* Which part of the country would you rather live in? It is NOT shallow to consider climate and the general atmosphere of the town -- you're going to be living in one of these places for the next five or so years, and since both have great schools, you should place some weight on where you want to live.
* Where do you want to work post graduation? (What part of the country?)

I'm sure it seems like an impossible decision right now, but try to see it as great position to be in -- you have TWO great options, and since both are so good academically, you get to decide which has better "extras" for you.

djgoldma · 07-03-2006, 09:26 PM

Hey,

I agree with what you have said, the problem is that when I ask myself those questions, my answers are split. Baltimore does not excite me, but Raleigh does, however, Maryland was a lot nicer to me, and I felt more welcome there.

I know I am in a 'great' situation, but I cannot see the light here, and do not know how I can make this decision.

asquare · 07-04-2006, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djgoldma

I agree with what you have said, the problem is that when I ask myself those questions, my answers are split. Baltimore does not excite me, but Raleigh does, however, Maryland was a lot nicer to me, and I felt more welcome there.

Are you looking at UMD-Baltimore or UMD-College Park? Also, is UNC-Chapel Hill is about a half hour outside of Raleigh. Make sure you are looking at the right neighborhoods!

You have to decide which matters more to you -- the department or the town. It's a serious question. What type of lifestyle do you envision for yourself? Are you going to treat grad school as "job" you go to every day, or will it be your whole life? Where are you going to make friends? Will you live on or off campus?

And ultimately, if you are really indifferent between the two -- you can't make the wrong decision.

djgoldma · 07-04-2006, 02:21 AM

Hey,

It's UMD college Park. I am recently married, so we will not know anyone in either location. Both locations seem great..I am from Canada, so I dont know a ton about either. I have no idea where I'll be after the degree...

Do you know anything in particular that is exceptionally positive or negative about either school or city ?

Thanks for the advice so far..

asquare · 07-04-2006, 02:49 AM

UMD-College Park isn't near Baltimore at all. It's 20 minutes outside of DC, on the Metro. DC is a fabulous city, though IMO College Park itself doesn't much going on. (No offense to anyone who lives there -- and the campus itself is great.)

I don't know much about Chapel Hill at all. But make sure that you are comparing apples. If you go to UMD, you will be living in College Park, not Baltimore. And if you go to UNC, you'll be living in Chapel Hill, not Raleigh. And the closest city to UMD is DC, not Baltimore.

notacolour · 07-06-2006, 07:28 PM

UNC is about as close to Raleigh as UMD is to Baltimore. That is to say, it's about 45 minutes away.

UNC is in Chapel Hill. UMD is in College Park. Both are college towns, though my personal reaction upon visiting each was that Chapel Hill feels more like a small college town, while College Park feels more like a college town that's a suburb of a large city (DC). Chapel Hill is ~20 minutes from Durham, home of Duke, and ~45 minutes from Raleigh, which is, well, the capital of NC. Chapel Hill is expensive to live in, but the surrounding area isn't too bad. Durham and Raleigh are obviously much smaller cities than DC (or, for that matter, Baltimore, although once again, UMD is not in Baltimore).

07-03-2006, 05:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
djgoldma Eager! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 45	Maryland or UNC???!!!! URGENT Admitted: 1.University of Maryland, PhD pharmaceutical economics and health outcomes research 2. University of North Carolina-Chpel Hill, PhD in Pharmaceutical economics and health services research -Received full funding and same stipend for each -This program is administered through the dept of pharmacy, but courses are taken from econ dept, epidemiology dept, stats dept. -UNC has a higher rank for the Pharmacy school, but the rank only reflects their PharmD degree -Maryland's program is 25 years older, and they have a flawless track record for jobs after graduation -My goal is to work in industry upon completion of my doctorate-Both schools have heavy ties with industry, while Maryland probably has more connections, because all UNC has is GSK (glaxosmithkline) -Coursework is very similar So, I think UNC is a bigger name school, but Maryland has ties with the FDA, NIH, and Baltimore is the 3rd largest biotech hub in the US. There are 2 biotech parks near the school. UNC also has research triangle park. Can anyone shed some light as to how they would make this decision. Maryland was exceptiopnally nicer during the interview process, and really made me feel like they wanted me. UNC seemed more arrogant. As well, both programs are exceptionally selective. Lastly, Maryland has the most pharmacoeconomists in their faculty, but both schools seem to have a lot of publications. To note, I will be taking maybe 20% of my coursework in the faculty of economics, so I guess their relative strengths matter. ANY ADVICE **BTW this is for january 2007 admission, and I must decide in 4-weeks.

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07-03-2006, 05:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
asquare TestMagic Guru Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ann Arbor Posts: 1,381	When the programs are incredibly similar in terms of rank, quality, placement, and financial package, you have the luxuary of making your decision based on more personal factors. It sounds as though you will have similar professional opportunities post-graduation which ever school you attend, so you get to choose the one you just plain like better! The questions I would consider are: * Is there a particular faculty member you want to work with? Which school? * Where did you feel like you "fit" into the department better? Where did you enjoy the company of your future classmates more? * Which part of the country would you rather live in? It is NOT shallow to consider climate and the general atmosphere of the town -- you're going to be living in one of these places for the next five or so years, and since both have great schools, you should place some weight on where you want to live. * Where do you want to work post graduation? (What part of the country?) I'm sure it seems like an impossible decision right now, but try to see it as great position to be in -- you have TWO great options, and since both are so good academically, you get to decide which has better "extras" for you.

07-03-2006, 09:26 PM	#3 (permalink)
djgoldma Eager! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 45	Hey, I agree with what you have said, the problem is that when I ask myself those questions, my answers are split. Baltimore does not excite me, but Raleigh does, however, Maryland was a lot nicer to me, and I felt more welcome there. I know I am in a 'great' situation, but I cannot see the light here, and do not know how I can make this decision.

07-04-2006, 02:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
djgoldma Eager! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 45	Hey, It's UMD college Park. I am recently married, so we will not know anyone in either location. Both locations seem great..I am from Canada, so I dont know a ton about either. I have no idea where I'll be after the degree... Do you know anything in particular that is exceptionally positive or negative about either school or city ? Thanks for the advice so far..

07-04-2006, 02:49 AM	#6 (permalink)
asquare TestMagic Guru Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ann Arbor Posts: 1,381	UMD-College Park isn't near Baltimore at all. It's 20 minutes outside of DC, on the Metro. DC is a fabulous city, though IMO College Park itself doesn't much going on. (No offense to anyone who lives there -- and the campus itself is great.) I don't know much about Chapel Hill at all. But make sure that you are comparing apples. If you go to UMD, you will be living in College Park, not Baltimore. And if you go to UNC, you'll be living in Chapel Hill, not Raleigh. And the closest city to UMD is DC, not Baltimore.

07-06-2006, 07:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
notacolour TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 630	UNC is about as close to Raleigh as UMD is to Baltimore. That is to say, it's about 45 minutes away. UNC is in Chapel Hill. UMD is in College Park. Both are college towns, though my personal reaction upon visiting each was that Chapel Hill feels more like a small college town, while College Park feels more like a college town that's a suburb of a large city (DC). Chapel Hill is ~20 minutes from Durham, home of Duke, and ~45 minutes from Raleigh, which is, well, the capital of NC. Chapel Hill is expensive to live in, but the surrounding area isn't too bad. Durham and Raleigh are obviously much smaller cities than DC (or, for that matter, Baltimore, although once again, UMD is not in Baltimore).

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