This is a message that I drafted at the tail end of my career at NC State. I wrote it to a student contemplating the program at NCSU and I tried to highlight a few important things. It might be slightly outdated with respect to the current line up of faculty, but it is not too far off. If you have any questions please let me know.
PS -- Don't forget to visit their website ... www.stat.ncsu.edu . At the website you will be able to see information concerning their various programs, including the summer institute in bio-statistics (SIBS).
=============================================================================================== In the end, I chose NCSU and, now that I've been there, I can give some points of advantage at NCSU: * Wider range of research opportunities We have the largest graduate program in the nation (and in the world). So, you can research whatever the heck you want ... someone is bound to be researching something you're interested in (biostats, time series, measurement error, spatial stats, statistical genetics, industrial stats, ...). In biostats, we have 2 of the world's experts in the field (Davidian, Tsiatis). In time series, we have some the world's experts in the field (Dickey, Bloomfield, Pantula). In measurement error, we have one of the biggest experts in the field (Stefanski). In spatial stats, we have 2 of the brightest new researchers in the field (Genton, Fuentes). In statistical genetics, we have perhaps the world's #1 leading expert in the field (Weir). In industrial stats, we have 1 faculty member who is really making a name for herself (Hughes-Oliver). We have recently hired some heavy theoretical guys too. Overall, everyone is well published and 'famous' in their own way. Whatever your interest, there's a nice mixture of theory and application that is available to you ... it is not a program that is biased one way or another ... it's well mixed. Speaking of applications, regardless of what you decide to research, you will walk away from NCSU as a SAS savvy person. SAS was developed here at NCSU and it is an important component of your education as a graduate student. You will know SAS pretty well by the time you leave. Here's another area close to my heart ... statistics education. We have our own famous faculty member in the field (Dietz) who has interacted with your own Dr. Peck, Rossman, and Chance. We have just hired TWO or THREE new faculty just to strengthen the stat ed branch and there's a concerted effort in our department to broaden this focus in our department. * Broader internship opportunities RTP (research triangle park) is overflowing with intern experiences of a wide variety. You can intern at SAS, EPA, National Institutes of Health, and a host of pharmaceutical companies just to name a few opportunities. The triangle verticies include Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Durham. It is very close by and it's not a bad commute. This rich area of research and internship experiences is VERY unique to the area ... not many graduate programs are blessed with such a proximity to a rich resource. * VIGRE program (were you extended a VIGRE fellowship?) I am currently a VIGRE fellow in the biostatistics group. Only a few programs in the country have a VIGRE program. If you were not extended a VIGRE fellowship now, you may be extended one later if you decide to become active in one of the VIGRE working groups (biostat, stat gen, industrial, environmental). You can find out more details from our website. * Computing resources second to NONE Now that I've come back from my interview trips across some very good schools, I can honestly say we have top notch computing facilities (with a HUGE pool of student server machines known as BEOWULF clusters -- very convenient when it comes to simulations). We also have one of the most outstanding systems administrators (Terry Byron) ... he is one of the most knowledgeable and reliable computing experts you may ever meet (and he's really really cool!). * Faculty with grants grants grants With such an active faculty in research, they are a good source of funding in case you opt to leave a TAship. Not all faculty have grants, but many do. * Proximity to Duke and UNC Chapel Hill Although we don't like Duke and UNC when it comes to sports, they are a convenient source of experts in areas such as Bayesian stats and theoretical stats. Some of our students takes courses over there (even attain committee members) and the course credit counts toward your own plan of work at NCSU. Duke is the center of some of the world's top-notch Bayesian experts, UNC is still considered a strong center of theoretical stats. * A very friendly, non cut-throat, family-like environment To me, one of the greatest things about our program is the family structure and feel. Some programs can have a nasty cut-throat atmosphere (so I've heard at UNC). Students often get together to work in groups to do homeworks and this is widely encouraged by the faculty. Faculty are very friendly and they have an open-door policy ... despite their busy schedules, they never seem to discourage students from visiting to ask questions or just to chat. You may be used to such an environment at Cal Poly ... but it's much harder to find something like that at the graduate school level. Despite the world-class faculty we have assembled in our midst, by talking to them you'd never know they are such high profile experts since just about everyone is so down to earth. We also have multiple events throughout the year where we socialize with fellow graduate students and faculty. In a couple weeks we will be crashing one of our faculty's home for the annual spring picnic. In September, as with every year, we have our annual beach trip to Wilmington (which is really fun). We also have an International Dinner night where we have a pot luck gathering off campus and, during the evening, we have a mini "talent show" where we showcase our various talents. Last year, I played a guitar duet with a good friend of mine and, even though we messed up plenty-o-times, it was still really fun. On a slightly tangential note, aside from these scheduled guaranteed events, we have many other ongoing social events. If you dig the social scene, there's always a group of outgoing folks that like hitting the dance clubs. Admittedly, I don't go out partying much, but I hear people that enjoy doing that often head out to UNC Chapel Hill since that's the happening scene over there. Raleigh is not barren by any means ... there's stuff to do here. Although we don't have luxurious mountains here, we do have plenty of lakes, parks and trees trees trees. Most of the area looks like a forest ... which is a nice feature to me. If you like camping, mountain biking, or hiking, all these things are accessible. If you really miss the big city life, DC is only 4 hours away (and other 'big' cities are nearby too). If you enjoy skiing, to the west the mountains are 4 hours away. So, there's something for everyone here -- it ain't the middle of nowhere (like Ames, Iowa ... that's where Iowa State is). * Awesome preparation for teaching This is something I'll address below (wrt to your TA question), however, we have something called the "Preparing the Professoriate" program that has helped many of us (including me) prepare for academics. If you're thinking about teaching, this one opportunity should be eye opening to you since NOT ALL UNIVERSITIES have a similar program. Our faculty are very encouraging for those interested in academics and are great resources as potential mentors. * Housing Many of us have housing within a 1-mile radius and we are enjoying it. I stayed at a private dorm for my first 2 years and I HATED IT. Unless you have a compelling reason to stay on campus, don't do it. Make sure you find a place with air conditioning ... that is a must. Our summers are humid and brutal. If I were you, I would send an email to our departmental secretary to find out whether other first year students are looking for a roommate. I share a 2 bedroom apartment with another student from the department (Alvin Van Orden -- current Ph.D. student) and we pay $630 a month (off of a 1 year lease). I live at Kensington Park apartment and it's nice ... once you get past the application process. The folks at KP make the application process unnecessarily painful ... but, it's a 1 time experience and after that you're okay. We live off of Avent Ferry which is along the "Wolfline" bus route. No matter where you live, I would recommend living somewhere in walking distance to the "Wolfline" (maps available online ... see the transportation office on the website). The bus service is 'free' (actually, we pay for it in our student fees) but it has a wide range of operating hours (7am to 1am M-F, also runs on Sat/Sun I think). The bus is great since, if your car ever breaks down, you won't have to worry about getting to school. You can also search online (The News and Observer ... http://www.newsobserver.cob/ ) and search the classifieds for rentals of apartments or houses. I did that when I was searching from LA and that's how I discovered my private dorm. If you don't like the idea of sharing an apartment with another, then your 1 bedroom rent will be something like $550. Obviously, sharing an apartment makes things easier on the wallet, but there's always the gamble of rooming with someone who could turn out to be a jerk. Usually, by the time you end up in graduate school, you only end up with mature students that are considerate and responsible people (except me). If you don't mind the idea of a roommate, the best possible situation would be to room with someone in the department that is senior to you -- that way, you could be instantly mentored and the first semester would be a relatively smoother experience. You can ask Janice to send around a general appeal to the graduate students to see if someone's interested in finding a new roommate. In any such appeal (whether to current or incoming grad students) you should include information that is important to you (i.e. preference for smoking, alcohol consumption, pets, gender, occasional cocaine parties ... ok just kidding). * Teaching at NCSU If you teach, you go in without any formal training preparations. However, we have a support structure to provide help. Many of your peers will be polished instructors and will be a wealth of information. Again, they would be willing to share their materials with you because WE HAVE A FAMILY ENVIRONMENT (can you see why this feature pays off in so many ways???). We also have a faculty member dedicated as the course supervisor so you're never without someone to consult with. Our intro class (which I've taught for many semesters) is pretty cut and dry ... nothing you cannot handle. One advantage we DO have in this instructor position is that you are 100% RESPONSIBLE for the course ... lectures, grading of exams, the whole enchilada (although you are afforded a grader to do the HW assignments). Not all instructorships leave the graduate student 100% in charge (see other programs). Being 100% in charge looks good to other programs if you're thinking about going into teaching ... that shows you know how to call the shots (of course, assuming your course evaluations are good!). But, for your first year, I say you should either grade papers or teach a lab. The lab instructor is usually in charge of showing people how to use the computer packages like SAS or Splus. That responsibility is no where near as time consuming as teaching a course. I personally graded papers at first, then moved into teaching the labs, then into a regular teaching role -- that transition worked well for me. ************************************************************************ I hope these responses help you out. Feel free to ask more if you want. Sometimes, a conversation over the phone is more convenient. I decided to write these comments down since you can have something to refer to when you make your final decision. There are a LOT of other good programs out there ... but when you stack up all of our advantages, I think it's tough to beat us. Finally, in terms of the distance from home issue, it wasn't a big deal at all. I have grown to love Raleigh, although I didn't dig it too much during my first semester. Now, I really enjoy the area. I had never been away from the S. California area so it was an exciting opportunity to see a different part of the states. If you go somewhere close (like UC Davis), chances are you would be able to visit family more regularly than if you were here ... but probably NOT by much. This is not because of a lack of travel inconvenience since driving is always much easier than flying. The real reason will be this: no matter if you go to UCD or NCSU, YOU WILL BE BUSY ... classes will keep you preoccupied and you won't have the luxury of as many free weekends as you're currently accustomed to. That's not to say it's 100% torturous work. Round trip flights to LAX from RDU is about $220 ... which isn't so bad. Anyway, the bottom line is that you probably won't miss home as much as you might fear ... living 2500 miles away from home has had some advantages for me. Of course, you'll be making plenty of friends while you're here since ... again ... WE HAVE A FRIENDLY FAMILY ENVIRONMENT. One last note ... one COOL thing about being here is that the collegiate sports scene is pretty serious (and fun!). Our football team usually causes a stir around here and football games are really fun to watch at the stadium (it is a major cultural event). Earlier in the year, we defeated Nortre Dame at one of the big bowl games and now people are super excited about what is coming up for the next season. Our star QB (P. Rivers) has Heisman potential, or so they say. Also, ACC basketball is very very exciting. Our team did okay this year and, although we fell in the first round of the tourney, we've defeated some major teams this season like Wake Forest and Duke. Anyway, if you do enjoy collegiate sports, the atmosphere here is unlike anything I've ever seen and it truly adds to the grad school experience! If you ever want to chat, please feel free to contact me. I would never consider your call a burden so don't hesitate to contact me. I remember the anxiety of deciding and I would like to help out in any way I can. Jimmy Doi