Good luck, OP! If you are doing stats and want to pursue a further degree (in health, clinical trials, etc), you should know that GW has the Biostatistics Center: http://www2.bsc.gwu.edu/bsc/index.php

A good place to apply with a little bit of experience.

Actually, nursing is the weakest major at Georgetown.

Just accepted GW's offer!

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Talked to two graduate students from GW, and they really like it there. I am leaning towards GW because the program is older, it offers more electives, and the cost is a big factor ($300 less per credit than G-town).

And better places to eat nearby and closer to metro! Signed, GW grad.

OP here. Talked to two graduate students from GW, and they really like it there. I am leaning towards GW because the program is older, it offers more electives, and the cost is a big factor ($300 less per credit than G-town).

Ditto PP

I would go to Georgetown for the name. For undergrad, it is ranked much higher than GW and AU

OP here. 14:40, thank you for such a thoughtful response.

The Stats programs is where I actually applied and got accepted to. The GU program is in its 7th year, and GW is 78 years old. GW offers a lot more electives, which is important, but I believe I could also take up to 25% of coursework at a DC Consortium university (GW) if I went to Georgetown.

The Chair at GU is amazing, was extremely helpful at every step of my application, and has tons of connections. All the students I talked to have internships and job offers.

I will try find out what placement assistance GW offers and see if I can talk to recent graduates.

Thank you for all the wonderful advice!

14:40 again -- Dh, the humanities prof, says he hears good things about the stats program at GU which is new but has some good people. But do not go there based on a vague recommendation from an anonymous humanities prof. Call these guys up (and their former students) and grill their asses about what they can do for you. You've been accepted to three different programs. They should be willing to talk to you!

Anonymous wrote:All I can say, op, is that I graduated from GU 16 years ago. Of the 1500 undergrads in my class, there were exactly 3 math majors.

Things may have changed, but if they haven't, I'd go with GW.

Yes, GU grad here and married to GU humanities prof. GU is not known for its strong math programs.

A couple of things to consider - are you looking for local employment related to this MS? If so, you want to know which school is best networked locally because your profs and fellow students will be helping you get jobs. But if you're worried about academic prestige, you should google graduate programs in math and see how they rank. I'm sure every discipline has some kind of ranking (whether they should or not is another question). Now the ranking will be most likely aimed at PhD programs so a school could still have a strong MS but not rank highly on a graduate discipline list. And if you are looking to move on to a PhD, then what you want to know is how graduate school admissions committees view the programs at the three schools.

Okay, having said this, here's what I think you should do. Call each department. Tell them you want to talk to them about placement. Find out what they do for placement, talk to the prof who runs it (who you hope is not a dimwit) and try to get a sense of whether they are actually connected to their field outside of the university. Ask to talk to recent graduates! That is the most important thing you can do because profs will bullshit you up and down but recent graduates will tell you whether they got help or not. My dh's humanities department is not as highly ranked as some in the country but they do a bang up job of finding jobs for their graduates and that's what you're really interested in, no?

Last comment: I'll never forget when I was sitting in on a court hearing and I heard the defense lawyer tell someone that he went to UVA for law school but he wishes he had gone to University of Richmond because he would have been better networked locally. When it comes to making yourself more employable in the local job market, look closely at those networks! Good luck! So exciting that you're embarking on a new degree. Hope it goes well!

For math, out of all the scohols that you mentioned, I would pick GW. I know that both American and Georgetown have extremely weak math departments. GW's program isn't as weak (although they are not known for it the way other schools are)