Advice on graduate schools

Let's start with a pool of schools. I don't know if this is a complete list (other sites may have more), but here's a start re the graduate schools that are in Georgia: http://www.a2zcolleges.com/Grad/ga.html

Georgia Tech has a good reputation, but I think more for engineering.

Can't speak for the sciences, but one thing to remember about getting a graduate degree is that the schools you apply to will depend on what you're hoping to get out of graduate school: do you want to go to a research-oriented institution in which the emphasis is on interacting with specialized scholars through academic journals and conferences, or are you looking for a teaching-oriented institution where the you are learning more for your own personal edification and practical plans? It's possible to do both, of course, but many schools cater to one over the other, and you'll definitely want to make it clear in your applications that you fit their ideal type.

Thanks, guys. I have been looking into Georgia Tech just because it's so close by and has a really good reputation. They have a couple of multi-disciplinary programs that I am interested in. I'm not sure if the reputation will translate into a good educational experience for me, though. But I don't know how you ever could know that.

I am not really interested in teaching or doing research of an academic nature, though I could be persuaded on the latter if the topic was of interest to me and the politics were minimal. Mostly I'm wanting to steer my career in the direction of analysis and away from producing software. Ideally, I'll find a nice segue way into the one from the other.

FreeDuck, JPB may have an opinion.. if not on schools in or near Georgia, re grad school in statistics.

Re: Advice on graduate schools

Have yourself committed. You're either delusional or severely masochistic.

Once you begin your studies you may find that you have a natural gravitation towards a certain specialty. There are specialties in behavioral science, epidemilogy (MPH), biostatistics, survey statistics, etc. Depending on what arena your programming experience has been focused in, you may luck out and find a way to combine both. Getting a masters in statistics is usually a generalized focus to begin with and, depending on the program, more specialized towards the end.

Good luck!

Hey, thanks, JPB! I was hoping you'd show up. Do you mind if I ask about your experience? Where did you go and what did you end up specializing in?

I sent you more than you probably wanted to know by pm.