Which Math PhD Program Should I Choose: Princeton, Chicago, or Berkeley?

[apvelozo]

Hello,
This year I applied to Math PhD programs and I have some offers but I don't know really what university to choose.
I have been accepted in Princeton, Chicago and Berkeley... What do you think? What grad math school is better and why? (I also applied to MIT and UCLA but I haven't have any news yet).

 

[Jorriss]

Maybe it is different for math but which school is better is not a particularly meaningful question. It depends on many factors, for example, Do you want to do Algebraic geometry? analysis? What are you interested in?

Do you think you would like living in Berkeley or Chicago or [whatever city princeton is in]?

 

[jtbell]

[whatever city princeton is in]

The Borough of Princeton, New Jersey.

 

[Jorriss]

The Borough of Princeton, New Jersey.

Well I feel silly now.

 

[jesse73]

It may seem kind of obvious but I would say choose based on what you are interested on doing (which advisors you are considering) and how they interact with students.

Its not like anyone will think "He went to Berkeley instead of Princeton you should bin that job application"

 

[mathwonk]

if you really are accepted at those schools, i find it very odd that you are so naive that you are asking perfect strangers where to go. Surely someone at that level of success has mentors to give very good advice. Listen to the professors at your school, and do your homework about the professors at those candidate schools.

The atmosphere is very different at those places however and you should also research that. Obviously Chicago is in a tough area of a big urban center, while Princeton is the opposite, a small academic environment in a wealthy small town. Berkeley is in BERKELEY! which is a wacko busy highly competitive and privileged city in California, which means better weather than the others for one thing.

But don't take my word for any of this, check it out.

 

[Jorriss]

if you really are accepted at those schools, i find it very odd that you are so naive that you are asking perfect strangers where to go. Surely someone at that level of success has mentors to give very good advice.

I was completely thinking that but I figured give it the benefit of the doubt.