<p>A few notes…</p>
<p>1) This thread is well over a year old. The “no brainer” should be that the OP has long chosen his/her program by now.</p>
<p>2) Overall institutional prestige is largely irrelevant at the graduate level. Fit is by far the most important factor, both with one’s advising professors and the overall department. The exception is if you plan to do something (wholly) unrelated with your PhD. </p>
<p>3) For whatever reason, PhD programs in the UK are sometimes not considered as reputable as those in the US. I suspect this has much to do with Schmaltz’s correct note of the streamlined nature of British PhD programs; they usually lack the coursework and comprehensive exams that American programs require students to pass. The lack of teaching experience can also be significant when applying for university positions.</p>
<p>4) Why in the world do people persist in spelling it “Standford”?</p>