bookworm45

I am currently in a well-ranked program for an MS Biostats. My undergrad degrees were in Biology and Sociology. The grades you received in Bio/Chem/Phys courses will have very little, but realistically zero, bearing on whether you are admitted to programs. Most programs care only how you perform in Calc 1-3 and linear algebra. Of those, linear algebra is probably the most important. Be sure to take those, score well and you will have no problem being admitted to programs. (MS admissions are generally far less competitive than PhD admissions since schools do not have to fund you, so they generally just evaluate whether you will be able to manage to theoretical coursework. Other programs will just admit you to take money from you.) On taking linear algebra after you apply -- I did exactly the same thing that you will be doing. All schools except one admitted me without waiting for my linear algebra grade. The last one admitted me after my linear algebra professor sent a letter around midterm time verifying my performance in the course. In this situation, I highly recommend reaching out to the head of admissions and letting them know of your plans. tl;dr Take the math courses, do well, and you'll likely get into some great programs.

UNC will generally fund every PhD student who matriculates.

The department generally finds funding for every PhD student either in the form of an RAship or an NIH training grant.

AWS probably will not affect your application. Most departments won't consider it. It might help if you can get a LOR from one of your math instructors: something along the lines of "hardworking/dedicated student, invests time into understanding subject" may benefit you.

Most, if not all, MS Biostats programs require multivariate calculus and linear algebra. If you are able to take those courses and secure A's, I would imagine that with your solid GRE score you would be competitive at many of these (and better) programs.

From the experience of a friend, it seems very difficult to switch programs. Seems like ad coms have higher expectations when you have already completed some time at another institution. If you choose to attend Pitt, I would suggest that you do not plan on transferring.

I would accept the funded offer that you have in your hand right now. It's impossible to know what the applicant pool/funding /other variables will be like in the next cycle. Right now, you have a definite offer at a pretty decent program. No idea what might happen next year, especially since GRE score does not make or break an application.

It is likely that you will get funding from UNC, especially as it gets closer to April 15 and the department sorts out who is committing to the program and who isn't. Have you emailed the chair for more information? Also, it is highly unlikely that you will not get funding at UNC by your second semester or your second year, if you are not offered a package right away. IMO the ROI at UNC will be significantly greater than it will be at Pitt or OSU. UNC is a highly-ranked, well-established program. Between Pitt and OSU, only Pitt is ranked. I don't know much about OSU's program but I do get the feeling that Pitt's program is highly applied based on their admission requirements.

I heard from them on February 1st. Their visit day is tomorrow (March 20).

I got admitted to Berkeley's Master's program and a professor from the department told me that most of their PhD students are taken internally-- Meaning MA students go through a petition process to continue on for a PhD. According to the prof, this is so that students are sure that they want to do a PhD and that Berkeley is the right fit for them. Very few students are accepted into the PhD program through the external application process.

Undergrad Institution: Public Ivy – USNWR Top 50 Major(s): Biology & Sociology Minor(s): N/A GPA: 3.60 Type of Student: Domestic Woman GRE General Test: Q: 161 (79%) V: 163 (92%) W: 5.5 (98%) GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: M: N/A TOEFL Score: N/A Grad Institution: Public Ivy – USNWR Top 50 Concentration: Certificate in Public Health GPA: In Progress Programs Applying: Biostatistics (6 Master’s, 1 PhD) Research Experience: RA for PhD dissertation on sociological methods Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Multiple university and departmental leadership awards Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for several courses, Volunteer in hospital and medical clinic, Intern with federal entity in Washington, DC (research & exposure to biotechnology, environmental health, and health policy issues) Letters of Recommendation: (1) Multivariate Calculus professor (2) Intro to Biostatistical Methods (CPH course in SAS) professor (3) Research PI (4) Supervisor from federal internship – only submitted to schools which specifically asked for a professional reference All letters were very strong. Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: I applied to all programs with Multivariate Calculus (Fall 2016) and Linear Algebra (Spring 2017) in progress. I had not taken these courses during undergrad and so I took them concurrently with my CPH classes in order to be eligible to apply to Biostats programs. Most programs were able to make a decision without any information on my Linear Algebra course. A couple waited until I took the midterm exam; my professor sent them information regarding my performance on the exam and in the class overall. Applying to Where: University of Michigan – Admitted on 2/6 (MS) University of North Carolina – Admitted on 3/2 (MS) University of California, Berkeley – Admitted on 2/1 (MA) Minnesota – Admitted on 2/7 (MS) University of Carolina, Los Angeles – Admitted on 2/23 (MS) Emory University – Admitted on 2/2 (MSPH) University of Pittsburgh – Waitlisted on 3/3, Rejected on 3/14 (PhD)

I do mean continuing on for a PhD at the same school. Thanks for the input!

I was recently accepted to the Berkeley's MA in Biostatistics and UNC's MS in Biostatistics. I am conflicted between the two-- Berkeley is the best public school in the nation while UNC has the #4 Biostatistics program and the #2 public health school. At this point, I am considering continuing on for a PhD after my Master's but this is something I won't be sure about until I begin the program. In calculating tuition (assuming that I do not get an assistantship at any point at either of the schools), Berkeley comes out to $50k while UNC comes out to $57k. After factoring in rent based on an average price, Berkeley comes out to about $94k while UNC totals at $75k. I am drawn to Berkeley because of its name and location; I have lived in a small college town for the past 5 years and was hoping to move to a busier city. Additionally, Berkeley stated in their acceptance letter than most students are able to secure an assistantship at some point. Finally, I have learned from current students that most students who wish to continue on for a PhD have the opportunity to do so. One main advantage of UNC is that the program is bigger; UNC has an incoming cohort of 11-20 students while Berkeley has 7-8 students. UNC has more professors in Biostats than Berkeley. This is especially important if I continue on for a PhD, in which case I will have more research areas to choose from. I would be much more interested in applied research rather than theoretical research-- In which case I believe UNC is a better fit. If I decide to finish with a Master's I am unsure of which school would be better. In that case, does the name of the school matter or the rank of the program? If I decide to continue on for a PhD, I am almost sure that UNC is a better choice-- due to rank, diversity in research, etc. But I would appreciate thoughts on that as well.

Are you asking in regards to an MPH in Biostats or an MS/PhD in Biostats?

Applied to Biostats MS programs. Accepted: Berkeley, Emory, Michigan, Minnesota, UNC, UCLA Rejected: None I am a year out of undergrad. I finished my BS in Biology and started an MPH in Biostats this year. Was disappointed with the program and decided to switch into a Biostats MS program. I hadn't taken Calc 3 or Linear Algebra in undergrad, both of which are pre-reqs for most programs. Most programs were able to make their decision after receiving my Calc 3 grade. A couple programs waited to make their decision until they had a midterm grade in my Linear Algebra class.