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Chances at some top 20 Statistics PhD programs?


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I'm kind of nervous to post here.. I have a feeling I may need to lower my expectations for the schools I can get into.. any input would be appreciated!

 

So I just graduated with a B.S. in Statistics and am looking in PhD programs for Fall of 2015 - I am taking a gap year to do a service term with AmeriCorps (so a job unrelated to statistics), which is why I'm only applying to schools now.

 

I wanted to see what you guys who know a bit about the admission process thought of my chances of getting into some top programs (not top 10 really, but maybe 10 - 20 according to US News rankings), as well as any advice you may have. The specific programs I am looking into are at UWashington and Duke (dreams), NCSU and UMichigan (hopefully more reasonable?), to name a few.

 

My GPA in statistics was a 4.0 and my cumulative was a 3.97. I have not taken Real Analysis which I know is pretty important - the highest pure math classes I took were Calc III and Linear algebra, plus Mathematical Statistics (all of which I got A's). I also have pretty good handling of statistical computing in both SAS and R thanks to two classes (A's in both) and some self teaching. I was accepted and participated in two summer Statistics internships/training programs - one where I worked as a Research Assistant intern at the National Center for Education Statistics (which continued into the school year), and another which was more of a training program for undergrads (held at NCSU - one of the schools I'm applying to) to get some exposure to biostatistics where we presented a final research project at the end. From the latter program, I am able to secure a letter of recommendation from a professor that (from what I've been told) is a pretty big name in the statistics world (recent past president of the ASA?), plus the recommendations I will have from my statistics professors at school.

 

My career goal is research, though not academia .. I'd really like to do collaborative research, perhaps with applications in social sciences, or in survey methodology or biostat which I have had exposure to from the summer programs. But I would prefer the theoretical foundation of a pure statistics grad program as opposed to a degree in Biostat..

 

My major concern was my Quant GRE score - I've heard at least 90th percentile is the target, and I got 83rd (a score of 162) - my verbal and writing score were 87th and 93rd percentile respectively so I'm not terribly worried about those. 

 

Just wondering how much my Quant GRE score will affect my chances at some of these top programs, and if you think I'll have any chance at those programs given my other qualifications? Will my GPA and experience be able to offset the GRE or will a score like that bar me from even being considered?

 

Any input would be appreciated, and I can give more info (my SOP?) if necessary. Thanks so much!

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You're pretty light on math to be competitive for top 20 stat places. I suppose if you went a really good undergrad school you might get a look.

 

If you're primarily interested in applications and collaborative research, I don't see why you're ruling out biostat departments. Most of the top 10-15 biostat departments provide rigorous theoretical training; often the core courses are shared with the stat department, and there is the opportunity to take more advanced theory if you want it. Your profile will play a lot better in the biostat arena; you would likely be competitive for top 10 departments and depending on your letters etc., possibly for top 5 places as well.

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Current student at one of the schools you mentioned. I have a friend in the department whose background is similar to yours, so maybe this will be helpful in setting your expectations. My friend did not get in the program initially but were admitted off the waitlist after the April 15 deadline. (They were originally going to go to UCLA.) They did very well as a statistics undergrad and thesis-based master's student at a big university better known for sports than for its statistics program. They took many statistics courses, had research experience as a master's student, established good relationships with the faculty, I'm sure had excellent letters of recommendation. They were basically the star of their old program, but like you, they did not have advanced math coursework past linear algebra. No clue about GRE scores. However, everyone else in the past couple of PhD cohorts came in with more math and almost all came from academically well-known schools, so this person's preparation is not typical of students in our program.

 

As for you, I would guess that NCSU is reasonably likely since you're getting a letter from someone in that department, and that's a really big program that admits students from a variety of backgrounds. The others, can't hurt to apply, but don't get too attached to anywhere since your math preparation might cut you out of the running. With your excellent grades and good references, though, I bet you will be competitive at a lot of departments outside the top dozen or so that are more willing to take an otherwise strong student without real analysis. I agree with cyberwulf that you should give biostatistics departments more thought, too. You might be able to get into UW slightly more easily through the biostat department instead of the stat department, for instance.

 

Good luck!

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Thanks to both of you for your advice.

 

I guess the major reason I didn't want to apply to Biostat programs was, though I'm interested in that research, I didn't want to limit myself to only doing research in Biostat. cyberwulf said there is still theoretical training, but is it enough to use in applications other than biostat? .. I guess I will do more research on those programs

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I guess the major reason I didn't want to apply to Biostat programs was, though I'm interested in that research, I didn't want to limit myself to only doing research in Biostat. cyberwulf said there is still theoretical training, but is it enough to use in applications other than biostat?

 

Most of the material you learn in biostat is relevant to applied statistics in general. At institutions which are home to separate stat and biostat departments, the stat department tends to skew more theoretical while biostat skews more applied. If you're set on a stat program, I would focus on big programs at places without a separate biostat department: NC State, Purdue, Iowa State, Penn State, and Texas A&M come to mind. At places like Michigan, UNC, etc. (which have both stat and biostat), I would look closely at biostat to see if it aligns better with your interests. One exception to this rule is Washington, where the stat department is quite strong in applications (particularly sociology) despite the presence of an excellent biostat department.

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I'm also a student at one of the schools mentioned and there is at least one or two of my classmates whose math background, from what I understand, is not stronger than yours. I wouldn't rule out any of the ones you listed. That said, it is a good idea to apply widely. My impression after applying and getting results back is that you may get in somewhere you thought was a long shot and be denied from somewhere you thought you would almost certainly get in. That happened to me, at least. 

Edited by clurp
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