mill8955

Hello all, I just started a one-year masters program and I've already decided to apply to another for the year after. The trouble I have is that most of the application deadlines for next year are before the end of my first semester here. I won't have any grades to report and my professors won't have much to say about me. I am TA-ing for a professor, but he's very aloof and unapproachable. In contrast, I'm on a first name basis with many of the professors from my undergrad institution and worked as a TA for several of them for three years. The institution where I'm studying now is also much more highly regarded than where I did my undergrad. Do you think it would be better to have very personal, positive letters from my undergrad professors or fairly generic ones from my current professors? I'm leaning toward asking my undergrad professors, but I'm worried that it looks bad to apply to a second grad program using only recommendations from undergrad. I imagine this is a common problem for anyone who stays in school after a one-year masters though. I could briefly address it in my personal statement. Any input is appreciated. Thanks, Stephen

Hello all, I am applying to an MS in Economics program at a school where one of my professors did both his masters and phd. I've gotten A's in all his classes and I worked as a TA for him for one school year, but there are several other professors in my department that I've worked with a lot more (lots of TA work and some research) that would probably be able to write more personal letters of recommendation. Do you think it's better to submit a good letter from someone who attended the school or a better letter from someone who didn't? He graduated recently enough that most of his professors (including his major professor) are still there. Thanks

I'm still definitely going to apply to a lot of places. I'm just trying to be informed before I start hearing back from schools. To clarify, I am planning on going into industry.

Hello everyone I'm nearing the end of an undergraduate degree and I'm in the process of submitting applications for masters programs in statistics. I'm studying at a small state school whose academic profile is mediocre, but I have done extremely well there and I believe I have a strong enough application to get into a highly ranked program. Until recently my plan was to just go to the best school that would accept me, however this last week one of my professors (from outside the stat department) gave me some advice that has made me think again. He said that with that level of education in the field of statistics, employers will care more about my skill set than they will about the name of the school that I went to. He suggested that I consider continuing my studies here. Staying at the same school would have a number of advantages: 1. I already know most of the professors pretty well and I would almost certainly get full funding. 2. I am already conducting research with some professors here and would be one of the strongest students in the department. I would probably get to work on projects that interest me, which would give me the opportunity to tailor my resume pretty specifically to what I want to do after graduation. 3. I would get to remain near many of my friends and family for another two years. I would like to get a second opinion on what that professor told me. Obviously having a highly ranked school on your resume does count for something, but how much does it count for? If I can develop a similar skill set here for a much lower cost, is that a good trade-off? Are top employers going to care that I didn't go to a top tier school if I can show that I excelled at a mediocre one? Any input is welcome. Thanks, Steve