amillion

Hi everyone, In a previous thread I mentioned that I was considering applying for US PhDs in Statistics. I majored in economics but have an extensive quantitative background combined with programming skills (R, Matlab, etc). I'm looking for a funded offer at a department which doesn't require the Math GRE (unfortunately no time to prepare for that). The problem is my GRE isn't very strong (158V 161Q)... I'm disappointed since the math involved is very basic and I couldn't even crack the 90th percentile for the quant section. Is there some kind of cut-off that would disqualify me? Thanks

I would have guessed that the similarities in higher education between Canada and the US would play a larger role than the language issue itself (maybe I'm underestimating the problems associated with admitting PHD students with weak writing skills in quant-related programs). Like OP pointed, I feel there is much less "grade inflation" in Canadian universities than in the US: Is that taken into account by adcoms? Also, I have heard that "internationals" are expected to hold a master's degree to apply for a US PhD: Is it usual to admit Canadian students with only a bachelor's degree (with strong profiles including RAing like OP's)? Thanks cyberwulf for your answer. Concerning OP's question: I'm not sure which tier you should apply in the US as I am in a similar position... Have you considered any Canadian programme. If yes, which ones?

I always wondered if there was some some kind of nepotism towards Canadian students versus say Indians and Chinese applicants. The point made here by Cyberwulf makes sens but what about French Canadians (me)? Does the median adcom knows that some Canadians do not speak english very well? Don't want to hijack the thread but it's an interesting topic that hasn't been discussed much here and that would certainly help OP prepare his application for 2014 (and myself as I am in a somewhat similar position). Are Canadians preferred over other internationals by adcoms? If yes are there other reasons than language?

Good day everyone, I'm going to graduate in economics next semester. I'm mostly interested in econometrics (time-series, financial econometrics) as well as some fields in statistics (factor analysis, machine learning, etc). With a strong background in economics (3 graduate classes in econometric theory + the regular honor theory classes) as well as a pretty strong overall profile (RA'd at my central bank, nearly 4.0 GPA) and a minimal background in pure math (cal 1-3, linear algebra, mathematical statistics), I was wondering if I had an appropriate profile for MS and/or PHDs in statistics. I had in mind programs like: Cornell MS/PHd Princeton/Stanford/Berkley/Yale/Columbia/Harvard MS Toronto/Ubc/McGill Msc I'm a Canadian citizen and funding would be an issue (MS are one year so I guess I could get loans if the program is worth it). Your opinion is highly appreciated. If you could also tell me what range should I be aiming for US Ms / Phd.