bayessays

I think it'd be reasonable and a good idea to apply to PhD programs now. I'm not sure what your budget is, but I would apply to a LOT of programs. I probably wouldn't bother with the top 10 stat or top 3 biostat programs, but I don't think applications below that would be a waste. You can tell from your profile that you're intelligent, have a strong math background, lots of coding experience, research in statistics - I think you could do really well but you'll have to apply widely to get over the fact that some people are going to be scared by some of your undergrad grades. My undergrad GPA was a little higher than yours, but my math grades were worse (than your B's at the LAC), and I got into schools in your range, but I also had to deal with rejections from programs that I thought were safeties. Look for some MS programs as backups/springboards if you aren't happy with the results.

I think you have a shot at those schools. FWIW, I understood from your description which LAC you went to and I'd personally be pretty impressed by your profile. I wouldn't bother taking the math GRE, since schools that don't require ot aren't likely to care enough to make it worth the effort. The upward trend will help. I think you have a similar profile to me in a lot of ways, and I think the Florida/Rutgers level would be reasonably attainable for you now - BUT you're going to see a lot of variance and should apply to a range of schools. If you could get into a funded MS program at a good school and kill it, you would be more competitive for top 20 PhDs. If I were you, I'd apply to like 10 schools in that 25-50 range. It only takes one. A top 10 biostatistics program will probably have plenty of math for you, and I think you would be competitive outside top few.

Which is it? I don't understand. Have you never taken a statistics course or have you taken graduate statistics (way beyond what most applicants have)? Applicants should have a probability glad and an intro statistics class. You have probability and a graduate statistics class. You're gold! Absolutely, 100%, no. Undergraduate statistics classes are a joke and those classes will barely help when you get to grad school. The relatively large number of statistics majors in PhD programs is self-selection bias of people who like statistics. Your research focusing on probability is a good thing! Nobody does statistics research as an undergrad. There are like 10 applicants in the country in a given year applying who have done anything resembling real statistics research. Do not take an online statistics course unless you want to for fun.

I agree that CS PhD is not the right path, as you would have to take a lot of extra prerequisites. If you wanted to go applied math route, you'd have to take analysis. If you want to study bioinformatics or neuroscience though, why not just apply to bioinformatics or (computational) neuroscience PhD programs? Seems a lot more straightforward than going to get a PhD in physics and then somehow hoping you eventually get to move into those other areas with a post-doc.

This is such an extreme and unique case that it will be extremely difficult to give an answer, especially considering I don't think anyone on this forum really knows a lot about MS admissions (the factors at play are totally different than for a PhD, because of the commitment/funding differences). I also think people tend to exaggerate how easy it is to get into the programs. But in terms of an actionable plan, your biggest issue is going to be that most graduate schools have a minimum GPA (usually 3.0). So forget about top 10 programs. Even a school like Iowa (top 20ish, not top 10) has the 3.0 requirement. There is some flexibility in most these policies that requires an administrative process, though. Do you have an upward trend in grades at all? For instance, UIC offers an MS in biostatistics and their graduate school only requires a 2.75 in the last 60 hours. UIC has a ranked PhD biostatistics program. Beyond this bureaucratic reason, an upward trend would obviously help anyways. There are also programs not associated with PhD programs. Cal State East Bay has a MS biostatistics program - they say the minimum GPA is 3.0 but that if you submit a GRE score, they can make exceptions. Don't get an MPH, get the MS. An MPH in biostatistics is not a good investment.

1) If you go on faculty directories, sometimes it'll sort by interest. For instance, Bayesian statistics, causal inference, high dimensional data, met-analysis. Looking them up on Wikipedia might give you a base idea of the types of areas. You could also start reading statistics blogs like Andrew Gelman's or magazines like Chance. Reading papers is probably not the way to go if you don't have a stats background. 2) No. Have you taken any stats class though, even just a basic intro? That plus the probability you clearly have is all you need. 3) One B- in a non math class isn't going to hurt you very much beyond the general GPA ding. Don't worry about it and don't bring attention to it, but maybe emphasize if there are other places where you programmed in job or research. You haven't listed your undergrad institution or your overall GPA, but I'm assuming they're both very good. You seem like you're a great candidate for even top programs though.

Resnick's book is pretty good, but it actually *is* a very mathematical, measure-theoretic probability book. If you're preparing for the first year, this is probably overkill. I'm guessing you would like something that will help prepare you to succeed in your first semester Casella & Berger class, especially if you have not had any probability course at all. I'd take a look at Joe Blitzstein's Harvard Stat 110 class (https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/stat110). There are lectures, homework assignments, tests, all available for free, and he is a genius at teaching the intuition behind everything, which you will really need. It is an undergraduate course, but if you master the material, you will be set up for success in your Casella & Berger class. As for calculus, I would just look up some integration by parts practice problems.

No, absolutely no reason to do that.

If you want to be a financial engineer, go to NYU. If you want to be a statistician, go to Wisconsin. If you are totally undecided, go to JHU.

I think your initial plan is good. Do as well as you can in calc 3 and linear, get a decent GRE, and apply to MS in applied statistics, and some biostat MS programs outside the top 5.

I would just send an email to whoever sent your waitlist notice (director of grad program/admissions or secretary) and just reiterate your interest, and if true, your intention to accept their offer if extended. That's really about all there is to do. Then I'd check in again whenever they tell you to or about a week into April if they haven't gotten back to you

Any school that doesn't let you choose your dissertation advisor is not a school you want to go to. Unless you have no other options in the top 50, I would have a hard time recommending going to UNC with this system in place. This matches up with my limited knowledge of their program. As recently as a few years ago, UNC biostatistics didn't even guarantee funding for PhD students after the first year.

No, you are not at risk unless you fail all these classes and don't graduate. Relax and enjoy your semester.

The only question to ask is whether you want to be a statistician or an applied mathematician. This is the type of department you're 95% likely to get a job in. If you want to study Bayesian statistics, you'd be crazy to go to UW applied math over Duke stats.

Nobody will rescind your offer unless you don't graduate. I promise. I think you should keep the class and try not to fail so you still get the major, no question.

Where did you find their placements? I can't recall seeing many BU grads anywhere. My impression was that BU hasn't launched a lot of big academic careers. If you want to stay in Boston, I'm sure they have connections locally though. I think of Brown as a better department, which US News seems to agree with. I would choose Brown.

For statistics, this is not likely to help you. Many professors post warnings on their website not to do this, so I would recommend against it.

If this is a factor in your decision to attend, you should probably just email the department and ask. I could ask you a few questions about your undergrad record and how smart you are and probably give a good educated guess, but odds are you probably won't find a first-hand account here which is what you really need.

Agreed with above, Wharton is as good as they come. A very theoretical department.

For masters degrees, people at most departments have to pay.

Yeah, as long as you don't say that you want to become a drug dealer after you should probably be fine.

Not sure. I should edit my post. I rechecked my email and they only sent me an offer in April once I believe, not twice.

When do you get to work on the thesis? If you want to get into a good PhD program, you want to think about two things in your MS 1) Get straight As 2) Form strong relationships with professors at a well-regarded department. A thesis might help you do this if you work on it the first year, but if you only work on it 4th semester after PhD applications are in, or it's a solo project without a professor, it's no help at all. Do any of the programs offer research assistantships? Take those. Do whatever you can to form strong relationships and show research potential before applying to PhDs. The thesis may help you do that or it may not depending on the specific details.

They're a very good department, I'd say their US News ranking is pretty accurate. Look at some of their job placements from 2015 on. They're pretty amazing. They're not even all listed - for instance, Laura Tupper is also a professor at Williams, arguably the best liberal arts college in the country. https://stat.cornell.edu/academics/phd/recent-dissertation-topics

I don't have any inside insight into the department. Have you seen any professors there who match your research interest? I wouldn't put too much stock in coursework - the research is what matters in the end.