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I am a sophomore with a 3.64 GPA—You can still get into PhD programs, a 3.6 is not a bad GPA by any means. Stochastic processes might require an introduction to probability course... Are you sure you want to take them in that order? (Perhaps things are different at your school but I am curious to see how they teach stochastic processes without probability distributions!) The programming courses are a really good idea, as is the Monte Carlo course. Can you link to the syllabus for your advanced calculus course? Having real analysis is very important and I'd like to be sure that Noco7 is right about the course being equivalent to analysis (if you are at Columbia, W4061-2 is the right sequence).

Great! My experiences have shown that the better a department is, the friendlier they are to prospective students... I'm sorry that the other two departments were not like this but it is great that you have such an option at the third school. And congratulations! The decision seems quite easy for you, I am still stuck in the "sleepless nights" phase of my decision

Haha that is correct my academic background is a bit different and I was unsure of how schools would see it. I assumed it would be negative though, but apparently it wasn't! If I learned anything from this process I'd have to say that you shouldn't underestimate the effect that very positive recommendations from well-connected personalities in your field can do for your application! And don't submit Columbia two days late because you forgot about the deadline...

I try to think about what drew me to my field in the first place. Maybe that'll help in your case as well.

I absolutely agree with this. The "feel" of the department can change on a yearly basis. Ultimately I'll make my decision based solely on objective factors such as record of academic placement, and not on gut at all.

Acceptances: UNC (unexpected), UF (unexpected and even got a four-year fellowship), UCSD (unexpected), and UConn (perhaps expected) Rejections: Harvard (absolutely expected), Berkeley (not even a little bit surprised), Columbia (somewhat expected) I was told by UNC that I was on their reserve list but the graduate admissions coordinator seemed to like me and was positive about my application so I was (perhaps dangerously) optimistic after that email. Luckily I did get in, but since it was my first and roughest application that I submitted I figured I didn't stand as good a chance there. Have yet to hear from Cornell and CMU but as April 15 nears I'm becoming slightly more optimistic about my chances.

Just don't be too quick to judge; program A is arguably better in my field and they were slow to respond to my emails at first, which was nothing like program B which even let me know I was their top applicant. I gave program A some time because I really wanted to like it and now several current students have contacted me and are volunteering to answer my questions. This tipped my decision in favor of program A.

Hi all, I was wondering if you had any opinions regarding state finances and their possible impact on funding for Florida and North Carolina. I already know California is bad right now, haha. I've only been admitted to public universities thus far and you folks seem to know much more about the economy than I

The school's overall rank should not factor into your decision. But the department rank is a clear indicator to me that you should be attending school A.

You should tell them that you did not mean to enroll before you visit.

Are you referring to the school's overall rank or the department rank? And how low is "low"?

Agreed. An unfunded PhD program should not even be a choice.

Hi all, I don't have a car nor a driver's license. I would prefer not to drive anywhere; is UConn even an option for me? What options do I have for a (modest?) 20k stipend?

Not a single graduate student at the (very good) department I just visited had ever heard of this site. It seems clear that we are not a representative sample of applicants.

They might not send you their decision until after April 15th. Just relax.

I wouldn't worry. There is still time, although you may be on a reserve list at the moment for several programs. It doesn't hurt to ask the graduate coordinators about your status at this point either. I sent out inquiry emails last week.

Well, given what you've said, it seems that Yale is definitely not the right choice. Just make sure that Stanford will prepare you for a career in data mining, and go! Haha

Since you haven't taken any PhD-level statistics courses nor analysis, the schools you applied to wouldn't know how prepared you would be for the proof-heavy curriculum demanded by any statistics doctorate program. If you decide to attend the MA program you should consider taking analysis. The director of the statistics program at my school even told me that he does not pay much attention to applicants who haven't taken analysis.

Well, what advice are you looking for? You haven't told us what other programs you're considering. And if the ranking is a concern to you, why did you decide to apply to the program? If you want to pursue a doctorate, you should be looking at schools that fit your research interest. Rankings are fairly important in this case. However, if you just want to get a job in the area around Yale you shouldn't have a problem even if the ranking is low.

I am currently on the reserve list so I hope you do not choose UNC Kidding aside, I am myself interested in theory. I don't know anything about the non-theory faculty at the department so I cannot help in that regard. I assume your stipends are all livable? And Minnesota's department isn't too small

Hi Bor, congratulations! So you mean you already visited UCSD? What was it like?

Griffin-Floyd faces the Plaza of the Americas, a great big park-like area that is surrounded on one side by various chemistry buildings (plus Griffin-Floyd), on another by Library West, which is one of the big hangout spots on the campus (grad students have exclusive access to the top floor; the library itself is huge and has its own Starbucks on the bottom floor!), and on the others by more academic buildings and one of the main streets. The Plaza is bustling with students pitching all sorts of organizations and clubs and I even saw a few students sleeping in hammocks. Griffin-Floyd is also a 2-minute walk from the most popular spots on the campus, such as the Reitz Union (you might get to stay in the Reitz Union Hotel if you visit), which is home to a Game Room ($1 pool, bowling, and arcade every "Wacky" Wednesday!), an expansive food court (Burger King, Panda Express, and more are represented here), among a beautiful outdoor area complete with one of the most impressive fountains I've ever seen (the very same pond is home to a baby gator that happened to be lounging on-shore when I dropped by). If you are interested in football, the giant stadium (students call it "The Swamp") is just a 2-5 minute walk from G-F Hall; I'm sure the games can be heard at G-F, but none of the grad students complained about it. As for the Hall itself, there are some offices and classrooms on the first floor. The stats department is on the second floor, and you'll be on the third. The building was recently renovated and there is central A/C (although one professor told me temperatures can vary noticeably from room to room). The building is a bit creaky but I never felt like it was "old," it really did just feel "historic." UF's northeast quadrant is its so-called "Historic District," and I hear from the students there that this is the best part of the campus. I have basically decided that I will attend because I love the campus and the department; plus, many of my friends from HS (I attended HS in South Florida) are currently sophomores at UF (I graduated HS in 2011). There seems to be so much to do on campus and I'm really excited about starting there in the fall! I'd love to have a get-together with you guys when we all get there

Hi Saul. I just returned to the chilly north from my too-brief trip to Gainesville (I grew up in Florida so you can probably guess I don't enjoy the sub-10 degree temperatures in the northeast). The weather was perfect (70's-80's at noon to 30's at night), barring the humidity if you're not used to it. UF has a very big campus—certainly the largest campus I have ever visited. This was my first time at UF and I only managed to see a part of the northeast quadrant in two days. It's that big! If you come from a smaller school get ready for long walks (yet scenic) walks through the campus, which, in my eyes, is rivaled only by Cornell and Harvard in achieving that prototypical standard of campus beauty (trees and bricks everywhere!). The intensity of school pride verges on being unbearable, especially coming from Boston U, where I'll bet a significant portion of undergrads don't know the school's colors. But the students are very friendly and sociable. My friends at UF love the food and facilities there. From what I've experienced during my trip I would agree (there are two Chick-fil-a's on the campus)!

Hi mab, I haven't made a decision yet as I am waiting to visit the department April 4-5. I am pretty excited about seeing UCSD though, I've heard so many great things about it! If you happen to be at UCSD on those dates or if I decide to attend we should meet up. And congratulations on deciding!

Just two for my BA in Mathematics from a private university in the northeast (you can bet I saved a lot of money here!). This past summer I was stuck deciding between transferring to another undergraduate program with more classes (as I had finished the undergraduate curriculum in my field) or simply applying to graduate school (as I would also finish the first-year PhD sequence at my school by the end of the year while feasibly preparing for my GREs and some research projects). In the end I decided to apply to PhD programs—only those which I would be very happy about attending. If this application season didn't work out I would be okay studying for a couple of years outside of any degree-granting program, and I am sure I would be safe following that path. Indeed, having only a year's worth of coursework on my transcript (and only one semester's worth for my major courses) was a major cause for concern, and I always assumed I would not get into any program. Miraculously I am now stuck deciding on which of my offers to accept. I had many things working for me which overshadowed the negatives. Applying this year was a very risky move and I wouldn't recommend that anyone else follow in my footsteps; not to mention the risk I took by blowing off my advisor's warnings about not having the right prerequisites to justify my insane schedule this year. Play it safe and I am sure you will fare much better in the admissions process; this was just what I felt was the right decision for me at the time.