rruns

I am in my final semester of undergrad, and pursuing a masters to start in the fall of 2015 (I need a little time off after graduation). As of now, I am leaning towards a MS in Biostatistics. My undergrad degree is in the health sciences, and it is where my interest currently lies. Also, I'm under the impression that Biostat programs are "easier" to get into than Stat programs in terms of math preparation, at least for the programs I've compared. Since my decision to pursue this degree is fairly recent, I've only been able to fit in multi-variable calculus, probability theory, statistical theory, and linear algebra amongst the courses left for my major. I received As in the first 2 and anticipate As in the second 2, which I am currently taking, but this hardly makes me a desirable candidate. To maximize chances of getting in, getting some financial assistance, etc., it seems best to take the Biostat route. But I wouldn't want to be "stuck" in the health sciences. How transferable will the skills obtained in a Biostat program be to other areas? I know the fundamentals are the same, but will I be missing out on something that a Stat program provides? Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your response, cyberwulf!

Hi all, I've been an unregistered reader of this forum for a while, which has been extremely helpful, but finally decided I should create an account and become an active user. I apologize if my question has been asked before; I couldn't find quite the same topics when I searched through old posts. Anyways - I am a rising senior exercise physiology major who has changed focus to statistics. It's a long story why, but I'm almost postive I want to pursue a master's in statistics and work in a non-academic setting, possibly with a biology/health focus but I don't want to narrow myself to that just yet. From a lot of online searches, I have what I believe to be a list of every program in the US. But now I don't know how to narrow down my search. If I wanted to go onto a PhD, research, etc. I know that I would want to find programs whose research interests are in line with mine. But since I want to be on the applied end of things, does that not matter as much? How did others pursuing a MS in Stat decide on programs to apply to? By "academic tier"? Geography? Anything else? I know I wouldn't be a top candidate at some schools due to my mostly non-math background, but thanks to free electives I have taken the full calc sequence, intro stat, and linear algebra, and received A's in all of them. So I don't want to limit myself to schools that may be deemed less competitive or less prestigious. And I'm open to a variety of settings in which to live. It just seems like there are so many options and I'm not sure what to do with all of them. I know this type of question may seem naive or silly, but I'm feeling a little lost right now. Professors I have spoken to in the stat/math department at my school have been pretty unresponsive, perhaps since I am not one of "their" students. I would really appreciate any insight from others who have gone through this process!