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kowtown

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  1. I disagree with nathany's post. I doubt you need the dozen or so computer science courses that constitute a major. You might want to take a handful of courses including introductory programming (if you're not proficient in C or C++), data structures, algorithms, etc. You've had more than enough applied stat courses. You probably don't need another major at all, never mind a degree, since admissions committees only care about what courses you took and how well you did in them. (Rarely does one return to undergrad after obtaining an advanced degree, but if you have the time and can get some sort of financial support for pursuing a second bachelor's, you may want to consider it.) What you need, as you seem to already know, is a good foundation in mathematics and a year sequence in mathematical statistics, which I'm sure you can get at U. Kansas. I originally majored in computer science. I didn't finish the degree at the time but I was just an elective or two from completing the major. I left with about the same math background you have now: two semesters of calculus and a basic linear algebra course (as well as discrete math). I returned to school a number of years later and completed an applied math major in two years, taking multivariate calc, two semesters of advanced calculus (real analysis), numerical linear algebra (to both brush up on linear algebra and introduce myself to numerical methods), a year sequence in applied statistics, and a year sequence in mathematical statistics. Of course I had some additional courses, like differential equations and stochastic processes, but these were more to just reinforce concepts in calculus and probability theory, and I would consider these optional. It may be premature to say so, but I feel this background prepared me very well for my first semester in a statistics PhD program. I regret not taking a more advanced theoretical linear algebra course, but I won't know until next semester how much that would have helped. I would recommend you take one since large data sets and visualization will each require vector and matrix manipulation and good grounding in associated theory. Of course one key token in the above paragraph is "PhD." You may not need to take all of the more theoretical courses like real analysis, mathematical statistics, or theoretical linear algebra, but taking at least a subset will make you a better thinker and improve your chances of getting into a good program. The program that you eventually want to get into will dictate what courses you actually take. I think I've said this before, do look at graduate programs you're interested in and see what they require and recommend, and do talk to professors and professionals in the field. Academics love to give advice! Also, once you begin your studies, you yourself will have a better idea of what you're doing and want to do. Best of luck.
  2. As the field is interdisciplinary by nature I'd say take a mix of courses from all three, and select a major that allows you to do that. I would lean towards mathematics because not only would you acquire a set of skills but you'd become a better thinker. So perhaps applied or computational mathematics, either of which should allow you to take electives in computer science and statistics. Of course a pure math degree wouldn't hurt either. The rigor of upper-level math courses would likely impress admissions committees more than undergraduate computer science or statistics courses. If someone can grasp real analysis or abstract algebra, they can grasp anything. (Why take a watered-down math course? Though you may find it boring now, an advanced calculus or real analysis course is just good for you.) That should suggest your best course of action: Take a look at machine learning programs at universities you'd be interested in attending and see what they require/request of applicants. Definitely take a look at Carnegie Mellon--they have a department of Machine Learning in their school of computer science. But since you're only a sophomore, you still have a lot of time to figure things out. Best of luck.
  3. I've been considering NCSU and Penn State. I have no idea how often students get involved with the various research institutes in the triangle, but it does happen. I think it's a legitimate reason to want to be down there. I hadn't thought about taking courses at the other universities. NCSU is a little farther from Duke and UNC than they are from each other, but they're all reasonable commutes. I can't speak for UNC but NCSU offers "industrial traineeships" where your stipend comes from working at a local company for twenty hours per week, and I would imagine you could set something up regardless. You would certainly have a variety of ways to spend your summers--while staying local--between working and participating in a program offered at one of the institutes. At Penn State you'd probably be a TA most of your time there, especially since English doesn't seem to be a problem. There aren't many businesses, so if you're interested in obtaining work experience you'd probably be spending summers in Pittsburgh, New Jersey, DC, the Triangle, or some other part of the country. In response to your other post, Pittsburgh could be a daytrip, while Philly, NYC, and DC aren't too far for a weekend getaway, when you do have the time. If you're into (or could get into) cycling, Centre County is supposedly a great area for day tours. I suppose I've been lucky in that most of the departments I've visited have been friendly, but other students visiting PSU with me noted that they're especially friendly. They're also pretty strong in just about every discipline, though I imagine UNC is too. Penn State seems like an awesome place to become absorbed in academia. PSU's department happens to be the best place for my current interests. That being said, while I would love to get back into fishing, hiking, and biking, I've become more of a city person, and unfortunately University Park/State College just doesn't have a lot to offer my significant other. The Triangle isn't exactly a cultural mecca, but it does have a lot to offer among the three cities. But I prefer compact Northern cities to sprawling Southern ones, so I'm strongly considering an offer from Pitt. I worry the department may be too small, but there exists the opportunity for collaboration with other departments, as well as with CMU. If I can't see myself being happy at one of these places for five years, I may just take a funded master's from South Carolina and reapply once my interests are more evolved. If anyone is on the waiting list of the Statistics departments at Penn State, NCSU, Pitt, or South Carolina, a spot could be opening up at two or three of them by tomorrow, and almost certainly by Monday.
  4. I wouldn't think so. I emailed Dr. Davis and he let me know right away that I had not made the list.
  5. I don't know much about LA but I know Pittsburgh has weathered the recession quite well and California has not!
  6. Agreed. Even if you're going into industry, with a PhD you're applying for a research position, and they will know UMN. However, CMU is obviously a great program as well, and Pittsburgh is a great city and an important hub of research (at least for statistics and computer science--I can't speak for applied math but I imagine there are opportunities). You really need to focus on their respective strengths in relation to your interests.
  7. I hope I'm not too late. While some programs to which I was accepted offered travel expenses up front, others obliged once I inquired, at least putting me up for the night. I would imagine this would be a possibility at the PhD program, but maybe not at the MS program unless they're serious about recruiting--I'd think it would be in their interest to fly in a candidate who got accepted to a respectable PhD program if they want to improve their own. Maybe you can use the other offer as leverage. As for deciding between cities, it sounds like at school B you would actually be able to afford daycare between the secured funding at the school and the job opportunities in the surrounding area. School A could mean a longer time to degree completion if you can't secure funding for your research or some courses aren't offered regularly. Otherwise I agree with the above poster that you will probably be too busy to really enjoy the city.
  8. Sorry, yes. B/I/G is Business/Industry/Government.
  9. phd.org allows you to use your own criteria to rank programs. The data concerning quality of faculty and program effectiveness do indeed come from the 1993 NRC survey. The quality of faculty rating is what determines the rankings. US News uses a similar methodology for most fields. I agree that 17-year-old NRC rankings are highly inaccurate. Most faculties have undergone significant rotation. UMD has undoubtably become a significant force. However, they are useful to gauge things like historic reputation and visibility. And it's all anyone has had to go by outside of the US News rankings of the top ten. I believe US News only ranks the top ten. If it were only a matter of paying for access, a lot of us would have done it--a subscription is probably cheaper than an application fee. They posted an article saying that this year they are ranking statistics departments for the first time. These rankings come out April 15th, just after most of us have made our decisions. I do think NCSU is a good program. They have excellent placement, in both academia and B/I/G. It's probably just because NCSU is a much larger program (the largest in fact), but I see a lot more NCSU alums on faculty lists. And if one's focus is applied, I think they are hard to beat due to their position in the research triangle and industry connections. You can even receive your stipend through an internship rather than grading papers.
  10. NCSU is only two spots below Yale in the 1993 NRC rankings, with 3.54 Q-points vs. 3.62, a difference of less than one-tenth, probably within the margin of error. Are you going by some other rankings?
  11. The Grad School Rankings Are Coming Soon So basically they're using the same methodology that they used for the math specialties rankings in 2006 and 2008 and that the NRC used for the 93Q ratings. Does anyone care to make their predictions for the top 20 based on where they've been accepted and rejected? Or, better yet, who has an advanced copy?! I'm not rankings obsessed, but there does seem to be a correlation between rankings and placement!
  12. No problem. The 1993 NRC rankings Note that I believe the NRC actually didn't actually rank departments, but this TAMU statistics professor compiled the list based on their ratings. You will observe also that it includes Biostat programs. For some schools which have both, it's not immediately clear which they might be referring to. A post listing the 2006 US News rankings The 2008 US News rankings
  13. Indeed. You can even transfer between the Math Stat and AMSC programs and keep your funding as they're both run by the same department.
  14. KatieM, I applied to GWU and considered Maryland (College Park) and UMBC. GWU had a respectable ranking at #32 (with 2.91) in the 1993 NRC rankings for Statistics programs, while Maryland came in at #18 (with 3.97) and UMBC at 115 (with 1.69) in the Mathematics rankings. A professor I consulted had good things to say about Baltimore County for statistics but didn't know much about College Park's program. I get the impression that the latter is up-and-coming. It certainly has a top-notch mathematics program, and the department shares resources. (After putting that in writing I wish I had applied.) Outside of the top ten it's definitely hard to get anything beyond anecdotes. Did you try "Maryland" or "College Park" in the search feature? I thought I saw it in someone's profile or a post. Have you heard anything from GWU? I'm going to be on the East Coast next week for spring break and they're open, so I thought I might stop by, but I haven't gotten a decision yet myself. (It'd be nice to do it on their dime rather than my own!)
  15. I'm sure you'll get a lot of responses recommending you take some much deserved and probably needed time off, but I can certainly understand the desire to be productive. I wish I knew where I'll even be during the summer. Depending on where I get into (Statistics, btw) and what position my girlfriend gets, I could me moving to an as-of-yet-unknown destination at the beginning, middle, or end of summer. But if I stay here I know I want to take or audit some courses to get ready. My university offers a number of graduate courses during the summer in both math and statistics, and I imagine the one I'll be attending in the fall does too. It sounds like yours doesn't, but since you're Applied, maybe there's a field of application you'd like to investigate, in which case an undergraduate course might be in order. And of course there's always work--saving up for the move, apartment, big city life, etc. I'd ask your professors. If your school doesn't offer anything you'd like to take, maybe you can do research or an independent study, or work for the department.
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