Jump to content

Stat Assistant Professor

Members
  • Posts

    1,086
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    21

Reputation Activity

  1. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from Ashsig in "Safeties" recommendation for PhD Statistics   
    Since the OP mentioned having a few B/C's in the upper level math classes, that's why I 'guessed' that UCI and BU might be slight reaches. However, those two universities seem like more plausible targets for the OP's profile (unlike Stanford, UC Berkeley, Columbia, and USC, which I doubt -- USC because they accept like less than 5 PhD students every year with 2 or 3 matriculating). In addition, if the lower grades are only one off-semester and not a continuous pattern, then it can be explained very briefly in the application. Again, the way that it's explained matters -- you need to "pivot" quickly to explaining that after you overcame the family issues, every other semester was a 4.0.
  2. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from Ashsig in "Safeties" recommendation for PhD Statistics   
    You can apply to as many schools as your budget allows, but I would not expect amazing results at the schools you listed with only a Bachelor's. This is because you're competing against a lot of applicants from the top universities in China, India, South Korea (plus a few from Canada, Australia, the U.K., and some other European countries), and these applicants often have taken a ton of advanced math classes on their transcript like measure theory, functional analysis, probability theory, etc... and many of them also have Masters degrees (e.g. the applicants from ISI and SNU typically have them), as well as research experience and papers that they published in or submitted to journals.
    You might have a slightly better chance if you got a Masters from a very reputable program first (like U. Chicago, U. of Washington, Duke, Stanford, etc.). Even with an MS, I would probably not apply to Stanford, Columbia, or UC Berkeley, since the chances are slim, IMO. You could try UCLA, UC Irvine, and Boston U. though. If you are going to apply mainly to PhD programs (without doing an MS first), then I would focus mostly on schools at the level of UCI and lower. If you are less picky geographically, you can also improve your chances of getting into some PhD program with just a BS -- it just may not be in a large city like you desire. Another option is also to apply to statistics PhD programs that are in Math/Applied Math departments like SUNY Stony Brook Applied Mathematics & Statistics.
    I would explain the grades in the third semester briefly but not dwell on it too much -- it's better to just briefly mention what happened and then immediately explain how you overcame the issue and went on to earn a perfect 4.0 every semester since then.
     
  3. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from Ashsig in "Safeties" recommendation for PhD Statistics   
    I am afraid that those are all reach schools. University of Southern California Department of Data Sciences and Operations  is in the business school, btw, so they accept very, veru few PhD students each year. 
    The competition among international students (even those with degrees in the U.S.) is extremely stiff, and your profile may not be competitive for those particular programs when compared with the top applicants from Tsinghua U., Peking U., SNU, ISI, among 20 or so other schools. A lot of the top applicants from these universities not only have meticulous grades but also substantive research experience including co-authorship on papers that have been submitted to reputable journals.
    International students who earned a degree in the U.S. are usually more competitive if they have first earned a Masters degree from a reputable program in the U.S. (e.g. University of Chicago) or if they earned their degree from an elite American undergrad institution. So if you are willing to do a Masters first, then you might be able to get in somewhere.
    Given the competition, I would suggest that you also apply to Masters programs and that you broaden your list of programs to include other universities that are not in big cities on the coast. You could also look at lower ranked Biostatistics programs. 
  4. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor reacted to ohrnor in "Safeties" recommendation for PhD Statistics   
    I have a pretty similar profile (refer to my previous post for details). In summary, I didn't do real analysis (I should have), have similar research experience, and higher GPA from a somewhat more prestigious/higher ranked uni. Based on my results and your profile, I would say Irvine and BU are match--I got into Irvine after being on their medium list and interviewing with them; I got into BU straightaway. Other schools are reaches, which is not to say that you don't have a chance, but do manage you expectations because applications are random and competitive. I would apply mostly in the top 10-40 range for statistics, top 10-20 programs are probably a bit of a reach and top 20-40 should be where you get some interest. Also look into biostatistics, it is not that different from statistics and doesn't require prior knowledge in biology. You can also apply to top 10-30 programs there to increase your chances. While more biostat applicants/current students seem to have a masters, it's entirely possible to get into a good program without one (like I did). For a good location, you might have to sacrifice ranking somewhat, which I don't think is a huge loss, especially if you don't want to go into academia. 
  5. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from tongast in Berkeley interview   
    My department conducts interviews with a "long list" of applicants that we are considering admitting. The way that we do it is:
    1. In the first half of the interview, we (one of the faculty in the department) typically ask the applicant some questions based on their application. So if we see that the applicant is the co-author on a manuscript, we usually ask them to explain their contribution to the paper, what challenges they faced and how they overcame them, etc. If the applicant has teaching/tutoring experience, wrote or is writing a thesis, worked as a Research Assistant or did an REU, or mentioned some research interests in their statement of purpose, then we often ask about that. We don't "quiz" the applicant about their knowledge of their stated research interests -- it's more like, how did you become interested in this area? If there was one or two semesters of weaker grades, the applicant also has an opportunity to explain this.  
    2. In the second half of the interview, we ask the applicant if they have any questions for us, and we answer their questions to the best of our ability. This is probably one of the most important parts of the interview, as it conveys your interest in the program and shows that you have done some research about the program. If an applicant does not have any/a lot of questions or if they say something that comes across as a "red flag" (like the applicant confusing our program with a different one -- it's happened before!), then it might give us pause and cause them to be rated down a little bit. But if the interviewee asks very thoughtful questions, then it can definitely help improve their rating/ranking. 
    After the interviews are conducted, the admissions committee meets again and re-scores/re-ranks all the applicants, and then the top [x] ranked applicants are sent first-round offers. Everyone else on the long list (typically about half of the long list) is kept on the waiting list and has to wait to see if spots open up.
  6. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from BL4CKxP3NGU1N in Atypical Applicant: Pathway to Stats PhD?   
    The two posters above are correct. A 4.0 from GPA from a top school UCLA and excellent grades in those math classes definitely make you qualified for a PhD program in Statistics. Research experience is a plus, but not having it won't necessarily hurt your application that much.
    There is no need for you to get Masters, but if you have the bandwidth and the funds, you could potentially take a few additional upper division math/stat courses as a non-degree seeking student (for example, you took probability but did you take mathematical statistics?). You could take mathematical statistics, optimization, and another math class at a local university. This might further shore up your application as well, but it isn't strictly necessary.
    Your letters of recommendation and your personal statement should emphasize your math ability and your grades in math classes. In addition, you might want to give some explanation for your motivation for wanting to get a PhD in Statistics after exiting law school. At least two of your letters of recommendation should be from math professors who can speak to your ability to succeed in a Statistics PhD program. I have sat on graduate admissions committees, and we really pay attention to math background and letters from professors who can speak to that. Good luck!
  7. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from Friend of a friend in Stat PhD: Deciding between MSU and Johns Hopkins AMS   
    JHU used to be ranked in the Statistics USNWR rankings, but I guess they were removed this past year. Their ranking under USNWR Best Mathematics schools is probably where they were moved, and their ranking there may be indicative of the reputation of the program. Even so, the Statistics group within the broader Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics department at Johns Hopkins is a very strong group, and they have had pretty good academic placements in Math/Statistics departments (their PhD students have ended up at University of Maryland, UW-Madison, UIUC, just to name a few). So I just want to clarify that JHU AMS is highly regarded in the statistics community (irrespective of their lack of presence in USNWR rankings).
    If you are leaning towards industry, it probably doesn't matter that much (MSU vs. JHU). You can weigh personal factors that are important to you, like you mentioned.
  8. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from whatfuture in Stat PhD: ISU vs OSU   
    In your original post, you expressed some interest in going into academia. One thing to note is that if you are lucky to get a tenure-track job in North America, the most likely outcome is that you will end up in a small or medim-sized college town. Most of the universities with statistics departments are in such locations (though I suppose that some faculty do commute 1-3 hours from the nearest `big' city a few days a week).So you would have to kind of "get used" to being in this sort of environment.
    I don't think you will have a huge advantage in the academic job market coming from Iowa State vs. Ohio State. There is certainly a pedagogical advantage for schools at the level of (let's say) University of Michigan and higher (in that graduates from these schools may have some advantages in the academic job market over those at lower ranked schools). But I doubt there is a big leg up coming from ISU vs. OSU. Getting an academic job (at a research university) depends mainly on your publication record and your PhD/postdoc advisor(s). The connections that your supervisors have matter a great deal, and your publication record needs to be strong as well. If you are keen on industry, then academic pedigree seems not to matter that much for the overwhelming majority of jobs (going to a very prestigious program can help for a very tiny subset of jobs, e.g. quantitative researchers at hedge funds and certain financial institutions). Summer internship experience, personal connections, the ability to "ace" the technical interviews are much more helpful than academic pedigree.
    If you want to have a better basis for comparison, you could investigate the recent job placements of PhD graduates from ISU and OSU (if this information isn't available on the department websites, you can ask for it from the Graduate Directors at these departments). I suspect that they are pretty similar. 
  9. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from whatfuture in Stat PhD: ISU vs OSU   
    I don't think vicinity to industry opportunities is necessarily an issue. My PhD students are doing summer internships out-of-state this summer and they are moving pretty far away from my university (one is doing their internship in the Midwest, the other one in the Northeast). When you apply for summer internships, you apply for them all over the country and hopefully get an offer that you like.
    Quality-of-life and faculty research interests are certainly important factors to weigh, though. You could reach out to current students and faculty in these departments and find out more about them, or if feasible, you can try to visit them before April 15 and get a "feel" for the town/city that they are located in.
  10. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from mr_stat in Profile evaluation for stat Phd - (Low Gpa). Can I overcome this deficiency?   
    Top 20 might be very tough due to the undergrad cumulative GPA, but you could try a few schools (I probably wouldn't apply to too many, however). However, your greatly improved Masters performance from a prestigious university in South Korea and your excellent GRE scores are things that could work in your favor, though. In your statement of purpose, it is important to explain your undergrad performance and stress your improvement in your Masters. 
    I would recommend that you apply for a wide range of schools (USNWR ranked 11 to 63), but certainly limit the number of schools that you apply to that are in the top 20-25 USNWR schools. I could see you having a shot at some places like Virginia Tech, Georgia, and below that (admissions is still competitive, but the "superstar" international applicants often do not apply to mid-tier schools, so the competition willb e slightly less fierce and more in your favor).
  11. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from Cofcof in New USNWR rankings (Stat and Biostat ranked separately)   
    Hi GradCafe frequenters! It has been over 7 months since I last logged in (apologies to anyone who may have messaged me and I didn't respond!). I wanted to let y'all know that the new USNWR rankings have been released, and this year, the Statistics and Biostatistics graduate programs have been ranked SEPARATELY:
     
    USNWR rankings in Statistics (101 schools): https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/statistics-rankings
    USNWR rankings in Biostatistics (65 schools): https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/biostatistics-rankings
     
    I believe this is more helpful to separate the two, because depending on interests, some prospective PhD students may only want to apply to one type of PhD program or the other.
     
  12. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from Ryuk in New USNWR rankings (Stat and Biostat ranked separately)   
    Hi GradCafe frequenters! It has been over 7 months since I last logged in (apologies to anyone who may have messaged me and I didn't respond!). I wanted to let y'all know that the new USNWR rankings have been released, and this year, the Statistics and Biostatistics graduate programs have been ranked SEPARATELY:
     
    USNWR rankings in Statistics (101 schools): https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/statistics-rankings
    USNWR rankings in Biostatistics (65 schools): https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/biostatistics-rankings
     
    I believe this is more helpful to separate the two, because depending on interests, some prospective PhD students may only want to apply to one type of PhD program or the other.
     
  13. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from ashwel11 in New USNWR rankings (Stat and Biostat ranked separately)   
    Hi GradCafe frequenters! It has been over 7 months since I last logged in (apologies to anyone who may have messaged me and I didn't respond!). I wanted to let y'all know that the new USNWR rankings have been released, and this year, the Statistics and Biostatistics graduate programs have been ranked SEPARATELY:
     
    USNWR rankings in Statistics (101 schools): https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/statistics-rankings
    USNWR rankings in Biostatistics (65 schools): https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/biostatistics-rankings
     
    I believe this is more helpful to separate the two, because depending on interests, some prospective PhD students may only want to apply to one type of PhD program or the other.
     
  14. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from BL4CKxP3NGU1N in New USNWR rankings (Stat and Biostat ranked separately)   
    Hi GradCafe frequenters! It has been over 7 months since I last logged in (apologies to anyone who may have messaged me and I didn't respond!). I wanted to let y'all know that the new USNWR rankings have been released, and this year, the Statistics and Biostatistics graduate programs have been ranked SEPARATELY:
     
    USNWR rankings in Statistics (101 schools): https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/statistics-rankings
    USNWR rankings in Biostatistics (65 schools): https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/biostatistics-rankings
     
    I believe this is more helpful to separate the two, because depending on interests, some prospective PhD students may only want to apply to one type of PhD program or the other.
     
  15. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from StatsG0d in Stats PhD programs that send a lot of alumni to work in government?   
    I'm not sure if any Statistics program will specifically be a pipeline for federal jobs. I do know a few PhD alumni from different programs who have ended up at places like national labs (e.g. Los Alamos National Laboratory), as well as federal agencies and government-sponsored enterprise like the FDA, the NASS branch of the USDA, Department of Defense, and Freddie Mac. If you go to any Stat PhD program and you are an American citizen, then I don't think it matters a whole lot where you got your PhD. It is possible that your research area matters though. Some of the federal jobs require a "technical talk" as part of your interview, and if you have particular expertise in an area of interest to them, you could get hired just on that basis. For example, there used to be a professor at the department where I got my PhD who left academia to work as a Director of R&D at the NASS. I'm pretty sure this was largely because this professor's research focused a lot on spatial statistics and ecological/environmental applications.
    I think maybe Biostatistics sends more alumni to certain types of federal jobs, e.g. at the FDA.
  16. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from u8a4 in non-traditional path to stats grad school. recs?   
    What was your GPA in your undergrad math classes, e.g. real analysis? I'll assume that they were decent. With a 3.8 GPA in Math from an MS program from a regional comprehensive, some research experience, and strong letters of recommendation, it is very possible to get into some Statistics PhD programs ranked roughly 40-80 in USNWR (I'd actually be confident in that) without doing a second Masters degree.
    I would recommend just applying to Statistics PhD programs directly if you're very inclined. The "reach" schools for your profile would likely be schools like University of Minnesota, Texas A&M, Purdue, etc. I know of some folks who have degrees from directional and regional comprehensive universities (e.g. Central Michigan U., Southern Illinois U., etc.), as well as obscure liberal arts colleges who have gotten into schools of that caliber (though I would still consider TAMU, UMN, Purdue "reaches" and would recommend you focus attention on schools in the range of 40-80 of USNWR rankings).  
    *ETA:  This is assuming that the OP is a domestic applicant. For domestic applicants to Statistics PhD programs, many programs below the most "elite" schools seem to be okay with admitting students from regional comprehensives. This is not the case for international students, who would have to aim a lot lower for PhD (USNWR 60 and lower) or obtain a Masters degree in Stat/Math at a more "reputable" school first in order to be competitive.
  17. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from applecapple3 in Tier   
    You could ask your question over at https://mathematicsgre.com/. I am sure they will be able to give you better advice about specific programs.
    My hunch is that you'd also have to aim mainly for mid-tier to lower-tier programs in Applied Math (i.e. I would definitely not apply to Caltech, NYU Courant, or the like, with your profile), because of things like the B in Real Analysis, no research experience, and sparse graduate coursework (a lot of the applicants for the "top" programs will have already taken a few grad classes such as measure theory, etc.). You'd probably also have to take the Math Subject GRE, though I am not sure how important this is for Applied Math (as opposed to Pure Math). For Stat PhD programs, you don't need the Math Subject GRE is most cases -- it appears that even Stanford Stat is no longer requiring it.
  18. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from applecapple3 in Tier   
    UVA is the 4th best public university in the country and ranked 26th overall by USNWR. It's not Ivy, but it's also considered a pretty good school. I think since the OP is domestic, he can aim as high as ~40 but shouldn't bother with too many schools ranked higher than that (on account of the math grades). 
  19. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from bayessays in Tier   
    UVA is the 4th best public university in the country and ranked 26th overall by USNWR. It's not Ivy, but it's also considered a pretty good school. I think since the OP is domestic, he can aim as high as ~40 but shouldn't bother with too many schools ranked higher than that (on account of the math grades). 
  20. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from Ryuk in Advices for 2022 Statistics Phd application   
    Also, @Ryuk is right. Make sure you look at the USNWR rankings for a rough estimate of program prestige. Your list of schools contains some mismatches -- e.g. University of Washington and UNC-CH are quite selective/prestigious and would definitely be difficult for most people to get into, and TAMU would not be a "safety" for most people. I would probably only consider UWashington to be a "target" school and TAMU a "safety" for a superstar student who graduated at/near the top of their class (~4.0 GPA) from a top university and who took a ton of math classes (including graduate level classes like measure theory), plus got amazing recommendation letters and some research experience. That doesn't apply for most applicants.
  21. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from bayessays in Advices for 2022 Statistics Phd application   
    OP: Unfortunately, given that you are an international student and your undergrad GPA is on the low side, you will have to aim a lot lower for PhD admissions. Unless the lower GPA is due to poor performance in the first two years but then you managed to get straight A's in your third and fourth years, then it's going to be very tough to break into most of the top 50 Statistics PhD programs. For the record, the list you should be looking at is this one: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/statistics-rankings
    I would say that all of your target/reach schools are unrealistic, and your list of safety schools is mostly unrealistic as well (not sure about UCR or UCSC, but the other ones on there would be difficult for you to get into). Even schools like UFlorida will be admitting mostly international students from the top universities in their respective home countries (or sometimes if they graduated from a top university in the U.S.A.). 
    If you want a better sense of schools that you could shoot for, you should post the mathematics courses you have taken and the grades that you earned in them. Even without this info, I would say your best shot of getting admitted to a PhD program is to aim for schools in the 60-90 range of USNWR like University of South Carolina, Kansas State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Missouri.
  22. Like
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from applecapple3 in Tier   
    It would help to know what your grades in your math/stat/related classes were and who you can ask for letters of recommendation (plus a general feel for how strong you anticipate they would be). That might give a clearer idea of what schools you should apply to. That said, your overall GPA is probably a bit on the lower end for the very top-tier programs -- unless UVA is known for grade deflation and I'm just not aware of that. But let us know your math grades and your intended rec letters, and this will give a better sense of what schools you should target.
  23. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor reacted to Ryuk in GRE, Math GRE   
    My impression is that the GRE can hurt you if your score is low (not applicable to you), but it isn't going to make you stand out. Things like rec letters, transcripts, interviews, and research are far more important. With a 169Q, I would stop thinking about the GRE altogether and move on to other parts of the application.
    If you're going to have to dedicate large amounts of time studying for the math subject test, it probably isn't worth it.
  24. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor got a reaction from bayessays in Fall 2022 Statistics PhD Profile Evaluation (School recs wanted)   
    Oh, I didn't realize until now that one of your B's was in Stats Theory. That might give some adcoms some pause. I would think that a B in Abstract Algebra would be less frowned upon as it is not that relevant to Statistics (but that is me projecting), but a B in Statistical Theory might be somewhat concerning. On the other hand, if this was during the pandemic, the adcoms may be more forgiving.. you never know. I second @dontoverfit's advice to take two other proof-based classes (upper division proof-based linear algebra and real analysis). If you get A/A-'s in them, that will help your application a lot. 
    I think Columbia, Yale, and Harvard may be far reaches for your profile. These are actually quite competitive to get into (as are all the Ivy League schools), plus they don't accept that many domestic applicants, and they seem to strongly prefer people with deep math backgrounds. I personally am not sure why Yale is ranked in the 30s in USNWR, since they have placed PhD graduates in TT positions at UPenn Wharton, Princeton OFRE, Columbia Stats, UChicago Stats, and just this past year, Cornell S&DS. These academic placements are outstanding. Instead of applying to all three of Columbia, Yale, and Harvard, I would recommend only applying to one of these three schools and substituting in Carnegie Mellon, University of Washiington, or University of Michigan for the other two. Then add a few more schools like Texas A&M, Iowa State, and maybe a few extra schools in the 40-50 range (like Colorado State, UConn, etc.), in addition to schools like UIUC, UF.
  25. Upvote
    Stat Assistant Professor reacted to dontoverfit in Fall 2022 Statistics PhD Profile Evaluation (School recs wanted)   
    I think UF's reputation is plenty solid. And to be clear, I don't think your math background is weak so much as not showing a lot of evidence that you are ready for some of the more theoretical mathematical statistics or measure theoretic probability classes you might encounter first/second year in a statistics program. Because your applications will be due in the November-January range, submitting Fall 2021 grades (including real analysis) might not be feasible. However, if you take real analysis this fall and perhaps another proof-oriented course (a second linear algebra class, as you mentioned, is great on paper and honestly so helpful just for your own personal knowledge...highly recommend!) and get good grades in both (A- or better), you can always email the admissions committees with updated grades if you already submitted your application.
    And yes, covid was a nightmare for some classes, and it sounds like you had that experience (I'm sorry about that). Perhaps one of your letter writers could put in a good word about your ability to handle/digest some statistical theory?
    As I mentioned before, biostatistics programs tend to be a little more lenient about the depth of your math background than statistics programs, so if you have interests that overlap with what some biostatistics departments are doing, I would recommend it! My experience is that Washington Biostats would be too far of a reach (they tend to like more math-y applications), but other departments after that are worth applying to. I would say it is likely Harvard/JHU say no (but you still have a chance), and I think you have a very decent shot at UNC/Michigan/Berkeley/Penn/etc... One of the perks to applying to the biostat programs is that, if the research/culture fit is right, you can end up at a "higher ranked" school than the statistics options. Additionally, when the schools have both departments, it isn't unheard of having an advisor from the statistics department even if your program is biostatistics, although definitely reach out to current students if this is your plan. 
    Hope this helps!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use