MathToStat

I can see the advantage in having an LOR from a Statistics Professor if you are going into Statistics and I think any positive remarks you can get regarding research are a plus, but I can also see that the Economics Professor seems to have a more positive message in general. You might be able to use the Economics Professor as an LOR emphasizing your ability to handle graduate level work. Sorry, I know I'm not helping much. It's a tough call. Maybe a current graduate student or Professor on the forum might be able to provide more insight.

I would look into: Columbia Ohio State University University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Although they don't have a specialization, I believe each has at least one faculty in that realm. Good luck!

U of Washington is definitely a competitive school to get into but masters programs are usually a little less competitive than PhD programs and I have also heard that there is usually a better chance at getting into a biostatistics program than a statistics program, for what it's worth. As far as schools to apply to, there are so many options to choose from it really depends on what you want to go into. Do you have any ideas of potential fields? Or are you thinking biostatistics and applying to both with the idea of working in biostatistics either way? I ask because you mentioned UCSB which is known for having a more financial emphasis. One approach might be to look for programs that have both biostatistics and statistics programs in the same department, such as NC State.

Although I am by no means an expert on the matter, I have heard that switching programs requires a delicate explanation as to why there is a desire to change "mid-program", which may be more so in your case due to the similarities in the programs and the potential overlap in career options. I know of a few people who are getting their PhD in Mathematics but doing their dissertation in statistics and taking more statistical classes, so I agree with the point Applied Math to Stat made that it seems feasible to accomplish similar things with a Mathematics PhD. That being said, if you really want to switch, I'm sure it's not unheard of. I would consider taking the GRE again, and emphasizing your research might be good approach. The schools you are looking at don't seem unreasonable, but as it was explained to me, they turn away a lot of 4.0 students in favor of those with "research potential" (often represented through letters of recommendation) and those they feel will pass the qualifying exams (at least partially represented through the GRE). Best of luck in whatever you decide!

I have found the following Statistics programs to have slightly more "financial" (or Econometric) options available: UC Santa Barbara (as stated above) Columbia Rutgers Boston Cornell Purdue Iowa Missouri There are probably more but these are a good start. I think your GRE scores look alright but I know they look at a lot more than just that. I hope that helps!

That you for your replies. That's good to know about Chicago and Michigan. My goal is definitely a PhD, but I feel like it is difficult to know where you fit into the rankings of PhD programs so I thought I would see if it was common for programs to reject people for their PhD program and offer admittance to their MS program instead. I know schools traditionally admit more MS students than PhD students with PhD being more competitive, but I don't want to just apply for their MS program and question later if I would have been competitive enough for their PhD program.

Thank you for the advice. I didn't realize there might be a box to check to be considered for the MS as well when applying for PhD programs. I will definitely start to watch for programs that have MS degrees intended for people who want to pursue a PhD after. Thanks again!

Thank you for your reply. I definitely want to go for a PhD. I was just worried that if I apply to PhD programs and don't get into any, then I would be out of luck. I guess I could apply to one or two Masters programs as a backup and then apply to a PhD after that, as you suggested. Thank you again.

I really want to apply to a PhD program after I graduate but I'm worried that I might not qualify for the programs I am interested in due to a poor first year right out of high school (over 15 years ago). I previously read of some people getting rejected from a PhD program at a specific schools (i.e., Columbia) but were then offered acceptance into that school's Masters program. I was wondering if this is common, or just specific to those schools (and if there are other schools that do this, if it is the case)? I'm just trying to decide if I should apply straight to a PhD program or go for a MS first. Thank you!