Magnitude

Thanks for the replies!

I believe asking on this site would be more appropriate: http://stats.stackexchange.com/

Yeah, I think for my undergrad I had to apply for financial aid in order to get scholarships from my institution, but for graduate school it seems kind of counterproductive. Perhaps one of the professors who use this forum can weigh in.

There's a question in my applications asking "Do you plan on applying for Federal Financial Aid?" Should I answer 'yes' to this question if my goal is to receive funding from the department (i.e. tuition waiver and stipend)? Thanks for your help!

Thanks for your help! Does anyone have a comprehensive list of the Statistics departments that are considered more "applied" than theoretical? Ones that have high placement rates in industry rather than academia?

I'm looking to apply to Biostatistics PhD programs and wanted some advice on where I would be a good fit. I've only been in school for 2 years so my profile's probably a little lacking for the top programs, but I'm on track to graduate next year and hope to apply to start grad school in Fall 2015. Here's my profile: Undergrad Institution: large public school, top 30 stats department, probably 50-70 math department Major: Mathematics, Statistics Minor: Actuarial Science, Entrepreneurship GPA: 3.9 to 3.95 by application Type of Student: DWM GRE General Test: haven’t taken yet, expecting 165-170 Q based on practice tests Math Classes: 3 semesters of calculus, differential equations, a set theory class, linear algebra, abstract algebra, probability, statistics theory (math stats), mathematical biology Will be taking next fall: Regression Analysis, Theory of Interest, Advanced Calculus 1 (real analysis 1) Next Spring (not sure if important): Experimental Design, Categorical Data Analysis, Advanced Calculus 2, possibly a numerical analysis course Will they take into consideration the fact that I'm taking real analysis as I'm applying? I know it's really important for some programs. Research Experience: None, might be able to squeeze in a senior thesis. If I did some independent statistical analyses on some open data, would that be relevant at all? Pertinent Activities or Jobs: President of a business organization, officer in math club Letters of Recommendation: Probably a good but not great letter from a pretty well-known stats teacher, a decent letter from a math faculty who knows me a little but not that well, and the third I'm not sure, I'll have to build a relationship with one of my professors next fall Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Participated in a health case competition but didn't place, studying abroad this summer (probably should have applied for REUs) SOP: I've been pretty good at writing things like these and showing my passion in the past for essays for scholarships, so maybe this can tip the scales in my favor if it's a close decision? So what do you guys think my range of reaches, good fits, and safeties should be? Do I have shot at cracking the Harvard, WashU, JHU group? I wouldn't have a problem going to a lower-ranked program as long as it was funded. I'd also be interested in programs that help you find relevant jobs during some summers. Also, I would consider applying to some Statistics PhDs that are mainly 'applied' programs. I've heard NC State is like this, are there any others? Thanks for helping!