trigga

Those languages are very high level. This might be a somewhat misguided analagoy, but languages like Java, C, etc can be used to design software. To be a good programmer in those languages, you need a very good understanding of data structures, algorithms, etc. Stata/SAS/R are statistical packages that are used to analyze data. You won't be developing custom software with them. You need to know programming techniques (defining variables, data types, looping, logical thinking in general, etc) but the process is not nearly as rigorous as programming in Java/C. SAS, R and those other packages are custom built to analyze data. You'll be doing things like grabbing data from databases, creating tables, cleaning up datasets, performing statistical analysis, etc and the packages generally make these tasks fairly straightforward. If you get advanced with something like R, I believe you can create your own functions that requires more n depth prgraming knowledge, but I don't believe ts anyhtin you should really be concerned with, especially at the master's level. Summary - while all of the above is considered 'programming', using the statistical packages you mentioned are not nearlyas rigorous as developing custom applications with Java, C and other languages like that.

At least for biostatistics, your GRE Q score is a little low...I would imagine most PhD programs would expect at least a 160+ score on that. I would try to see if you could improve your score a little bit there to have a better shot at most places. Not exactly sure how important it would be fo Epidemiology, however.

Honestly I just found it by happenstance as I was looking for SUNY schools I could go to in order to get in-state tuition in New York. The program itself doesn't seem to be too remarkable, and is apparently ranked right alongside SUNY Buffalo. The cool thing about it is that since it is based in the capital of NY, there seem to be some ties to the Department of Health there which could lead to some potentially interesting working relationships and consulting. But unless you have ties to the Albany area, the program does not seem to really stand out much and would probably be better suited to a back up school. I also think it is fairly new.

I think you need to go wherever you think you will be happiest. I also got into Michigan and several other top ranked biostat schools, along with a few mid ranked schools. I am choosing to go to a midranked school for family reasons, along with financial considerations and living area preferences. If you are not happy wherever you are attending, it will be that much harder to excel at school no matter where you go. Only you can decide what and where will make you happiest. Will going to a top ranked instution make it easier to find employment anywhere across the country? Most likely. Employers know what the top schools in their field are, and having a prestigious school will surely help your resume rise to the top. But are you interested in working somewhere close to one of the lesser ranked programs? If so, it might be easier to network and research employment opportunities while you are going to school in the area. There might also be some degree of collaboration between the department and employers in the immediate area simply due to proximity. Also, if you think a PhD is in your future, then it is much more important to go to top ranked program so you can get into a top ranking PhD program. If not, I think prestige plays a lesser role. You also need to go somewhere that makes sense financially and you like the structure of the program. From my brief research, it seems like even from top schools like Michigan, starting salaries for Master's biostat students seems to be relatively stable across the country. Therefore, going into more debt for a degree doesn't seem to make much sense in a return on investment sense. If you are also not able to take the courses you want and think will make you more marketable in the long run, that needs to be taken into consideration as well. I know this is a tough choice, but only you can decide what is best for yourself. I don't think having an advance degree in a statistics subfield will make it hard to find employment wherever you go, so ultimately you need to decide what makes the most sense for you, taking some of the above into consideration. Good luck!

I just got a financial aid package from an expensive school for Biostats - $33k in unsubsidized loans to cover the first year, which I assume would be the same for the 2nd year as well. So can you get loans? Yes. But, they are unsubsidized so you will start accruing interest immediately. Keep that in mid when making decisions!

Thanks for the feedback everyone! It's nice to have some people understand my line of reasoning...most people I talk to (aside from my mom who will be helping me out a little financial, ha) think I'm crazy to pass up on the Harvard opportunity, but they are also the ones who won't be paying for it. I know Michigan does have a lot of funding opportunities, but when i got my acceptance they said they did not have anything to offer me. That is not to say that something couldn't pop up at some point during my tenure there, but there is no guarantee. As such, it would be a bit like rolling the dice - it could work out splendidly or I could end up paying more in the end. Since I am actually happy with the program at Buffalo and its cheaper, I'm pleased with my decision to go there. And the funding gamble is the same thing at Buffalo, so it may end up working in my favor eventually anyways. Thanks for the feedback again!

So I ended up in a kind of silly situaiton...applied to 7 schools for an MA/MS in Biostatistics, when really my intent was to just go to a midranked one. I wanted to see how I would do with the other schools for shits and giggles. I applied to Buffalo, Albany, Pittsburgh, Michigan, UCLA, Berkeley, and Harvard. Buffalo was my school of choice. I ended up getting into all of them aside from Berkeley. The most surprising of course was Harvard. Michigan and Buffalo were the only schools who looked like they would consider funding at the Master's level, but I did not receive anything. That being said, to get my Master's I will need to take on a load of debt to complement my modest ~$10k from undergrad. Since I'm a NY resident, Buffalo (and Albany, but thats not really being considered now) are the cheapest options by far. 2 years there will run me about $25k, plus a very low cost of living. Everywhere else is going to be $40k+, with Harvard being $60k+. Thats without even considering living expenses, which would be much higher in the Harvard or UCLA area than it would be in Bufflao or Ann Arbor. My career goals at the moment are to get my Masters and go to industry. If my intent was to pursue a PhD, it would be hard to justify not attending Harvard. But since my plans are elsewhere oriented, I feel like it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend the excess money on the Master's especially when Im browsing employment stats and it seems like entry level jobs across the country start at similar base salaries. I know the higher ranked schools will potentially have more connections and obviously come with a higher level of prestige, but at the same time I feel like if I get my degree in Buffalo and stick around I could develop a pretty good network to start off with. But then I also think people try so hard to get into Harvard all the time and then I get in and I'm really cavalier about it. Anyways, tl;dr version - got into Harvard by 'accident' for Biostats MA. My top choose is Buffalo because of financial reasons. Everyone I talk to says I'm crazy, but I do actually like Buffalo's program. Anyone have any insights/comments?

Aside from the GPA, your profile looks good, IMO, but I'm just an applicant now as well so my opinion probably doesn't carry much weight. Unfortunately, the cumulative GPA does look like a bit of a draw back, but I think if you can get some good recs from professors who think highly of you to alleviate some concerns that would help. Definitely address the GPA in your SOP, and try to explain why you're now in a good position to excel in the particular program. I would say you should be able to get into some lower ranked programs, maybe mid level ones but I probably wouldn't pay for apps to high ranked programs if I were you.

I don't know if I have much to say other than I also just graduated from Rochester last fall and it looks like we took 226W together...lol. Your math background looks better than mine though. I'm looking at Harvard, UCLA, Michigan, Pittsburgh and Buffalo, so maybe take a look at those if you haven't already. Good luck with everything!

cyberwulf - Hmm, I still feel like since I'm lacking some specific math courses (like an an analysis course and a year long mathematical statistics sequence as opposed to just applied statistics) that my application isn't that strong, but if it really is than that definitely eleviates some pressure. Is Buffalo really that low? The ranking list I'm looking at has it in the top 20. Ultimately I'd like to stay and work in the Buffalo region for family reasons, so I feel that staying there and networking in the immediate area would be best for long term prospects. That and the cost really can't be beaten, especially because there's a possibility for funding. I'd really prefer to not go too much farther into debt for a master's degree. Catria - any specific reason why you suggest Tulane?

Hey everyone, I'm in the process of applying to biostats masters programs from fall 2015 and I'm feeling a little apprehensive about everything, so I was hoping someone might shed some light on how competitive my app will be. Here's my profile: Student: Domestic White Male Undergrad School: Top 40 University Major: Financial Economics with a minor in Mathematics (graduated May 2014) Overall GPA: 3.94 GRE: 162 V; 164 Q; 5.5 W Relevant Math/Stats courses: Calc I, Calc II, Multivariable Calc, Diff Eq w/ Linear Algebra, Linear Algebra (proof based), Discrete Math, Mathematical Biology, Economic Statistics (intro applied stats + prob), Econometrics (intro to OLS regression, worked with Stata), Intro to Linear Models (worked with R) Letters of Rec: 1 econ prof, 1 math prof and 1 stats prof, all of which know me pretty well Other: Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, already have some knowledge of Stata and R, took a few comp sci courses so I'm familiar with programming mainly in Java and some C, and am aware of data structures and designing algorithms(might not be relevant at all). Potential Drawbacks: Never took Mathematical Statistics or a sole Probability course, never took college level Bio course (came in with credit from IB bio), no relevant statistics experience outside of classroom (ie no internship/job experience) I realized too late in my undergrad career that I actually wasn't too fond of finance...what I was really interested in was applied statistics, and I like the idea of studying Biostatistics because its an applied field and I can actually work on something more meaningful to me than banking/finance. That being said, I'm open to Statistics Masters programs as well, but from the research I've done it seems most expect Mathematical Statistics and a Probaiblity course to be completed already and biostats generally seems to be more applied/a little less theoretical than pure Stats MS (feel free to tell me I'm wrong!) School's I plan on applying to for MA/MS in Biostats: Harvard, UMich, UCLA, Pittsburgh, Buffalo As odd as this may sound, Buffalo actually would be my top choice (cheap + potential for funding + area of country I like + I like the structure of the program + seems like I fit the prospective student profile). If thats the case, am I wasting my time applying to the higher ranked places like Harvard and Michigan? Would I even be a competitive applicant at these schools? Any other suggestions for schools I should like into (Biostats or regular stats)? At this point in time I'm primarily interested in just the Master's program and then working somewhere as a statistician, but I haven't entirerly crossed out the idea of pursuing a PhD afterwards. If I decide on PhD down the road and assuming I get into/go to Buffalo, my PhD options would be greatly reduced than if I went to one of the higher ranked schools, correct? Thanks for taking the time to look through this, and I greatly appreciate any feedback!