Ellies

I highly doubt a few years break will hurt your chances; I applied to two PhD programs more than 20 years after graduating college (of which about 15 were spent raising my children, so certainly not math-related), and was successful in both.

The other option would be to enroll in a stats master's program, then take the PhD qualifying exam at the end. If you do well, you could then move into the PhD program. If you do not do so well, you'll end up with a master's degree which is still pretty good. I would do a master's in stats, not math. Employers much prefer the former.

For those who are interested in Data Science, Rutgers University just started a new MS in Data Science program.

Same here; that's what my program uses (Rutgers).

A late update, three months into my first semester. In the end, I received half funding for this semester and will be fully funded from the spring semester onwards. I am very happy albeit very tired; the program is a lot of work. But I am enjoying it a lot, and feel like I learned an incredible amount in a very short time!

My daughter moved out last summer into a studio apartment near her college, and brought her cat with her. She didn't even last a month; she called me in tears telling me that the cat was so lonely, she just didn't have the time to spent with him. I got into the car and picked him up right away. He's very happy living with us and our four other cats again. Let this be a warning, though; it may seem like a great idea, but it may not work out. Make sure you have a backup plan in case it doesn't!

Basic stats is sufficient. Good grades in advanced math classes are a lot more important than taking many stats classes.

Thanks, kgbfan. I am still waitlisted for funding, which is why I was hoping for an offer from the math department. I do prefer to go into the stats program, but I don't like that I may have to pay for it. Last I heard was that there is still a possibility for funding. For right now, I am just going to assume I will have to find the money for the first year. Then if I do get funded, it will be a bonus!

I finally heard from the Rutgers Newark math department last week. I was told they were interested, but they only offer their courses every other year since they are a small program, and this year they weren't offering the first year courses. So they delayed my application until the fall of 2016. Since I do not want to wait a year, I confirmed my attendance at the statistics program in New Brunswick.

gradsbh, I would either email someone else (since the person you emailed originally didn't reply), or I would give them a call. Or send the original person another email; maybe it fell through the cracks somehow. In any case, it really is about time you get an answer.

Me too! I will be attending the PhD program in statistics.

To be competitive in a statistics PhD program, you are going to need a real analysis course. Also, linear algebra is very important in statistics. you can, of course, apply with a C+, but I wouldn't recommend it. These two courses are often pre-requisite for PhD programs in stats/biostats, so it helps to have good grades in them. As far as "crushing" the GRE; if you meant the math subject GRE, then yeah, absolutely! That will certainly help a lot. But I see you mean the general GRE... The quant section tests only very basic math knowledge, and as such isn't that important. Generally, as long as you're above 160 you're usually fine. Between 160 and 170 there isn't an awful lot of difference as far as most adcoms are concerned. So "crushing" that isn't really going to help you that much. Having the right courses and good grades in them helps a lot more. Also, it takes many weeks after an application deadline until your application is reviewed; I'm sure any classes you are taking in the Fall will be in by then. Just make sure you mention that you are taking them in your SOP.

That's AWESOME, floating molecule! Congratulations!!!

opaljmy, take heart. They usually have some sort of qualifying exam at the end of the first year and I was told that, as long as you pass this exam, funding will be as good as certain for the years after. Thus, if you're accepted without funding, you generally will be paying for no more than 1 year. At that point you have become an extremely low risk applicant. They will absolutely want to fund you.

Nice to get at least something, shadowclaw; right now I have nothing. However, I am in-state, and with in-state rates about half-price, if I do end up having to pay tuition it is not the end of the world. I also would be commuting, so no housing cost. It may not be a terrible thing if I didn't get funded. I would only take 3 courses to reduce the cost (they said I will very likely be funded from the second year onwards), so I would be easing into graduate life without the responsibility of a TA job just yet. It might actually be nice. That doesn't mean I would refuse funding if I was offered it, of course. I'd still be ecstatic! But I'm trying to see the positive side of things, and I do think there IS a positive side.