rooster34

I couldn't agree more.

Pros: GRE scores of 790Q 650V 5.0AW MS in Math w/ GPA of 3.78 Undergrad GPA of 3.98 w/ 4.0 in major (Math Ed.) Graduated summa cum laude w/ honors from dept. of math and stat Post Grad coursework in stat's at alma mater Year long research project in stat's during MS Attended numerous conf's and short courses over the years 5 years on faculty in math and stat's at alma mater 2 years teaching as a TA during MS Stat consulting work during post grad coursework 6 months industry exp as a stat analyst at a CRO Cons: Two failed attempts at undergrad in '92-'93 (1.69 GPA) and '95-'97 (1.75 GPA) No pub's (not that big of a deal in stat's) Age (35) To explain the undergrad situation a bit further, I went to a large state school right out of high school and earned a stellar GPA of 1.69 (I was an honors student, btw.) I left school, joined the military, and then tried again at the second largest state school. Had three quarters of good grades and three quarters of 0.00. Left school again, 1st child born, got married, and then I went back to school at a 3rd school (public ivy) in 2000. Did very well (3.98), earned a MS at the same school, and I've been teaching there since. If it weren't for the incredibly poor GPA's from 13+ years ago, I don't think I'd be worried. But, I have no idea how schools handle things. I know that UIUC only looks at the last 60 hours of undergrad plus all grad work, which is good for me. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how things play out!

I must admit that the glacial pace with which the adcoms seem to be proceeding has taken much of the excitement out of the process. So far, I've been rejected by Purdue (16 Mar) and I am still waiting on OSU, UIUC, and Michigan. My online status at OSU went from "AcadReview" to "Referred" on or around 7 Feb and I thought a decision would quickly follow. Not so much. I emailed them on Monday, but this is spring break week for OSU. As such, I am not expecting a reply until next week. I've heard nothing from Michigan. I emailed the department on Monday but I've not heard back from them. If I don't hear something by Monday, I'll give them a call. Finally, I did get an unsolicited email from UIUC this past Monday asking if I was still interested. I replied with a "definitely interested". Who knows what this means. It really sucks to be sitting here on the 25th of March with no admits. I never thought it would take this long and the longer the wait drags on the more apathetic I become.

I feel your pain. Purdue asked for a 500 word SOP; they got about 650 words. I'm 35 years old and I had a lot to explain and touch on in my SOP. In short, I felt as if my SOP would be worthless if I cut anymore. I think that 522 words should be fine. I seriously doubt that they count the words. Of course, I was rejected by Purdue... Good luck!

Thanks!

In general, if you are heading to industry, applied is the name of the game. If you are correct in your assumptions about the two programs (Stanford = theoretical while ISU = applied), then this you've got yet another reason to go to Ames.

I got an unsolicited email from UIUC saying that I was on a short list of strong candidates and that there were additional funds available. They wanted to know my status and if I am still interested. I replied with a "definitely still interested". We'll see what happens. I also emailed both OSU and Michigan on Monday. So far, no reply from either, but OSU is on spring break.

I also read the book by Peters and found it relevant but dated. (Make sure you go to a school where you are guaranteed time on a computer!) Here's a website that I think gives some sound advice: http://www.cs.unc.edu/~azuma/hitch4.html

Assuming some fine institution of higher learning allows me to grace them with my presence, I'll be 36 when I start and 40 or 41 when I finish. To be honest, I've not worried about my age at all during this process. In a lot of ways it makes things easier. For example, with age there comes a huge dose of perspective, something sorely lacking in most undergraduates, in my experience. And for all of the "I must have my PhD by age X and tenure by age Y" folks out there, that's a rough way to live your life. Just remember, there is no right path, just the current path and many alternate paths.

Here's my $0.02: The department is top 10 according to US News and World Report. It seems to me that they have strong ties with the engineering program at Purdue. Of the four schools to which I applied they were the only one adamant about me knowing in what field I would do research. This is probably one of or the reasons they rejected me! Check out their website for more info or shoot off some emails to several randomly chosen grad students if you really want to know.

Here's my $0.02. If the UNC stipend is enough and you think it is a better fit, go there. Chasing the $ will usually not make you happy. A good fit will. As for the rankings, bear in mind that the NRC rankings are now 17 years old. Both of the programs are in the top ten of the latest US News & World Report rankings. (Here's the 2008 ratings. The 2009 are only available online via subscription. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-mathematics-programs/statistics) Finally, you should take a moment to familiarize yourself with the CGS resolution. It may help you deal with the UF offer. Congrats on the multiple offers and good luck!

I got my first reply yesterday. Unfortunately, it was a rejection. I've yet to hear back from the other three, but I am still hopeful.

Some of the mystery has been removed; I got an unsolicited rejection email from Purdue. Not too surprised (top ten program), but it hurts a bit when the first one is a rejection. I'll be emailing OSU, UIUC, and Michigan shortly.

It appears to me that you are under no obligation if you accept the offer before the 15th. If they want an answer by the 26th, then I'd answer in the affirmative on the 26th and then withdrawal as necessary. http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/CGS_Resolution.pdf

I haven't sent inquiries yet. I will do so on early next week.

It really does depend on the university and, to a lesser extent, on the person. I've had several friends go on to earn a PhD in mathematics after earning a master's degree in mathematics. One of them went to Notre Dame; he passed both qualifiers before he started his 1st year and was out in 4 years with minimal replication of courses. Others have taken the courses over just to make sure they were prepared for the qualifiers. In short, it seems as if it is almost inevitable that you will end up repeating some courses. My advice is to check with the department at the universities your are considering. You should ask for the list upon which the qualifiers are based and see how your courses measure up.

March 12th. Still no word from any of the four places to which I've applied. They must have gone "Paul Revere" style in sending there notifications. Yes, that must be it. Rejections are sent via horseback while acceptances are sent via sea. And since I am in SW Ohio, it is difficult for the seaborne acceptances to get here.

Below is the good portion of my profile. What's not reflected there are the two failed attempts I had a big state schools over 13 years ago (we're talking GPA's south of 2.0 in both cases.) I'll be interested to see how things turn out and to what extent schools consider the bad performances I had earlier. I know that UIUC only looks at the last 60 undergrad and all grad work, so that's encouraging! Grad Institution: Public Ivy (same as undergrad) Major(s): Math GPA in Major: 3.78 Overall GPA: 3.78 Length of Degree: 2 years Undergrad Institution: Public Ivy Major(s): Math Ed. Minor(s): N/A GPA in Major: 4.0 Overall GPA: 3.98 Length of Degree: 3 years Position in Class: Top, I would guess. Type of Student: Domestic, White, Male GRE Scores: Q: 790 (92%) V: 650 (93%) W: 5.0 (81%) TOEFL Total: N/A Research Experience: 1 year for my MS Awards/Honors/Recognitions: President's List numerous times, graduated w/ honors from dept. of math/stat, several scholarships/awards from math/stat dept. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA all 4 semesters in grad school, taught math/stat for 5 years at alma mater, 6 months as stat analyst at CRO, 11 years military exp. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Attended numerous conferences and short courses over the years, post-grad coursework in stat's at alma mater Applying for PhD at: The Ohio State University - Statistics - pending UIUC - Statistics - pending University of Michigan - Statistics - pending Purdue University - Statistics - pending

I was going to share my profile and instead I thought it would be nice to have a thread for profiles of applicants (GRE and GPA just don't cut it!) So, with a nod to the engineering profile thread, here's the stat applicant thread for 2010. Please use this thread for profiles only. Below, you will find the template. The best way to post your response is to quote this one and then remove the quote tags. That way, you won't have to do all of the formatting by hand. ================================================================ Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school, such as big state, lib arts, ivy, technical, foreign (what country?)... Overall Reputation?) Major(s): Minor(s): GPA in Major: Overall GPA: Length of Degree: (Are you graduating after 3, 4, or 5 years?) Position in Class: (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?) Type of Student: (Domestic/International, male/female, minority?) GRE Scores: Q: V: W: TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this) Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications or conference talks etc...) Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?) Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, organization officer etc...) Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Applying for [ MS ] or [ PhD ] at: School - Department - decision/date/funding School - Department - decision/date/funding School - Department - decision/date/funding School - Department - decision/date/funding ================================================================

I got my MS in Math at Miami Univ. and am now waiting to hear back from PhD programs in stat. If you would like any info on the master's program at Miami, drop me a message.

Thanks for the info, ssong. I still haven't heard from them, even though it's been over a week since the change, but at least I know what it means.

Thanks for the replies. I posted this in the math/stat area, as well, and I got a reply that indicated it means admission has been granted. The other poster said he/she heard from OSU shortly after the change. It's been a little over a week since the change but I've not heard from them. I'll keep you all posted and good luck!

Mine used to say that. When it went from AcadReview to Referred the message changed to "Your application is currently in the process of being evaluated and prepared for an academic decision."

I am hoping someone can shed some light on what the "Referred" status means at Ohio State. Prior to the change, which took place last weekend, the status was "AcadReview".

I was wondering if anyone had heard anything from OSU? In particular, when I checked my status last weekend it had gone from AcadReview to Referred. Any idea what this means? Applied (all Stat PhD): OSU Michigan UIUC Purdue Accepted: None, yet Rejected: None, yet