Cal1gula

What was the call about exactly? Was it like an interview?

I am not sure but I think these online courses are good: 1) https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/applied-statistics-masters/overview 2) https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/courses/purescience/mathstats/statistics-financial-mathematics-msc (Review: https://www.r-bloggers.com/getting-a-statistics-education-review-of-the-msc-in-statistics-sheffield/) Programs by Iowa State and NCSU should be good too.

Rejected by Emory (expected, but disappointing--I guess you never get used to getting rejections). The next few months will be tough. Going to brace myself for the inevitable string of rejections from Michigan, Minnesota (optimistically speaking, the results should be out next week) and Vanderbilt.

Congrats to everyone who got admits this week! And I'm sure the others will be hearing good news soon as well!! I am addicted to checking my e-mail--I must be wasting hours on it everyday. I now understand why people become addicted to slot machines.

Another thing to consider (if you've applied to the Theory and Methods track) is that, strangely, I don't think there's a thesis requirement for the MS program at Columbia. There's a practicum and a consulting project, yes, but I don't think you get the opportunity to conduct research yourself unlike the Pittsburgh program (and most other MS programs). Plus, if you're interested in neuroimaging/computational neuroscience, it is worth considering that Pitt and CMU have a joint venture -- Center for Neural Basis of Cognition -- and graduating from Pitt might give you a (small) advantage if you plan on applying to CNBC's graduate program. Laoceberg's makes a good point too. Columbia is definitely more well-known and prestigious (whatever that means) overseas and sounds more 'impressive' on your resume even though both the programs are equally good.

Well, that was a slow week for us! Had an informal interview for WUSTL (to check my English proficiency (?)). There's not a lot of information about their MSIBS program so here's some information I managed to gather which might be useful for future applicants. Target class size is 15 but it varies. Was 7 last year but 22 the year before that. 50-60% of admitted students are international (mostly Chinese students). Industry placements are difficult for int'l students especially in recent times due to difficulties in obtaining H1B visas and what not, but 30-40% of the students go on to complete a PhD at other institutions (currently there's no PhD Biostats program at WUSTL). Not sure about funding yet. Final decisions will come out in 2 weeks.

I hate weekends lol

Ah, I see. OPUS is just their online portal where the applicants can track the status of their applications. The e-mail advised us to check the portal "frequently" and that the decisions are usually posted in 3-6 weeks (my app. was forwarded to the dept. in the first week of December, so ideally, I should get a decision by the end of this month).

Damn, I was kind of hoping the acceptances for the Emory MS programs on the results pages so far were for PhD applicants that weren't good enough for the PhD program, and were instead offered a place in the MS program. Should probably cross Emory off my list as well.

Got my first rejection today, from Ohio State. Definitely stings a bit! lol

Right, they start out in January but seem to go on till mid-Feb (and sometimes, March as well).

Interesting thread! FWIW, I chose a STEM major and ended up with an extra verbal section.

Vanderbilt is my #1 choice as well I think. Please share your impressions if you get a chance to visit Vanderbilt!

Oh man, definitely. We have a long wait ahead of us--I don't think replies from Michigan/Vanderbilt are going to come before mid-February. Honestly, I am super-pumped that I have been accepted to two universities so far, didn't think I would be getting into any. Now only if I could get some funding (getting greedy here...) . You are applying to all the top programs so you must have a pretty good profile. How is the Duke program btw? I was thinking of applying to it but I couldn't find a lot of info on it and had no idea how competitive it would be. Also, fixed my sig, hope it's more readable now!

I am checking my mail constantly as well. The wait is definitely brutal. To distract myself, I keep reading all day. Here's a recent article I read which discusses the very real implications of (bad) statistics - https://www.propublica.org/article/thousands-of-criminal-cases-in-new-york-relied-on-disputed-dna-testing-techniques

Ah, I suppose the PhD decisions are made before the Masters decisions.

PhD or Masters?

If you're looking for MS Biostatistics, Vanderbilt covers 80% tuition.

Yes, all the schools will see the same LOR, so keep it general. As far as I know, no school that uses SOPHAS requires you to submit a LOR separately to their website.

Thank you for replying! There is no way to take those courses now, although I have covered a fair bit of linear algebra in some other courses. I am hoping for a conditional acceptance, which is why I am applying to many lower ranked programs. I guess it's a long shot.

Hello, stat forum members! I hope some of you would be kind enough to go through this post. Undergrad Institution: India. Not one of the IITs. Major(s): Bachelors in Pharmacy GPA: ~3.4 Type of Student: International Student GRE General Test: Q: 166 V: 166 W: (waiting for official scores) GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: N/A Research Experience: No relevant research experience, I think. 1) Worked one summer in the chemistry lab. No publications. 2) Conducted a study in which I set out to evaluate the influence of personality traits on patient adherence. Unpublished but had an oral presentation in college. Not sure if it counts. Courses: Calc 1, 2 (A+)(covered in a one-semester course), Applied Math and Pharmaceutical Statistics(diff eq, laplace transformations and biostatistics) (A-) Computer Science (A), Operations Research (A+), Marketing Research Methodology (B+) Letters of Recommendation: One from calc professor and one from my chemistry lab advisor. Work experience: Have interned at pharmaceutical companies (one month in a production plant, and 4 months in the supply chain department). Not sure how much weightage that holds (if any) Applying to: MS Biostatisics Programs MS (tentative): U Columbia (Reach) U Minnesota (Reach) UT Health Science Center BU (MA Biostatistics) (Reach) Pittsburgh Vanderbilt (#1 choice overall) George Washington University (Reach) Ohio State University UIC Oregon State (MPH Biostatistics) Concerns: 1. Unsure if I my coursework meets the pre-requisites. 2. No research experience. 3. Obscure undergrad institution, bachelors in an unrelated field. I am aware that my overall profile is quite weak. I have been studying stats/biostats on my own but obviously I have quite little to show for it on paper, and of course programs would be (rightfully) skeptical of someone who claims to have "self-studied" a subject. I would really appreciate if someone could honestly evaluate my chances of getting into the universities listed above. Should I aim at even lower ranked programs? Should I wait one year and try to beef up my application (by perhaps giving the subject test)? In what other way can I improve my application? Thanks!

Gave the GRE today. Powerprep I Q166 V164 Powerprep II Q166 V167 I also took all the Manhattan Prep mock tests, which I found significantly more difficult than the Powerprep tests but they helped me with my pacing and got me comfortable with different types of questions. I averaged 161-162Q 165V on the Manhattan tests. Actual GRE Q166 V166 AWA: Official scores not out yet The difficulty level was similar to that of PowerPrep tests except for 2-3 questions on the second quant section which were quite tricky and time consuming.

Hey guys, I am an international applicant hoping to apply to universities in the USA. The only thing holding back my application is my relative lack of research experience (one summer), no publications etc.which significant reduces my competitiveness as a PhD candidate. So, I've decided on pursuing a Masters which will (hopefully) demonstrate my ability to do research. And because of this, as my title suggests, I was wondering if Masters programs are marginally less selective than PhD programs. Because I'm really freaking out here and I am not sure of my chances.

Hi guys, currently I am a 3rd year undergrad student studying in India. I am something of a late bloomer and realized quite late that I want to get into grad school and study in the USA. I have yet to take the GRE and the GRE Subject Test. My grades so far are decent (GPA 3.6). My main concern is my research experience. I have only got a semester's worth of research experience (no publications). In India, research opportunities for undegrads are pretty rare and despite my best efforts, I will most likely be unable to gather further research experience. I do expect strong LORs. Now assuming I do really well on the GRE and the subject test, how much of a chance do I have of getting into a good grad school in the USA? I have a feeling that my chances are pretty low. I am thinking of pursuing a masters in India before I apply for PhD abroad. Would that increase my chances? Thanks.