poopyhead

Hey, I'll be going there for Statistics in the fall. Currently working in San Francisco, but I'm originally from the Boston area and I did my undergrad in New York. My main concern right now is housing. I was looking at the on-campus apartment options and they seem alright for the price (of course I have a very different sense of how much rent costs though).

Slight update to my results: I decided to take the MS offer at IU Bloomington with the hope that I'll be able to transfer to the PhD program. Tuition and fees will be covered by the school/department and I'll be TAing to cover for living expenses. This isn't the best move for me career-wise or financially, especially since I have a MS already and I'd be leaving my comfortable data science job, but I do really like the program there, and I think it would be worth it if I get the opportunity to do academic research (and since I won't have to go into debt). Hopefully that "if" turns into a "when" very soon. Also, I was officially rejected by UNC INSTORE. Other programs (non-stats but somewhat related): New York University (Tandon), Computer Science (data analysis and visualization): Rejected (kinda bummed about this one--had an interview with Dr. Bertini whose podcast and blog I follow). Cornell University, Information Science: Rejected. Generic email about how there were a lot of qualified applicants, blah blah blah. University of Maryland, Information Science: Rejected. For the longest time I didn't hear back from them, and they responded to an email in early February but not to the following emails. When I finally called, they said that since I hadn't heard back I was probably on the waitlist, but after checking my application they informed me that I was rejected (apparently they just forgot to notify me). There was also something about how they thought I had good technical qualifications but none of the professors really thought I was a good fit for their research programs, so maybe it was for the best. Still kinda peeved that they didn't send me the rejection notice when they decided that, though.

Thanks ... At this point I had already given up anyway. Have you heard back? Oh, I forgot to mention, when I called them, they initially said something like, "If you still haven't heard back, you're probably on the waitlist" (apparently they just forgot to send me my rejection notice?), so if you're still waiting, that's probably your situation. They were very friendly and courteous on the phone, so it might be worth a call.

I called UMD today. They said they rejected me a while ago, but they still haven't sent me an email and the website still says my application is under review. Filled out the Survey.

If you're interested in statistics, have you thought about machine learning (or deep learning) or big data management/analysis?

What are your research interests? I'm guessing robotics and AI are one of them?

It looks like someone just posted a rejection from the UMD iSchool PhD program. However, when I checked my application status, it still says "under departmental review." Has anyone else heard back?

I applied to their INSTORE program and am still waiting for an official response. However, I emailed them a few weeks ago and they said they already sent out their first round of acceptances and probably won't be sending out any more (although if enough people pass on their offers then they will).

Already shared in the other thread, but oh well. Undergrad Institution: Private top-tier research university in the US. Often ranked #1 in applied mathematics. Also known for not having a statistics department. Major(s): Mathematics, Physics. Minor(s): None! GPA: 3.2 Type of Student: Domestic male GRE General Test: Q: 170 V: 164 W: 5.0 GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: M: 670 (did not send anywhere) TOEFL Score: N/A Grad Institution (MS): Tiny state school, doesn't provide a PhD in mathematics or statistics Concentration:Mathematics GPA: 4.0 Programs Applying: Statistics, Machine Learning, Data Science Research Experience: Tiny research project over the summer as an undergrad, no publication, involved stochastic modeling of problems derived from physics. 15 month research assistantship at a data science research center that's contracted by the USDA, paid for tuition and living expenses while doing my MS, no publication. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: $25,000 stipend + $2000 scholarship that got me through my MS. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Taught at a public high school for a year after finishing undergrad. Worked at DEKA as a QA software engineer/developer for a bit before starting grad school. Worked as a data mining research assistant while at grad school. Currently employed as a data scientist at a San Francisco data science startup that was bought out a couple years back. Current job is research-oriented (as far as industry work goes, anyway). Letters of Recommendation: One from my current boss, two from professors from my MS program, one of whom I keep in touch with regularly (we're Facebook friends). Applying to Where (Stats and related only): New York University, Data Science Waiting (but definitely a rejection since I wasn't invited to the campus visit event) Stanford University, ICME Rejected Indiana University, Statistical Science Rejected (but accepted to the MS program) UNC INSTORE Waiting (but notified that they already sent out their first round of acceptances) Also applied to Computer Science and Information Science programs

Congrats! Do you know if their PhD program already sent out acceptances?

Sorry about that, I realized that my original post was quite ranty and pessimistic, so I tried to reword it in a more neutral tone without changing the question. To address the rest of your post: I would say I'm definitely happy with where I am right now in my career. I have a research-based job in data science, and if I happen to leave my current job I'm confident that I have the necessary background and experience to find another data science position with ease. I've been working for several years now and I have a good idea of where I stand. That said, I'm looking to join a PhD program not because I'm looking to advance my career but because there's so much research going on in applied statistics and data science that I want to participate in. I'm especially interested in data science/quantitative methods in the social sciences and text mining. I'm well aware that as far as my career and financial gain are concerned, a PhD would be detrimental compared to gaining 5 years' worth of industry experience. That's also why I didn't apply to any MS programs--most of them are career/industry-focused rather than research-focused, and I don't think I have much to gain from additional schooling in that regard. I'm going to ask, although my suspicion is that they'll say something like, "there's no way to know until August." I guess I could, but I don't know if I want to go through this (very painful) process again ... It was also kinda awkward asking my boss for recommendation letters (basically asking for his blessing to pursue another job that may or may not happen and if it doesn't happen just continue working at my current job as though nothing had happened), and I can see that being even more true the second time around. Anyway, I'm sounding ranty/whiny again ... I guess my best move right now is to just keep at it at work and then choose whether to try applying again by sometime around August of this year?

There's one program that was high on my list (Indiana University, Statistics) that recently rejected my PhD application but offered me a spot on their MS program. Normally I'd say no--I have a MS already as well as a job in data science (that listed having a MS as a minimum requirement in the job listing when I originally applied). But I'm on the fence for two reasons: Apparently most PhD students at this program were MS students at this department--it seems like they look mostly at their MS students when choosing PhD students They said teaching assistantships "might" be available for MS students. I can't afford to go to grad school without some type of assistantship + tuition waiver, which normally isn't available to MS students. So do you think it's worth going for it? Or should I consider other options?

Given that Andrew Gelman is at Columbia, I'd expect that they're very much Bayesian. That said, if you're one of 320 MS students (assuming it's a two year program), good luck getting any time with him.

Well, I mean, I didn't get in anywhere, so ...

Well, I also applied to some CS and IS programs. Like I said, there's still one IS program I'm waiting on, although I'm not optimistic about my chances. There were two issues with applying to more programs: 1. At ~$100 per application, it was a big financial burden, and 2. I failed to get in touch with/get a response from professors from the majority of schools I was considering (although I did apply to some places where I did not receive any responses anyway).