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Sintarator

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  1. Last year I finished undergrad and got accepted into all the MS programs I applied to (they were all Stats & Biostats programs, if it makes a difference). But I also got a job offer at the same time, and I ultimately decided on taking the job. I was burned out from undergrad, and I wanted to earn some money for financial stability before taking on even more debt.

    It's been a year, and I'm thinking of going back and re-applying, but I'm not sure how to do it best. I need a graduate degree in order to get my desired career and move up, but my job isn't at all related to Statistics or Biostatistics. Would I be at a disadvantage for taking a year or two off to work at an unrelated job?

    Furthermore, for one of the schools I got into, I knew all the professors and they interviewed me. When I ultimately declined their offer, it was the absolute last day to tell them, and they weren't able to fill my empty spot, so I may have burned a bridge. If I were to reapply to that school, will they hold my past actions against me?

    On a different note, I'm also debating about whether I should apply for PhD programs as well. The only problem is I have no formal research experience (it was hard to find Stats/Biostats research for undergrads at my school; they existed primarily for grad students). I have research projects from grad-level classes I took as an undergrad, I've shadowed a Biostatistician, and my professors can speak to my potential to conduct research (since I got into all 6 MS programs last year without formal research experience, I'm assuming my profs wrote strong LORs). But no formal research. Is the PhD route even worth considering at this point? Many stats/biostats programs I've searched include research rotations to help narrow down your focus after your 2nd year. I've been thinking about applying to PhD programs ever since last year, and I've definitely considered the non-academic effects of being a PhD student (living modestly off a stipend and focusing on a single, specific topic for 3 or so years until you defend your dissertation).

    Am I okay leaving the money I'm making behind to live as a student again? At this point, I'm saying yes, because I currently feel stuck with no path forward if I don't continue to grad school. It was never a matter of "if" I'm going to grad school; it was a matter of "when."

  2. That's what I was afraid of. And I meant that all the schools that have accepted me are CGS schools (actually one of the two schools I'm still waiting on is, as well, but their department head told me I'd hear back by May 1). That means one of the schools I'm still waiting on is NOT a CGS school.

    It's not a matter of being waitlisted; it's a matter of making an admission decision (i.e. my application is and will be under review) anytime between now and May 1 for School B. 

    I spoke to both schools, and all they told me was that School B1 will send admission decisions anytime between April 1 and May 1, and School B2 will send admission decisions at May 1. 

  3. Thank you so much for your help. The problem is, the schools I've been accepted to are ALL part of CGS, and I don't want to have anything against my future applications to these schools should I decide to pursue a PhD. So what do I do with a school whose decisions come out later? Is it possible to ask them to expedite the process somehow? Because it seems like if I do end up rescinding a CGS school's offer in favor of one of the other two schools, then CGS punishes me for going back on my acceptance, I feel like I'd be punished for something I can't control.

  4. I need to hear back from two more schools, but they are taking FOREVER to release their decisions. These two schools are crucial to my decision-making process because they're my cheapest options and may come with scholarships (I applied to master's programs, so cost will be a factor), and it doesn't seem like they'll be releasing my decision anytime soon. I was just wondering if I'm allowed to change my answer if I emailed "yes" to a school, and the April 15 deadline has passed.

  5. I got into the MS Biostatistics programs at Vanderbilt and UT SPH, and the MS Applied Statistics program at UMich. I need help deciding which one to choose.

    I visited Vanderbilt, and it was amazing. I LOVE the environment, and I love their focus on computation and programming and how respected the graduates are within their medical center. I know the program is very new and thus might not have an established reputation in academia yet, but the Biostats faculty is very impressive. 

    I also like UT SPH because it is the cheapest option (I'm from Houston, so I'll get in-state tuition and I can live at home to cut costs) AND has so many departments and groups as resources, including the whole medical center in Houston. I guess the only downside is it's not as highly ranked as the other two.

    UMich has an established reputation and is ranked pretty highly. They have LOTS of courses and departments to work with. The downside is it's the most expensive option.

     

    Does reputation of the program matter for a master's -- to the point where cost should be secondary? Or should costs be my first priority? I'm looking at roughly $21K/year at UMich, $13K/year at Vanderbilt, and $5K/year at UT SPH.

  6. Undergrad Institution: Top 20 University 

    Major: Math

    GPA: 3.33

    Type of Student: Domestic

    Courses/Background:

    Mathematics: Calc 3 *C, Diff Eq B, Linear Algebra B

    Statistics: Mathematical Stats & Probability B+ (Calc 3 a prereq), Applied Math Stats B+, **Correlation&Regression A-, **Data Analytics (Engineering) A

    Science: Physics I A (Calc-based), Physics II A (Calc-based)

    * This is, by far, my weakest point of my application. My school is known for grade deflation, ESPECIALLY the Math department. Long story short, I took Calc 3 the same time I took Orgo and Bio at the same time because I thought I wanted to follow the pre-med track.

    ** Graduate-level courses

    Software Experience: Proficient in SAS, R (especially proficient; used this for much of my analysis, and learned OOP using it)

    GRE : V:160, Q:162, W: 6.0

    Research Experience: 2 summers with a Psychiatrist, helping him develop his pending article, especially the statistics portion (won't be authored, but will be acknowledged). One research project for a class in which I further expanded upon the Psychiatrist's article. One assigned project analyzing a large data set.

    Statistical research experiences for undergrads here are scarce -- if they even exist.

    Letters of Recommendation:

    1. Psychiatrist - research mentor

    2. Data Analytics professor

    3. Correlation&Regression professor

    4. Linear Algebra professor (also my undergrad adviser)

    Applying to: UTD, UT SPH, UTSA, UTEP, Texas A&M, Colorado SPH, OHSU, Oregon State, Michigan, Nebraska

  7. I tried to look up schools' websites about GRE score statistics, but they were either really vague or didn't give that info because they "look at the whole package". I tried to look at the Results Surveys, but in a lot of programs I'm interested in, the scores varied WILDLY (for the users that decided to provide their info, of course), so the variability was too high to discern a reliable pattern. So I was wondering if anyone can shed some light on how my GRE scores would look like to an adcom.

    160 V (86%)  /  162 Q (82%)  /  6 AWA (99%)

    I'm mostly interested in mid-level programs (e.g. OHSU, UT SPH, Oregon State), so nothing like the Ivies or Johns Hopkins. 

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