Bayesian1701

I second that you have a chance at a top tier program but you might want to add some safer options. You could alternate your third rec letter depending on the program, but I don't think it matters much either way. I doubt the couple of Bs/Cs would stand out given your other grades, and I wouldn't bring attention to them in your SOP. Your GRE verbal and writing scores are low but I think their function in stats programs is to gauge your general english abilities since you aren't going to write a lot of 30-minute essays or take vocabulary tests in graduate school. If english is your native language, I don't think those scores really matter that much. If you think you could easily increase your scores then its maybe worth retaking.

I'm a first-year Ph.D. student (now) and I have discovered that I am behind in my linear algebra skills. I took the class online over the summer two years ago. It wasn't taught well at all and was completely applied and covered no theory. Basically, I know how to find the column space, rank, determinant, etc., but if you ask me to prove anything about those operations I am clueless. I'm following the proofs in our review material we were given fine, but I am not at the point where I can make similar proofs independently. I made the naive assumption that since I have the skills to perform the matrix algebra in a regression that my background was fine, and I am kicking my self in the foot for not learning it this summer. Any advice at learning linear algebra at a rigorous level and while taking linear models at the same time?

I wouldn't email professors until after you are admitted. It's not likely it will improve your chances or even that you will get a meaningful response. I sent some readmission emails and no one answered me. After visit days I did get some responses. I am not familiar with what your specific research interests but Florida, UT (like bayessays said), Texas A&M, and Missouri have a few Bayesians.

You don't need to major in math, but multivariable calculus, linear algebra and a statistics class is usually recommended or required. Additional classes like real analysis can help. I think we would need to see a full profile to give any advice. You can find a profile evaluation and copy/paste the form.

I visited one of my top choices before I applied, fell in love and was then waitlisted. It was heartbreaking for me. It would not have been so hard if I hadn't meet the people and seen the area. I would definitely not pay to visit now (because they will likely pay for a visit if you are accepted) unless you want to make a trip to the area for fun. I hope you do get in, but you may not.

You wouldn't negotiate the fees exactly, but you would negotiate for a better scholarship or grant. You could maybe negotiate with Maryland for more funding, but the general rule of thumb is don't negotiate unless you would take the offer you were asking for. Asking Hopkins for more aid is probably not going to work because you have no leverage. If Hopkins wanted to give you more money they probably would have done it in the initial offer.

A cat is lower maintenance than a dog since you wouldn't have to worry about letting it out or walking it. You would basically just have to feed it, clean the litter box every couple of days, and play with it a little each day. You could even leave the cat alone for a weekend if you had to.

Your GRE writing score is good, and your statistics coursework is sufficient. Most undergraduates going into statistics Ph.D. programs don't have defined research interests. Your profile is great. Your biggest disadvantage is the fact that you are an international student. At the top programs you are going to be competing for a very limited number of spots with international (and some US) applicants with masters degrees. You have the potential to get into a top program, but adding a few safeties couldn't hurt. You will probably get a lot of rejections with that list but you should get a funded offer somewhere. Duke has great admissions statistics that you can use to better understand your chances. I would suggest adding Texas A&M if their application is free again this year because they are big, a great program, and easier to get into places like CMU and Stanford. I would do some more research on where to apply. I think you could remove some of the top programs by looking into the program structure, research fit, and even minor things like location. UNC and NC State are pretty realistic. UT is a small program which makes it a little harder to get into, but is still realistic. The first five programs plus Duke are going to be very hard (but not impossible) to get into. You might get into 0-2 of those. I don't know much about the other schools.

I move in two weeks, but I have been planning for my furniture for over a year and looked at apartments as soon as I was admitted to different places. I looked around at multiple cities so I could gauge the cost of living since I new rent was going to be most of my stipend. I made an apartment hunting trip right after I decided to pick out a place in person. I started looking at furniture early because I wanted to estimate how much money I needed to furnish a one bedroom apartment (I am spending about $3000). I also loved planning my new apartment and it was stress relieving for me through this crazy process. I am ordering some furniture online and having some Ikea stuff delivered. The only thing I haven't picked out is a couch because I am not sure what size I want. I have bought some smaller items (bedding, decorations, etc.) that I can easily transport.

I think footballman was talking about this list. The rankings are a decent (but far from perfect) indicator of the competitiveness of applications to programs. In that range, there are a few places that are more competitive than their rankings suggest: Yale (which is a small program and highly competitive), the UCs (a little bit more competitive since some people prefer their location), Northwestern (small and desirable location), and UT Austin (a new program that is small). I would apply to as many places you can afford to pay application fees. It may take two cycles to get a funded offer. Some places will admit international students without funding, partially because some of the international students have some sort of external funding and also partially because they can sometimes get people willing to pay.

Your research will help, but you would ideally have two semesters of Real Analysis before you applied. Like bayessays said you don't really a lot of proof intensive courses. For the very top programs, you would ideally have graduate level real analysis a probability and statistics course that used multivariable calculus and some proofs. More applied grad classes are good, but not as helpful as theoretical ones. You need to show you can handle advanced coursework and material. Coming from a small state school is going to make it harder for you than someone coming from an R1 university and combined with limited evidence of mathematical maturity is going to make getting into a top tier program hard. I would pick one program out of Stanford, CMU, Duke, Columbia, and Michigan and add some middle-tier programs. Your list is pretty top heavy and risky.

I have a couple of follow up questions to help us better answer your original question. First, what are you wanting to study? Are you interested in a masters (typically unfunded in the US) or Ph.D.? What field (Mathematics/Statistics) do you want to study? What will retaking those classes do at your institution? Will they be removed from the transcript or will they remain and your GPA will not be affected. I know at my undergraduate institution retaking classes with a C or higher had no effect on your GPA, so I would verify it would help raise your GPA or possibly remove the grade. It's probably a better option in most cases to take harder classes covering similar things (Real Analysis, Numerical Methods, Differential Equations) and do well in those classes.

I graduated a year early and am starting a Ph.D. program this fall at the age of 21. If I could do it all over again, I would take the extra year and do a few graduate courses during my fourth year. It was not worth the money I saved. Somewhere in the process, I lost my love for pure math. Thankfully I still love statistics, but the more abstract doesn't interest me anymore. I didn't realize it was happening until it was too late. You will also risk burnout which is the last thing you want when you are about to enter a stressful program. You don't want to cram all of those upper level courses and overload yourself. Take the year, try to get some more research experience and get a better feel for what you want. You could theoretically apply for Fall 2019 and stage a possibly last-minute August or May graduation after you receive decisions around February/March but it may cost you approximately $1000 in applications fees, and it will look weird if you apply again after being unsuccessful. I wouldn't try for an application round this year unless you are 100% certain that's what you want. On the profile front, your grades are great from a great department and your GRE is great. Very few people have meaningful research experience, but if you opt for a fourth year, you could probably get some more. With the fourth year and good grades in the rest of your courses, you should be able to get into a great program.

I'm not an expert on MBAs or MHP but my impression from spending a lot of time on this forum is that they are generally unfunded and $80,000 seems like a typical cost for a dual masters degree at an out of state or private university with no funding. If you search for ”negotiating funding” on the site you should find a lot of old posts with tips. I know some people have successfully negotiated but others were not sucessfull. Maryland might have limited funding as a public university but if John Hopkins was almost half the price that seems like a better deal unless Maryland is better than Hopkins for MPH/MBAs.

Your grades and GPA are good. Ideally you would have another semester of both math stat and real analysis by now if you are applying for fall 2019, so you might want to consider taking those this fall. Coming from a small LAC might hurt you depending on how prestigious it is. There is a difference between Amherst and some place few people have heard of. Not a lot of people have stats research experience so you don't have a huge disadvantage. I would drop the comp sci letter and one of the research letters and get a letter from your stats professor and one of your math professors. To show that you can handle the math since an adcomm might be concerned about your mathematical preparation if you don't have any more proof based courses than you listed. If the Statistics program at BU is a specialization in the Math PhD program, looking at BU math admissions might help you gage your chances there. Regarding your other programs I wouldn't apply to CMU unless it's your close second choice you also love. CMU is arguably the one of the most competitive stats PhD program in the country to get into. CMU is definitely a reach for you. If you are looking at the northeast for programs, you could add UConn which should be realistic. Columbia’s MA program is a cash cow with hundreds of students in a cohort, and you will get in but you would probably have a better experience and more attention at another programs. My two questions for you to better refine my advice are how prestigious of a LAC do you attend and if you have any more proof based math like Abstract Algebra, Topology, Set Theory, Complex Analysis, or a second semester of Mathematical Statistics or Real Analysis.

How important is it to you to have options or run the risk of no offers. Some people prefer to be cautious to manage stress/anxiety and others aren't bothered by that during the waiting game. On ideas for where to apply, your grades are a little low (probability and calculus are important, but USC may have a reputation for grade deflation I am not aware of. Try to get an A in real analysis because it could really help you out.

What are you grades in your undergraduate math/stats classes specifically real analysis, calculus, mathematical statistics, probability, linear algebra, and any other statistics courses. It's hard to answer without context on grades. There are also dozens of programs and where to apply depends on research interests, location preferences, and risk tolerance.

Your list for stats PhD programs is good, but I think you are aiming too high (maybe?) for biostats. I don't know much about biostat programs, so someone better experienced would need to comment on that. What do you think your rec letters from research advisors will look like? Your ability to handle coursework may be a minor concern, unless there are some more Bs in math/stats courses you didn't list. You did get a B+ in real analysis, but I think that adcoms would know that grades almost have a margin of error since they are a single observation from an unknown distribution. Your quant GRE score is on the low side for top programs, but about average. You need to sell your research experience. If you really have a first author statistics publication in the works with a rec letter that says you are a great independent researcher, then you are way ahead of the pack (at least among domestic students). I think independent research experience and defined research interests can help compensate for a mediocre undergraduate institution and average GRE and GPA. I want to leave a word of caution about doing a top masters program. Yes, masters programs are great stepping stones that can improve your chances of getting into a top Ph.D. program. But, you will spend a lot of money (you probably not get any funding) and time. You will probably not get to all of your credits when you transfer to a Ph.D. program. And you are really only going to have the first three semesters before you apply again if you go straight through. On the other hand, if you get into a Ph.D. program, you won't have to pay (if they don't fund you as a domestic student they don't really want you) and it would be more efficient to stay in one program.

I would not apply to Columbia’s Statistics masters program. It has the reputation of being a cash cow that accepts a lot of students. You could definitely get in, but I am not sure if it is worth it. I am not familiar with masters admissions so I won't comment on your chances.

I would consider adding Mizzou for an MA application or possibly a Ph.D. depending on whether you want more of a backup plan or want to be more risky. They fund some domestic MA students (and all their Ph.D., not in the applied masters track though). They have some professors doing spatial research (mainly environmental) , and the MA program is flexible enough to take some Ph.D. courses. At my visit day, one of the other admitted students was admitted to their MA with funding, and another current student was also a funded MA student, and there have been other reports of MA funding on here. I don't know how helpful it would be to get a masters at a MU for going on to a Ph.D. program. However, at both of the admitted student days I attended (UT and Mizzou) almost all of the people with a masters (about half) had one from a low ranked or unranked university (Arizona, Arizona State, Northern Illinois University, some other state schools I forgot) except for two international students from Columbia and Duke plus some people from UT’s masters program accepted at UT, but I don't know how their profiles compare to you. I am pretty familiar with Florida State. I had two professors/recommendation writers who got their Ph.D. there. In one of my conversations about my chances (specifically about what GRE score I should shoot for), I was told that there admissions aren't nearly as competitive for domestic students as it international students. Their average is influenced by the higher GRE scores and GPAs of their international acceptances and people with below average GRE/GPAs do get in, so I wouldn't count yourself out. FSU is probably realistic. I would recommend the Magoosh online course and Nova GRE math course (a book) to help you raise your quant score. I could see some Ph.D. program taking a chance on you because of your research experience even though your grades aren't good.

On the coursework side I would go with Calc 3, real analysis, and stat theory, but pair that with one or two (preferably one) easy non-math classes (to be a full time student) and prepare to spend 30+ hours a week on your math classes. Real Analysis and Stat Theory should require a lot of work outside of class. Ideally you would make in A in all three classes. Since you are an international student, you are correct that it will be very difficult to get a fully funded masters at PhD granting institutions. So you probably have to apply to Ph.D. programs to get funding, even though your profile isn't that great for an international applicant. Basically you should apply to the lowest tier of programs. I don't know what your chances would be and anywhere that is realistic since I know that some of the less competitive programs are smaller programs without a lot of funding.

I am not against going internships, but I suspected it would be a better idea to do a couple and not every summer. I want to take the first summer and work on preparing for measure theoretic probablity and quals and prepping for independent teaching my second year. It’s good to know that I don’t have to worry about finding something my first year, but I will probably put in a few applications anyway.

Your profile is good so you could probably apply anywhere you wanted as long as you don’t apply to only the top 10 programs. You could get into a top 10 program but there is a lot of randomness in the process. I agree with @StatHopeful that if you balance top programs with some of the larger programs (NC State, Florida State, Texas A&M) you should have options.

1. Professor 2. Survey Methodologist 3. Statistical Consultant 4. Data Journalist I am not qualified for 1-3 yet, but if I finish graduate school I would be qualified. I could possibly do 4 if my blog went viral and people thought I was good at it (I am not sure if my blog posts are good).

I will be starting my first year of a Statistics PhD program this fall. I am living with my parents and we had a discussion the other day what I will do in the summers during my Ph.D. program. My plan was to send out internship applications for internships I want, but my parents are encouraging me to apply for internships I don't want because they think I need the experience. I don't have any relevant non-academic work experience, all I did in college was tutor, do research, and last summer I had a job with student housing. I am going straight into graduate school, so I haven't had a ”real” job. My dad is an engineer and he thinks I should be getting internships instead of TA/RAing (or just working on research in general) in the summers. I am heavily leaning towards a career in academia, but if I work in industry, I would probably want to work in survey methodology or maybe data journalism (which I know would be a weird thing to do with a Ph.D. in stats). I looked into internships for this summer (to get a few for what's out there) and it seemed like I would not have many options as a first year for internships that would match up with my passions and career goals. I don't want to do a biostatistics or a tech big data internship (which seemed like the majority of the internships I found) because that's not what I want to do with my life. Also, I could probably get an internship at my dad’s work but he is an engineer and it would probably be analytics on part failure or inventory control which I definitely don't want to do. I know it will be a few months before I apply for internships but I will probably need (right?) to start looking for one in the fall if I want one after my first year. Should I even apply for internships for things I am not interested in for the summer after my first year (and beyond) or focus on research and teaching instead? I will likely not need the extra money an internship might bring. Part of me wants to invest my summers in things that will help me get a good postdoc and hopefully later a tenure-track position because that's what I want, then possibly help my backup plan. On top of this, if I get an internship, it will have to be formally approved by my department and the graduate school due to a condition in my funding package restricting outside employment. I think they would probably approve it since technically summer funding is separate from the academic year. I want to do internships, but I want to know if I should consider internships where I am not interested in the work just so I have more ”real” work experience (not teaching or research). I will seek advice outside of gradcafe, but I wanted more perspectives.