kash

Most schools will require a class in mathematical statistics/statistical inference from a math or stat department. The course should be at the level of this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0130085073/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0387953825&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0CDPFPC262VMJK9HPG83

Your biggest problem seems to be your lack of statistics classes, most importantly mathematical statistics/statistical inference (a must have course).

University of Chicago- theory. Some prominent topics are statistical genetics, Machine learning, Probability.

Your best way of assessing your chances for top programs, since you go to Harvard would be to simply ask your professors in the Statistics department if you have a competitive application. I am sure they can give you far better advice than anyone on this forum.

For University of Toronto, which is a very competitive program especially for international students, they posted their recommended background for their MS statistics program. Its safe to say you don't even come halfway to meeting their requirements. As for the other top programs you mention such as Berkeley (and by UC do you mean University of Chicago), what you are missing are courses in probability (calculus based not discrete) and statistics, specifically mathematical statistics before you apply. Matrix algebra is not linear algebra and the schools know that as well so keep that in mind. As to your question why not enter the PhD program first, well because you dont have the background right now to enter a good PhD program, acquiring an MS can help your profile when you are applying to PhD programs. Here is the link for the UToronto recommended profile. http://www.utstat.ut....php?pageid=195

if you dont have to take the subject test i wouldn't if i were you. You need to study analysis, abstract algebra, topology, complex analysis as those are the subjects you are missing. Based on a recent test these topics are at least a third of the test. And its pretty hard to study those subjects if you havent taken a course in them

You should look at some bio statistics programs because of your background those would probably be your best bet. It doesn't look like you have a class in mathematical statistics/statistical inference which is an important class. You should really try to get some research in the statistics area, and work with a statistics professor as that would allow you to get some positive letters of recommendation. I obviously cant say what are your chances without looking at your whole application but having a good GPA should make you competitive . As for the Math GRE do you think you can do really well without spending too much time on it, because it really doesn't add much value unless you get a high score and it is a very hard test.

You seem new to the graduate application process so i will answer the best i can. First you should state which courses you have taken for others to better assist you. Have you taken a class in probability theory, Math stats, and other statistics classes such as theory of the linear model, and applied regression analysis. i ask becuase as a math major you usually dont take these classes. You dont need the Math subject test because only one or two schools require it and it will take a lot of preparation time. Judging from your background it seems you would be a better fit in a bio stat program but thats based on the limited information you provided me. Yes Masters programs are easier to get into than PhD Programs, and Letters of recommendations are very important.

The best people to ask would be your professors, i asked some of mine and they all agreed that Utoronto has a really strong program and it could compete with a top 10 school in the states.

http://galton.uchicago.edu/admissions/guide-for-applicants.shtml. it says on their website that a quarter to a third of their MS students go on to obtain their PhD after the program. Also if you look at the MS alumni link i included in my previous it shows the placements for some of those students. The program doesnt have to be a PhD prep if you dont want it to be and the majority of students probably just want to obtain a job after graduation. however since the classes, and the department at Chicago have a strong focus on theory along with the fact that they require an MS thesis it works well as a stepping stone to a PhD. Here is the MS alumni link: http://galton.uchicago.edu/people/alumni-ms.shtml

if you don't plan on going for a PhD later on then your coursework is fine, you can take a second semester of real analysis if you want. The problem with your personal statement isn't the amount of time you have to write it, it is about having experiences that you can speak about. For example if you have done research under professors, or done an independent study under a professor on a topic that really interests you then you be more specific about what you like about statistics and why you want to pursue graduate school.

Well your profile looks pretty good if you want to get into a MS program. You mentioned your GPA and listed your math and stat classes but what were your grades in those classes. As for classes you should definitely take a second semester of real analysis, and if you want to eventually get a PhD think about taking graduate level analysis. For the statistics classes, you have math stat, probability theory which are the most important, some of the other classes seem to be very applied, and that might be looked down upon since the applications are easy to teach and the the theory is valued higher. There was a post a month ago in which a bio stat professor said about the same thing. And for graduate level stat classes you should think of taking grad level probability, math stat, and a course on the theory of the linear model(i am not sure if that is the one you listed). You mention that you are very interested in this field but you dont seem to have any research experience, although you mention an internship you are planning on completing. If you eventually want to pursue a research career and you indicate that on your SOP people will want to see evidence of that. Also you havent mentioned if you can get good recommendations, do you have professors who know you really well and are impressed with your abilities. If you only took a class with them that is hard to achieve, however if you have worked under them then they can be able to speak about your abilities.

Well he said he needs research experience and probably some graduate courses in mathematics to get into some top schools. I am not sure what difference it makes to reapply again if he cant get research experience and take graduate courses back home, he might end up applying with the same profile. You have an excellent Subject test score, so i am sure doing a thesis and taking the Phd courses at NYU would make your profile stronger, you said money is not a concern because you will probably be spending about 60000 in total on the degree + living expenses. The only thing is you might have to wait to re apply after you graduate from the program so you might have a year off.

I wrote a post a couple of days ago on the ideal profile for some one who wants to get into an MS statistics program, check that out. As to your questions you would absolutely need an linear algebra class as that is required. Other courses which are important if you want to make it to a good program would be Mathematical statistics, and Real analysis. If you can tak only two take math stat and linear algebra. What is your GPA in your math classes people dont really care too much about GPA overall. Was your probability course calculus based? The more courses you have in statistics the better, if you a lot of time on your hands you should probably take a course in stochastic processes, multivariate analysis. As to your question about the GRE, in my experience GRE scores are very highly correlated with your SAT scores. Try taking a practice test after reviewing a GRE book for a couple of hours if you can get above a 750 then you shouldn't have a problem raising it to 800 in about 3-4 weeks. AS for my experience i studied for 3 weeks (time was running out and i had to apply fast) for the quantitative section to make sure i get an 800, i didn't study for the verbal section as i believe my vocabulary and comprehension skills were already good and statistics programs dont really care about your verbal score (i scored a 720 on the verbal and 800 on the Quant btw). Oh and stick with the old version of the test. ON the GRE subject test, with you background it is impossible for you to get a good score so do not even bother taking this test. The test is for people who want to pursue a PhD in pure math most stat majors would have a hard time with it. An econ major with no advanced math classes would absolutely get killed on that test. So dont even bother self studying for this exam because you cant study an entire undergraduate mathematics curriculum( and some other topics) in a span on three months. NO programs require it for a masters, only Stanford requires it for a PHD. (Uchicago, Columbia and Washington recommend you take it for their PhD) If you are aiming for top programs read my post in the thread ideal profile for a MS stat program. Who are you going to ask for recommendations, can you get any good ones since you have been out of school for a while? DO you any research experience at all? What is your reason for pursuing an MS stat (better job?(if so then you might not need research experience), Phd Prep?) If you can take the math and stats classes i mentioned before and have A's in all your math classes, then you should probably apply to a range of programs, the program at Berkeley looks like it takes only a few students a year, Stanford seems like a program which doesnt require a very high math background to gain admission and it looks like a program that caters to professionals (their average age of entry is 25) so you might want to look into that but it is really expensive since it will probably take about 15-18 months to complete. You should also apply to programs such as UMichigan, Carnegie Mellon, Wisconsin-Madison, Minnesota some of these programs actually give funding to their MS students and these programs look like they are for people who want to obtain a job afterwards. If you want to obtain a PhD afterwards then the best Masters program would probably be University of Chicago (you have to write a thesis and you have more individual attention from professors in the department) or an MS program outside of the states such as LSE, Oxford, and Toronto(requires an extensive background in statistics so might not be for you). It doesn't take much time to fill out an application so you should apply to a bunch of programs. Why dont you email your stat professors at Berkeley with some questions, i am sure they can give some really good answers to your situation.

I am also going to be staying in Uchicago next year, so i am interested in this as well. I haven't given much thought to the question of a roommate since i dont know anyone there but i am open to the idea