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

you can do research in the MSOR program it is course E4900x. You can also take PhD level courses if you want, in the department for example you can substitute the masters level stochastic models for the Phd level course, and waive the probability class if you have the background. The program from what it looks like doesnt appear to be a back door into Columbia's PhD programs, maybe that is because so many of its students are there to graduate and get a job afterwards. You should ask the faculty if you perform well in the PhD courses can you enter the PhD program rather easily. I got into this program but since my interests are more in the field of statistics, i am going to turn down the offer.

I cant say for sure what an ideal profile looks like. But since i got admissions from some of the programs you mentioned, will give it a shot. I assume yo have looked at the profile on Stanford's website, that along with the program at Berkeley and Chicago would be among the top masters programs in the US. The program at Stanford admits 15% of its applicants and its probably around the same for Chicago and Berkeley. However the average age at Stanford's program is 25, which might mean they cater to professionals. The profile needed for Chicago would probably consist of a GPA of above 3.7 linear algebra, calc sequence, Probability, Math stat, maybe real analysis, and other statistics classes to be competitive. I think it has to also do with your reason for wanting to enter the program if you are a professional who would like to gain some additional statistical skills you might get in with a lower level of math classes. If you are straight out of college you might need a stronger background in mathematics. The Chicago program is probably best if you want to eventually obtain a PhD, since you have to write a thesis and their previous placements show that a lot of their students go this route http://galton.uchica...alumni-ms.shtml. There are some overseas programs that are really good like Utoronto but they ask for a lot of requirements since it is fully funded and it appears to be preparation for the Doctoral program. The program at Oxford is really applied, and if you are looking for a job it would be probably be great for you. The min requirements to apply is a GPA above 3.5, i dont think they care about real analysis as much since their program is really applied, and it will probably be cheaper than most US programs. And as for LOR you would probably need good but not necessarily great recommendations to get into the programs i talked about above, and a GRE score of above atleast 780 on the quant section is probably the cutoff for those programs as well. An example my profile is 3.9 GPA, 800Q, 720V. 1 letter was really good, the other 2 were probably above average. Math classes(at the time i applied): Calc sequence (including differential equations), Linear Algebra, Real Analysis1, Numerical Analysis 1. Stat Classes(at the time i applied): Prob Theory, Stochastic Processes, Math Stat, Applied Regression Analysis, Multivariate Analysis, Theory of the Linear Model. Other classes: Mostly Econ classes: Game Theory, Econometrics Research Experience: Just an independent study under one of my professors, got myself a good recommendation out of it. Semester long project for stochastic processes class.

You will get more replies if you post this in the applied math and stat forum. In regards to your question NCSU is regarded as having a really strong program in applied stats and is definitely more known than the program at UFL. The part about being a big department is actually a good thing, you get a wide variety of research topics to choose from. A lot of students end up changing their research interests after they have more of an exposure to the subject. It seems you are going for non academic jobs then i guess the program, and the name of your college would matter more.

Yes i do follow quantnet (dont post on it though), although i follow it less than i used to, mainly because i am not that interested in Mathematical finance anymore. I am more interested in Finance and economics from a statistical perspective and not from the probability theory, numerical methods (programming) perspective that most people on Quantnet are interested in.

That would be true only if the financial math program has a good reputation and has a proven record of placing people. I personally think there are far too many financial mathematics programs out there way more than the actual number of jobs. This link has some details on that http://www.businessinsider.com/the-coming-glut-of-financial-engineers-2011-3. Also being in Purdue is not an ideal location when you want to break into finance combine that with the fact that the program is not really well known.

I know that AMS is one department at Stony Brook, and trust me i do know the difference between applied math and statistics. Applied math in general has overlap with statistics, but on the academic level there is substantial differences between applied math and statistics. Many applied mathematics departments and mathematics departments do not do statistics. Look at all the top applied math programs and they either have their own applied math department or are part of the mathematics department, like at NYU, and basically none of them have anyone doing statistics. All the top statistics programs have their own statistics departments as well. My issue was with your rankings specifically when you stated that it has a top 10 statistics department, when in reality it has a good applied math department (not top 10) and when i pointed it out you simply said applied math and stat have a lot in common. Well there is a reason they developed separate rankings for statistics programs. Onto other matters, you say the department is recruited heavily by financial firms, is that through their financial mathematics programs, or is that through their statistics programs as well. New York has a lot of very good financial mathematics masters programs. You have Cornell, NYU, Columbia, and Carnegie Mellon, and all their masters programs in financial mathematics are better than Stony Brooks. If you are talking about recruitment on the PhD level that is more believable since they do have some good people working on financial math in that department.

If you know the difference between them and if you know that usually applied math and statistics have different departments, why do you keep saying Stony Brook is ranked in the top 10 in statistics when that is not even remotely true it is not even in the top 30 in statistics. Its applied math people are separate from its stat people, the applied math people are usually working on computational geometry, while the stats people are working on biostats. More importantly do you want to obtain a job after this MS, and if so then in what industry. If you want to proceed onto a PhD both programs are not ideal, Stanford doesn't have a thesis requirement and it doesn't look like it devotes too much attention to its MS students, but its better than SB since you can take PhD level classes and have access to well known professors.

You do know applied math and statistics are two different fields right. Stony Brook has no reputation whatsoever in statistics. Check any statistics rankings you want you wont find them in the top 30. It would help if you stated what field you want to study, is is statistics? then comparing Stanford which has the best department in the world to Stony Brook is laughable. Anyway im curious when you say all reputed organizations have ranked SB in the top 10 in applied math, which organizations are these? US news certainly doesnt, and the mean NRC rankings place it outside the top 10.

If your ultimate goal is a PhD didn't you already get into one, or did you not get adequate funding. NCSU has a great applied program i think its ranked 12th according to US news, higher if you remove biostat departments.

What program did you get into at SB was it the MS in statistics. If that is a case reject it, since SB has no reputation in statistics, and stanford has a fantastic reputation in statistics. Stanfords program looks good, it allows for taking a lot of electives in fields other than statistics. Even if you got into their applied math MS, i would probably still reject it but of course it depends on what you want to do as a career. Applied math and statistics are different fields.