Radon-Nikodym

I suspect you're talking about me with this comment, and for the sake of correcting misconceptions, I want to point out that my math GPA was in fact lower than my overall GPA of 3.6ish. However, I did receive a 900 on the GRE Math subject test, so that probably played a large role in alleviating any concerns that adcoms may have had about my mathematical abilities. Being a domestic student also probably contributed a lot to my acceptance.

Okay, what you said about Stanford just isn’t true. Stanford states on their Statistics PhD Admissions FAQ page (which they update pretty regularly) that “We receive approximately 120 PhD applications each year, and we are able to admit 10-12 new students each year.” They have a smaller applicant pool (much smaller than expected of a program of their caliber) by requiring applicants to take the Math GRE subject test, which a lot of prospective statistics PhD students don’t take (or take and receive a score that makes them feel not up to par to Stanford’s expectations. Their FAQ page states that admitted students have an average percentile of 82nd on the subject test). I’m not sure where you’re getting the numbers from your post.

@RemyD33 I attended the University of Chicago as a domestic student as well and I applied to PhD programs this cycle. I had a similar GPA to the original poster and also worked at Booth as a research assistant, but my math/statistics GPA was slightly higher. You can see my profile here (except I retook the Math GRE and I got a 900, so the 760 is old). I ended up being accepted to some pretty great schools, including Berkeley and Washington, and several math PhD programs as well (UCLA, Michigan, etc.). I'm trying to stay reasonably anonymous, so I'm trying not to give away too much personal info, but I hope this is helpful!

This is no longer the case. Stanford updated its FAQ page and now the average subject test score for admitted Statistics PhD students is 89th percentile, which roughly corresponds to a score of 870. However, I received a 900 (95th percentile) as a domestic student, and I was not accepted at Stanford, so you are right that high GRE scores do not guarantee acceptance. Their standards are incredibly high.

Just wanted to give a quick update: I finally got the courage to go to my professor's office to ask him why I haven't heard anything from the department yet. He asked me if I had accepted any offers yet, and I told him that I hadn't yet, but I did have an offer from Berkeley. I also told him that I would choose UChicago over Berkeley in a heartbeat if given the choice. He told me, "I'll see what I can do." Hopefully this is a good sign...

Anyone else haven't heard anything from UChicago yet? I'm a student here, and I haven't heard a word from the department... No acceptance, rejection, waitlist, or any indication of decision whatsoever. I'd go see them in person, but I'm afraid they'll tell me that I've been rejected and just haven't updated my application portal yet. The PhD program here is my top choice by far since I really want to stay in Chicago.

Thanks! I applied to the Statistics program at Berkeley.

Got an email from Berkeley to check the status of my application... and there was an acceptance letter waiting for me!!! I'm in disbelief right now.

I was just admitted to Berkeley Statistics! I'm so incredibly relieved, given that my own department (UChicago) has been keeping me in the dark. So now I guess I actually have to make the decision of whether I want to spend my next 5+ years in a Statistics department or a Math department. So far, I've also been accepted to UCLA and Michigan Math, which are fantastic programs as well. This will be a really difficult decision...

Thanks for the advice! One thing I've heard is that getting a tenure-track position is easier in Statistics than it is in Mathematics. Is this also the case for those in a Statistics department focusing mainly on probability theory or more theoretical topics in Statistics? Another thing I've heard from several sources is that it is significantly harder to be accepted to a top mathematics program than it is a top statistics program, as the competition for the top 10 mathematics programs is intense (I applied mostly to top 10 statistics programs but I applied to mostly programs ranked around 10-15 in math). I've heard that higher-ranked programs correlate strongly with finding a good postdoc position, so will both of these have similar outcomes, or will one have slightly better outcomes than the other? Also, is it possible for a Statistics PhD to get a postdoc in math department, or vice versa? I was also wondering about the culture of Statistics vs. Mathematics departments. For instance, I get the impression that Statistics PhD students are not quite as interested in theory as Math students. Looking through the profiles of students in Statistics departments, it seems that the vast majority of them are listing research interests in methodological/applied areas rather than theoretical topics, and I couldn't find too many that are explicitly interested in mathematics topics like probability theory. I'm a little worried that if I go to a Statistics department, I'll have a hard time relating and discussing my research interests with the other students, while I'm fairly confident that I will have a lot of shared interests with students in a Math department. Is this a valid concern, or am I overthinking this?

Like the title states, my question is whether a mathematics or statistics department would be better to study and ultimately do research in probability theory. My interests are mostly in things like random graphs, random matrices, stochastic processes, and other related topics (the theory side rather than the applied side). I've applied to both statistics and mathematics departments that have faculty working in these areas, and I am wondering if I ultimately have to decide between the two, which one would be the preferred route? My current goal is to end up as a tenure-track faculty member, but I know how difficult and unlikely this outcome can be. To make my question more concrete, I guess I'm asking: What are the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing research in probability theory in a math department vs. a stats department?

Thank you guys for all of your help! I'm finally starting all my applications, and I decided to update my list with several math programs and remove a few stat programs (due to my unexpected subject test score... Hopefully a 900 will make me competitive for the top 10 statistics programs and I'll need less "safety" options). Does this list look reasonable given my profile? Are there any programs that I'm missing or that aren't a great fit for me? Right now, my list has 14 schools, but I'm trying to cut it down to 12 if possible. Statistics Programs: UChicago Stanford Berkeley Harvard Washington Carnegie Mellon UPenn UNC Mathematics Programs: (all of these programs have faculty working in probability theory) UCLA Michigan Columbia NYU Yale Cornell

I'm assuming you got an 800 on the subject test if you got 79th percentile? This is purely anecdotal, but I have a friend who got an 800 on the Math GRE subject test last year, and he applied for math PhD programs and was accepted to quite a few schools, including Berkeley and Caltech. Of course, the GRE isn't everything, but I think it's safe to say that you'll be fine, given that Math programs are generally much more competitive than Stat programs, some of which explicitly say that they do not consider subject test scores. I think an 800 is high enough that you shouldn't be focusing on the subject test anymore, and instead on the other aspects of your application.

Wow, this score came completely from out of left field, and now I'm re-evaluating my applications... I originally was planning to apply to mostly stat programs, since I didn't feel competitive for math programs with my lower grades (I've been told that math PhD programs are absurdly competitive), but now I feel like I might have a fighting chance. Would my new subject test score make me competitive for even the top math programs?

I just received my GRE Math Subject test score, and I can't believe that I got a 900 (95th percentile)! I'm in shock right now... I never expected to have scored that high with all the guesses I made during the test... Does this substantially change my chances of being accepted into Statistics programs?