econtobiostat

Just here to give an update on my outcomes. In keeping with my non-traditional background, I ended up going for a non-traditional application route. I ended up ditching all of my planned US applications. I came across a PhD project in the University of Bristol Medical School which was right up my alley: developing statistical methods for Mendelian randomisation studies. Unfortunately, as an overseas student, I was only eligible to apply for one hotly contested spot funded by the Wellcome Trust and I -- perhaps unwisely -- put all of my eggs in that basket. It worked out, though, and I managed to secure the funding and the offer of admission. I'd be surprised if anyone else follows this route but I hope this thread will prove useful to someone. I think I was successful in this approach because I applied for a subfield in which my econometrics background ended up being hugely advantageous (after all, Mendelian randomisation is simply a particular application of the method of instrumental variables). I suspect I would have had a much harder time trying to compete for more traditional biostatistics projects without first acquiring more relevant coursework or research experience. My F in macroeconomics also didn't seem to factor into their decision. It wasn't mentioned in the interviews and I didn't discuss it in my personal statement. Anyway, I don't think I could have asked for a better outcome. I'm going to be working on an excellent project with equally excellent supervisors within a very unique department, not to mention the big fat stipend provided by the Wellcome Trust. Good luck to the other applicants!

Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it. I'll be sure to bring up the reasons behind the F in my personal statement. My understanding is that I shouldn't wax poetic about it; just keep it straight forward and to the point. It's good that I seem to be on the right track with my schools. I'm planning to add several more: Brown, Michigan, Hopkins, UCLA and Washington. I'd really like to avoid getting rejected everywhere and I think my results may be noisy (it sounds like I'll be a 'let's take a chance on him' candidate). Do you think if I apply to those 9 I'll have a good chance of at least one offer? Or should I be adding more schools lower down the rankings to be safe?

Thanks for the feedback. I have no interest whatsoever in staying in economics so I'm okay with my application for that field being dead. I think I'll take your advice and retake the GRE. Those scores are from a couple of years ago and I hate these sort of standardised tests so much that I've tried to avoid going back, but 165 Q is probably on the low end.

Hi all, any feedback is appreciated. Also note that I would be willing to apply to masters programmes instead if you think a PhD is a reach for me. Undergrad Institution: Top 3 Canadian university Major(s): Economics and Mathematics GPA: 3.7 Masters Institution: Same as undergrad. Major(s): Economics GPA: 3.3 (Discussed below; it's 3.8 if a failed course is removed) Type of Student: Canadian PR GRE General Test: Q: 165 V: 161 W: 5.0 Research Experience: Co-authored paper in a top economics field journal. Simulation-based paper using labour market survey data. I worked on this for about a year and a half, including a summer of full-time work, and attended a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) conference for it. RA for a project in applied microeconomic theory. I worked on this full-time for a summer and part-time through a school year. Several other miscellaneous RAships (ex. replicating an existing paper using updated data, producing a report on public sector wage differentals for a provincial think tank) Math Courses: Calc 1 (A), Calc 2 (A-), Calc 3 (A), Linear Algebra I (A), Linear Algebra II (B-), ODEs (A), Combinatorics (A+), Dynamical Systems (A+), Real Analysis (A+), Linear Optimisation (A+), Non-linear Optimisation (B). Relevant Econ Courses (Undergrad): Econometrics I (A), Econometrics II (A) Econ Courses (Grad): PhD Econometrics I (A), Microeconomic Theory (A+), PhD Econometrics II (A-), Empirical Microeconomics (A), Applied Econometrics (A), Macroeconomic Theory (F) Stats Courses (Grad): Math Stats I (A+), Math Stats II (B) Letters of Recommendation: A joint letter from the 3 economics professors I co-authored with. This should be very strong. A letter from the economics professor I did the applied microeconomic theory RAship with. This should also be very strong. A letter from the statistics professor who taught me grad math stats. He said he'd be willing to explain the B in the second semester (the course average ended up being very low so I did well in relative terms). I don't know him too well but I spent a fair bit of time in his office hours. I think the letter will be okay. Programs Applying: I would like to apply to programmes with an emphasis on causal inference. I am interested in self-selection into treatment and in potentially adapting econometric methods in this area to methods currently used in biostatistic. I have read through a textbook on dynamic treatment regimes from a professor at McGill and I have put together a rough thesis proposal which is based on incorporating self-selection into one of the main estimators used in that field. PHD: McGill UPenn Berkeley UNC Still deciding on more Masters: May apply to some if my application is too weak. Concerns: The obvious one: That F in macroeconomic theory. In the second semester of my MA I burnt out from the combination of PhD coursework, TA'ing and co-authoring. I have a particular dislike for macroeconomics and it was the first thing I let slip during the burn out. I try to explain this in my letter but, as I mention above, it brings my masters GPA from 3.8 to 3.3. I'm not sure whether this ruins my chances of applying to a PhD directly. The more general concern that I am coming from an economics background and don't have much exposure to coursework or research in biostatistics. I'm not sure where to realistically apply given my background.