wannabeGS

Hi Geococcyx, Thank you for your response. With respect to research at Berkeley, I garnered the following from their page: "In extremely rare cases, a thesis option may be considered by the MA Chair. Typically, this will be when either the option has been offered to the student at the time of admission, or if the student arrives with substantial progress in research in an area of interest to our faculty." (https://statistics.berkeley.edu/programs/graduate/masters). I was not offered the opportunity to pursue a thesis, however. With respect to everything you mentioned...I agree! Out of curiosity, is Duke still in the running for you? Maybe we'll both be there soon! To the wide Grad Cafe community - does anyone have any dissenting views?? (Affirmations of Duke still welcome ?) Thanks!

Goals/Interests: Econometrician/Biostatistician, or a Statistician/Data Scientist with domain/research focus in the biotech venture capital industry. (Or, some ‘correct’ combination of these or related labels that might be more appropriate…) Beyond market/industry research, I would also like to focus on understanding the underlying statistical methodologies and techniques being applied in medicine/biotechnology/health science (i.e. machine learning's application etc. etc.…) My goal is to convince a biotech venture capital firm that they could benefit from employing a statistician/data scientist with these particular domain interests/research experiences. Ideally, I would love to have experience on the funding side of early stage start-ups in the hopes that I could build on my academic + industry experiences in order to one day veer down an entrepreneurial path of my own (…ideally in the biotech sphere) Location: Ideally VC firms in 1. NYC, 2. SF or LA (or… firms with a combination of both NYC and a California location…) Also, I want to note these are my “perfect-world/have-my-cake-and-eat-it-too” scenarios. I recognize they are lofty Should note, re-evaluating obtaining a PhD at some point in the future would not be unthinkable (especially if it might tie in well with the other above-mentioned goals) On a side, I feel I have a decent tie back to NYC having interned in the city, and having completed the course-work equivalent of Columbia University's major requirements in their joint Mathematics-Statistics major. (Completed through a non-degree post-baccalaureate program after graduating with a degree in economics from a separate institution). I mention this as I am not sure whether Berkeley or Duke has higher employer standing in NYC...and whether or not it will matter given I already have (what I think) is already a decent tie back to the city Berkeley States the program prepares for industry rather than PhD One year Capstone: team-based learning experience on real-world problem I think strong industry placement Incoming class of 40 No financial package, mention of guaranteed research assistant positions, or internship requirement I would assume because the program is so short/condensed Duke: States the program is attractive to industry employers and for bridging to Ph.D. 2 years Financial package, guaranteed TA and RA positions, required thesis or portfolio of work, required internship Bootcamp orientation Research Assistant-ship may or may not be used in thesis requirement Incoming class of 40 Alumni review: statistically rigorous, globally recognized faculty, Bayesian and ML approaches, modeling and computation (creates better career options), small class size, class projects with real data, in-house career counseling and advising, collaborative and collegial environment Areas: PhD/Research, Data Science, Health Data Science, Finance & Economics, Marketing Research and Business Analytics, Social Science & Policy Formal Mentoring in the first year (faculty) meet once a month 3 faculty serve as advisory role, at least 2 full-time primary faculty in Statistical Science, 1 committee chair Admission statistics look very similar to Berkeley’s Strong Industry and Academic Placement My intuition: Duke is a better fit. I feel two years would be ideal in gaining the technical skills + research experience + internship experience I am seeking (and I am not in a break-neck rush) It seems there is more emphasis on mentor-ships, and on academic + career development Prestige in industry seems equivalent at Masters level (maybe Duke is ‘winning’?) Prestige in academia – at the Masters level – seems 'Duke > Berkeley' Duke seems to be slightly more expensive on an annual basis (after factoring in the financial package offered) (however, I would be paying twice as much as I would for Berkeley in total because I would be paying for the extra year at Duke that I already desire…which ultimately is OK with me) Question/Advice: Any advice, thoughts, questions on anything mentioned would be greatly appreciated! Or, if you know of anyone that might be worth speaking to, please PM me! The Big Q: Am I wrong in assuming that Duke is the clear choice for me given the goals I’ve mentioned? Is there something I am completely missing about Berkeley that I should be taking in? Or, is my take utterly wrong in every possible way ??) Other relevant Threads: https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/89766-ucb-vs-duke-vs-yale-vs-usf-analytics/ Duke vs. UCB vs. Yale vs. USF Masters https://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/39107-stats-program-by-tiers/ (Not sure if this by master or PhD? If it was mentioned in the thread somewhere and I missed it, then I apologize!)

Apologies, my undergrad degree was non-ivy small liberal arts. Since graduating I have taken all the math/stats/cs courses at an Ivy. Thanks!

Hello all, A bit more of a non-traditional background here. I was an econ 'math-light' major in undergrad. Started to get interested in statistics after a year long course in econometrics my senior year (lower level - no prerequisites in multivariable calc or linear algebra if you can believe it...). I didn't feel overly satisfied with continuing on a finance track as a profession, and decided to jump into the maths after I graduated. Over the past year plus I have been working from the ground up taking courses in mathematics, statistics, and computer science, and have loved everything I've taken. I also (hope) I've done relatively well in these courses, but unfortunately no matter what I do I cannot seem to get my GRE score up... It seems silly to me that I can take these courses and do well, but somehow struggle with high school maths ?(...and I have done loads of studying, tutoring, and the like in an attempt to pick these scores up). I will certainly be applying abroad to programs that do not require GRE scores. (Please excuse the slightly bitter rant to follow). It does seem a little bit odd that programs across the globe all require around the same basic coursework, but largely only US schools require the GRE. This makes sense to me for the obvious reason of sifting through piles of applications, and for the purposes of having a standard means to equate applicants who come from less familiar universities, but does a high GRE score really translate into an ability to succeed in the masters level? I guess I'm holding onto a prayer that my (super) low GRE scores could be overlooked given what seems like a pretty odd mismatch between my scores and my academic performance? I should also note also that my SAT scores were awful as well, but I don't think that really impeded my performance in undergraduate level mathematics... Am I praying too hard here, or am I just out of reach for US schools (or for that matter am I out of reach for all the schools I listed)? Are there schools that would better fit my profile? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated! Sorry for the essay.. Undergrad Institution: Liberal Arts *Since Undergrad*: Ivy Major(s): Economics Minor(s): Philosphy GPA (undergrad): 3.74 GPA (*since undergrad*): 3.84 Type of Student: Domestic Male GRE General Test: Q: 157 V: 153 W: 4.0 Programs Applying: MS/MA Statistics Research Experience: N/A Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (not sure they are all too pertinent..) 3 summer internships in finance (equity research, insurance brokerage, investment banking) while in undergrad Letters of Recommendation: Linear Algebra (strong), Real Analysis (I think strong pending he says yes! - just asked), Statistical Inference (I think strong pending he says yes! - just asked) Relevant Coursework: Econ: (not sure this will bear any weight): Corporate Finance (3.67), Micro(4.0), Macro(3.3), Int'l Finance(3.67), Intro to Statistical Data Analysis(4.0), Int'l Trade(3.67), Econometrics (4.0) In the past 1.5 years: - Calc I (4.0) - Calc II (4.3) - Accelerated Multivariable Calc (two full Calculus courses (III & IV) taught at this institution and rolled up into a one semester course - 3.3) - Linear Algebra (4.0) - Intro to Proofs (Pass) - Real Analysis (first ~ 6.5 chapters) - Rudin (4.0) - Intro to Java/CS (4.0) - Probability Theory (taught to both undergraduates and graduates with no distinction between the two - 3.3) Currently taking: - Statistical Inference (also taught to both the undergrad's/grad's with no distinction b/w the two - on course for 4.0 to 4.3) - Linear Regression Models (a bit more on the applied side, also taught to both grads and undergads) - Data Structures in Java Next Semester: - Advanced Linear Algebra - Statistical Computing (taught to both grads/undergrads) - maybe Advanced Programming - possibly audit another math course (for personal fun, Analysis and Optimization for example).. Over the Summer: - possibly Time Series Analysis - possibly Statistical Machine Learning - possibly some Python online courses.. Applying to Where (Subject to adding and subtracting *advice welcome*): US: Stanford Berkely Chicago Columbia Duke University of Washington Wisconsin-Madison Cornell Abroad: LSE (Senior year spent here) Oxford U of T UBC McGill Imperial UCL Thanks!!!

email received**, thoughts still appreciated!

Hello All, I applied to the MSc Statistics at LSE and was rejected in only 2.5 weeks. Is this strange? I have a 3.74 undergrad GPA (and spent my senior year abroad at the LSE). There are certainly weaknesses in my application, but for some reason, I thought it might be slightly odd that my profile would be rejected so soon... Lastly, they said they sent an email, but nothing has been received from my end. Appreciate any thoughts on this!