NotEvenWrong

Would you mind sharing which program you are from? It's quite rare to see someone with only a business degree and a minor in statistics switching to Statistics Ph.D. Is this alum still doing research with an angle in finance? Very interested in the mix. As for learning, I have become more interested in the theory side after taken a statistical learning theory course. Nonetheless, I would say I still don't know much about the field in general. I will try to figure out more things before I reapply.

Thanks for the thoughts and advice. I definitely agree that I should take this extra time to reflect on my research interest before next round of application. Not this year. I will apply to a couple of Canadian schools next time. Do you have any recommendations or any insights into these programs? I have no experience with Canadian system and don't have a clue about their relative strength and preferred type of students.

Statistics (2018 US News Ranked) 1, Stanford 2, UC Berkeley 3, Harvard 6, U Chicago 8, CMU 8, University of Washington 12, UPenn Wharton 12, Duke 12, U Michigan, Ann Arbor 16, Columbia 19, UNC, Chapel Hill 20, Cornell 31, UCLA 31, Yale Applied Math/Computational Math CalTech, Computing and Mathematical Sciences U Chicago, Computational and Applied Mathematics U Penn, Applied Mathematics and Computational Science Notre Dame, Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics Operations Research/Industrial Engineering 4, Northwestern 7, MIT Though I didn't solely rely on US News to choose the programs, it turned out that the statistics programs I applied covered a wide range up to around my undergrad institution's ranking. For non-statistics programs, I didn't expect a high chance but some of these programs have admitted students from my school in recent years and I heard wonderful things from them. I was really serious about my statistics applications, but the results were not successful. Thanks for the comments on letters. I did send out 3 letters to almost all schools but I prepared 4 because I have different collections for different programs. In particular, I swapped one letter (which speaks more of my pure math skills I suppose) for applied math programs. So in total, there are 4 recommenders and 4 letters, but schools get 3 each (unless otherwise required). My SOP was obviously not stellar. I kind of just followed the convention to described what I did in undergrad, what I am passionate about, and what topics/research that I want to explore further. I definitely have mentioned that I want to become a research faculty after getting a PhD. If required, I also dropped a few names and briefly discussed why I am interested in certain professor/lab's work. In addition, I also explained my academic history a bit. I started college as a business student and was stuck in the program due to various reasons for two full years. So essentially I only had three semesters to take courses (in math and stat) and participate in research projects by the time I sent in my applications. I'll definitely cast a wider net next time. I am actually also thinking about non-statistics programs that do research in similar areas. How about Ph.D. programs in econometrics? biostat? Would these be valid alternatives? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For better or worse, I will graduate in a couple weeks. Since I am an international student, I kind of have to find a job if I still want to physically stay in the US for the upcoming year. I am wondering if anybody has experience or thoughts on how work experience will affect future admissions (within the next couple years)? Do certain types of work be viewed +/- in evaluation?

Hi All, I am recently rejected by all 20 Ph.D. programs (mainly in statistics) to which I applied. Though a few considered me for their master programs after Ph.D. rejection, none ended up extending me a master admission. Unfortunately, I did not separately apply to other master programs. I am still quite interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in statistics (or related areas) to prepare for a research career (not necessarily in academia). I am looking for advice on what to do for the upcoming year(s) to better prepare for another round of application. Below are some of my stats. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Undergrad Institution: US Large State School (US News Ranked Top 50) Major(s): Mathematics, Statistics, Finance, Accounting Minor(s): Computer Science, Computational Science and Engineering GPA: 3.98/4.00 (Overall), 4.00/4.00 (Math + Stat) Type of Student: International Asian Male GRE General Test: Q: 170/170 (97%) V: 158/170 (80%) W: 4.0/6.0 (60%) GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: M: 860 (88%) TOEFL Score: (116 = R29/L30/S29/W28) Grad Institution: N/A Programs Applying: Statistics (14) + Applied Math (4) + Operations Research (2) = 20 Ph.D. programs Research Experience: No publications. No REUs. Several research projects and independent study projects at my institution. My senior thesis/project won a college-level research award of $1,000 ($500 for research grant, $500 for scholarship). Awards/Honors/Recognitions: - Within institution: Overall GPA < 3% of graduating class. Dean's list every semester. Student president of an honor society. A few small amount scholarships. - Outside institution: A 2nd place price of a midwest local data science competition. A leadership award by the national chapter of an Asian student org. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: - Internships: one consulting, one actuarial - worked ~ 15 hours/wk at various university offices (as tutor, accounting intern etc.) during my sophomore and junior years - Some student org involvements Letters of Recommendation: - 4 letters: 2 from professors with whom I did research/independent study, the other 2 from professors with whom I took advanced classes - Pretty sure at least 3 out of the 4 letters are (very) strong - not sure if well-known, but 2 recommenders are department director/grad chair respectively at my institution Math/Statistics Grades: - All A/A+ for Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Computational Science and Engineering - Relevant Undergrad Classes Real Analysis (honor, A), Analysis on Manifold (honor, A+), Applied Complex Variables (A+) Abstract Linear Algebra (A+), Intro to Abstract Algebra (A+) Intro PDE (A) Linear Programming (A+), Nonlinear Programming (A+) Foundations of Data Science (honor, A+), Advanced Data Science (A+) Statistical Computing (A+), Artificial Intelligence (A+) Time Series (A), Regression and Experiment Design (A+) Probability Theory (A+) - Grad Classes (My school has many classes that enroll both master and Ph.D. students) Microeconomic Theory I (PhD, A), Theory of Asset Pricing (PhD, A+) Mathematical Statistics I (Master/PhD, A) Statistical Learning (Master/PhD, A+) Numerical Analysis (Master, A) Applied Stochastic Prosses = Markov Chain (Master/PhD, A+) Models of Dependent Risks (Master/PhD, A+) Concurrent (Spring 2018) in Machine Learning, Statistical Learning Theory, Mathematical Statistics II Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help Hurt: - International Asian Male - Interested in statistical learning - No noticeable research experience Research Interests: Want to learn statistics and mathematics and do some applied work. On the technical side, interested in statistical learning, computational statistics, and some traditional topics (e.g. model selection). On the application side, interested in mathematical finance, risk management, and econometrics. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Any advice on programs to apply, strategies to prepare, or other pertinent points will be much appreciated.

Hey guys, I created a new thread on campus visits. I am currently on multiple waitlists. Any info will be much appreciated.

For those who are admitted, could you guys please share info on the dates of campus visits? I think it will be very informative for applicants who are currently on waitlists.