FallCreekRing

Thanks! I will ask them.

I applied to both ScM and Phd for JHU Biostatistics. Only got phone interview from ScM. Does it imply that I am rejected by the PhD program?

@bayessays Thank you for your reply! I will go with your suggestion :)

Hi all, I am a rising senior in stats major. I am going to apply for PhD programs in stats in 20 Fall. This fall, I have the option to take statistical inference (Casella, G. and Berger) or machine learning (known to be one of the most interesting and useful CS courses at my institution). They are offered at the same time. I heard statistical inference is helpful for PhD application while machine learning is also a super popular topic in stats. I am interested in both theoretical and computing area of stats so that it is hard to make up my mind. Can anyone give some advice? Thank you very much

@bayessays This is really helpful. Thank you so much!

@bayessays Thank you for your response! My main concern is that my math background is weaker than other applicants (in gradcafe I saw many profiles with sufficient math courses taken). One of my seniors suggests I should take more PhD level courses (like stochastic process, functional analysis) and wait one more year to apply. What I am also worried is that currently I do not have any publications and my research topics were not very relevant to biostats. I have no ideas which program is a reach or a match option. Do you think my school list (plus those added by my advisor) is reasonable? Should I take off some top biostats schools (JHU, and UW)? Is it a good idea if I add more stats options (not only biostats) like UIUC, Purdue and Ohio State?

Hello everyone, I transferred from one mediocre college in China to Cornell last year and switched my major from Biology into Statistics. I am now a rising senior and not sure about if my profile is strong enough to apply for PhD/MA programs in Biostatistics and /or Statistics in 2020 fall. I didn't know before math capacity is one of the most important factors to be considered in application so the math courses I took was very limited. My advisor gave me some positive feedback and encouraged me to apply for some statistics PhD programs but I am still worried about my background. Undergraduate Institution: China Agricultural University (transferred) ----> Cornell Majors: Biological Sciences (previously) ----> Biometry and Statistics (Now) GPA: 3.84/4.00 (China) --> 3.92/4.30 (Cornell, it is also my major GPA) Type of Student: International (Asian female) Courses taken: In China: (doing good in Bio/Chem but not prominent in my math grades) Stat: Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics(A-), Linear Algebra (A-) Math: Advanced Math A-I (A-, equivalent to Calculus I and II), Advanced Math A-II (B+, equivalent to Multi-variable Calculus and Differential Equation) CS: Intro to Information and Computational Thinking (Using Python, A-) At Cornell: Stat: Probability Model and Inference (A+), Biological Statistics (A), Linear Model with Matrices (A+, graduate level), Theory of Statistics (A+), Categorical Data Analysis (B+), Statistical Computing (A+) Math: Intro to Real Analysis (A), Numerical Analysis: Solving Linear and Non-linear System (B) CS: Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structure (Using Java, A-) Courses will take this fall: Math: Measure theory (graduate level), Combinatorics, Linear Algebra (upper division, proof-based) CS: Machine Learning for Intelligent System, Data Structure and Functional Programming GRE General Test: Q: 169 ; V: 159 (taken 5 days ago, W scores not released yet) GRE Subject Math: will take this September Research Experience: Noise Reduction for Experimental Time-domain Signals (September 2018-Present, National Biomedical Center for Advanced ESR Technology at Cornell); Machine learning in Brain-Computer Interface and Cybersecurity (January-March 2019, A 7-week research authorized by a professor at Berkeley) Quantile Regression Analysis for High Dimensional Data: Right-to-Carry Laws and Violent Crime (this summer, supervised by a well-known professor at Department of Statistics at Cornell) Working Experience: Data Analyst Intern at China Asset Management co. LTD (June 2018) Awards: First-class for Academic Excellence (in China), First Prize for Data Castle (a nationwide machine learning competition in China), One year of Dean's List (Cornell) Letters of Recommendation: Two from the professors who supervised my research, one from my academic advisor (also get 2 A+ in his classes) School List: Berkeley Biostats MA (the one with funding) is my dream program. I heard it is more relevant to data science rather than traditional biostatistics but is as competitive as PhD program. Some PhD programs I am considering would be: UCLA biostats, UC-Davis stats, UCSD biostats (I like California), Emory Biostats, Cornell Stats My advisor also encourges me to apply for some good PhD biostats program at JHU, UNC, NCSU, Duke, Texas A&M, UW and Umich (I think it is very tough based on my current profile). I haven't decided yet if I should apply for those programs in 20 Fall or 21 Fall. I know if I apply in 2021, I can take more math courses, even at PhD levels, and do more non-trivial research. But I am nor sure if it is worthwhile to wait for one more year. I cannot make up my mind. Thank you in advance for your time and advice!