shuggie

Undergrad Institution: Regional School. Not well known or regarded, but on a shared campus with a more known school. Major(s): Mathematics Minor(s): Computer Science GPA: 3.63 Type of Student: Domestic White Male GRE General Test: Q: 166 (89%) V: 157 (76%) W: 4.0 (56%) Programs Applying: (Statistics and one Biostat.) Research Experience: One year long funded research project (~20hrs a week) in conjunction with a local non profit with focus on time series modeling. A summer research project on estimation theory that resulted in a presentation at JSM. Not really research but did an extra credit project for Real Analysis that also resulted in a conference talk at MAA MathFest. Some later work I did for a course got presented at JSM 2019 but I couldn't make it (still on my CV). Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Scholarship awarded by statistics faculty. Award from local ASA chapter for student excellence in statistics. Several awards from the math department. I passed the P Exam for actuaries. Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor, TA, and RA in undergrad. Working as Data Analyst since December, but I think only FSU knows that since I submitted apps earlier. Letters of Recommendation: Not well known professors, but imagine all were strong and spoke to research potential. Math/Statistics Grades: Math: Calc I-III (A, C, B ), Linear Algebra (C), Proofs (A), Abstract Algebra (A), Putnam Problem Solving (A), Real Analysis I (A), Real Analysis II (A), Topology (A), Complex Analysis (B), Functional Analysis (B), Measure Theory (C), Probability/Stats: Probability and Stats (A), Probability Theory (A), Statistical Theory (A), Stochastic Processes (A), Statistical Methods(A), Linear Regression (A), Data Science (A), Machine Learning (A) CS: Computer Science I-II (B, A), Data Visualization (A), R Programming (A), Computer Vision (A) Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Retook CS II and Calc III for better grades. Applying to Where: All statistics except UMich UT Austin - Statistics PhD / Rejected on 03/12 UFlorida - Statistics PhD / Rejected on 02/27 Ohio State - Statistics PhD / Rejected on 04/15 Wake Forest - Statistics MS / Admitted on 02/19 (~15.7k funding)(no fees?) UMich - Biostatistics PhD / Rejected (PhD) / Admitted (MS fast track) on 02/03 (no funding) Iowa State - Statistics PhD / Admitted on 03/24 (~18k funding + insurance)(~ 1k fees) Florida State - Statistics PhD / Admitted on 02/21 (~17k-19k funding)(~ 2k fees) TAMU - Statistics PhD / Pending Rice - Statistics PhD / Pending Rutgers - Statistics PhD / Pending Thoughts: This was my 2nd application cycle. Last year I made the mistake of applying to three schools ranked in the top 20 and one UC. It was hard but very worthwile waiting. I was able to make a bit of money working as a data analyst, I boosted my GRE Q by a good amount without much work, GPA went up with graduation, and got time to think more about research interests. With the help of people on this form I came up with a better list of schools. While there is a seemingly arbitrary nature to admissions, there are some things to note. 1. GRE is way more important than I thought, a good score won't get you in, but the overwhelming majority of applicants have good scores so you need one too (165+ and growing). 2. The low profile of my school made me a risky applicant, but did not eliminate me. 3. Some schools seem to have a "type" of student they accept. Of the schools I got into, most of the domestic students are comparable to myself on a qualitative level. 4. Don't give up if you don't get in anywhere. Keep at it!

Oh yeah I had two semesters of analysis when I went through Kreszig. I met some impressive students who jumped into that with only calculus and linear, but they were very adept learners. Also I can't imagine that many stat students would need to actually take a dedicated course in functional ever. Some will, and personally it's one of my favorite books, but not a pre req for any programs I looked at (and imagine most don't).

I would recommend talking to Dr. Robinson at WFU if you have any questions about the program. I also spoke with Dr. Jadhav who was equally helpful. I'm trying to to decide to between FSU and ISU at the moment. I'm leaning towards FSU for research reasons, but ISU has a strong program that I would be happy in.

Both of these programs have been in my consideration for a year so I'm happy to have them as options. Briefly, I have preliminary interests in functional data analysis and nonparametric regression. I am aiming for academic research positions upon completing my PhD (and likely a postdoc). Due to the crisis I've had limited contact with both departments, but significantly less with FSU. Iowa State: I like the program/department a lot. The students I've spoken with are very positive about the department culture. Being a large program everything seems very refined. I have a friend from undergrad in their 2nd year who is very comparable to myself and doing well in the program (a nice comfort, but more of a mental prior) Research interests are less clear. They have people working in the areas I'm interested in, but I'm not familiar with their work, and I would be tempted to explore other areas. Florida State: Almost no contact with the department. Communication has been slow amidst the crisis. I'm not holding this against the department, but I don't have a lot of info to go off. Very interested in the Shape Analysis group at FSU. Interdisciplinary work with the the math department is very enticing. Several faculty members conducting research that piques my interest (specifically Srivastava, Wu, and some new(ish) hires that could be strong/interesting co advisors) Don't have much placement data. Looks like many of Srivastava's students have gone on to research labs, and Sebastian Kurtek is at OSU. I did speak with one Alum from FSU who spoke highly of the program, but they entered with a MS and started research quickly. I only have a BS. I also happen to have friends in the math department at FSU. I would like to know if one program has an edge over the other concerning placement in academia. I plan to directly email the faculty I'm interested in working with at FSU to gauge availability in a couple years. I'm reasonably confident I would enjoy the research at FSU, and if I attend I would be choosing to do so mainly for research. However, with only a BS I am far more familiar with coursework than research and don't know if I really have the background to pick an area now. I think having a general topic in mind is beneficial, but my concern is: if I change my mind in two years I won't have as many options as I would at Iowa.

I applied to Wake Forest this cycle and had some interaction with the department. They were easily one of the best departments I spoke with, very nice, and clearly have their students in mind. If they had a PhD program, I would have attended in a heartbeat. If you are uncertain about doing a PhD I think the program at WFU is a better option. Being a terminal MS program you might get more support their than at UMN, but don't quote me on that. Also the statistics faculty at WFU is growing and seems pretty diverse for a joint Math/Stat department. I was told there were some sparse RA opportunities in interdisciplinary areas like econ and public health. You'll also have the opportunity to take graduate math courses like Measure Theory and Functional Analysis. I went to school in a moderately sized metropolitan area and studied in Budapest for a semester. In my experience there are definitely pros to studying in a dense urban area, but it's far more important to make sure you have strong work environment on campus and at home. When the going gets tough, where you live doesn't matter as much.

This outbreak is affecting the entire world, and schools are having to make decisions like this. Adcoms are going to be more than aware of the disruption this causes for all students. Given the prestige of your university and your already excellent background, you have nothing to worry about.

Were any of the people here in grad school during the 2008 crash? I'd heard anecdotal stories of students being asked to self-fund, and am curious is there truth to that. More relevantly, if those concerns are applicable amid the crisis now.

I just want to tag on this thread and say don't be discouraged. This is my 2nd application cycle, and I felt the pain of getting rejected across the board last year. I'm happy to have some good offers this year. Whether you decide to get a masters or take additional math classes to boost your profile. I think you have a good shot at getting where you want to be eventually. The advice to apply to a broader range of schools is the best advice here. There are excellent programs that ranked 40-70 on US News, and some MS programs that aren't ranked at all. I also suggest considering applying to biostatistics programs. In the meantime, employment and passion projects are great way to pass the time, and a the money you make can go a long way when you're on a conservative TA stipend. Best of luck.

If you hold the programs equal with regard to research opportunity, I'll add that Gainesville might be a nicer place to live than Ames, and it's certainly a lot warmer. Congratulations on your acceptances! I don't think you can make a "wrong" decision here.

Do the veterans here have any advice on what other questions to ask post acceptance? I've got a generic list of ~8-10 questions including typical TA duties, availability of RAships, placement, maybe a research question if I'm talking to faculty I'd like to work with, talking to other students, but I'm probably missing points that might have a major impact on my decision. Any information that you wish you had known before committing to a program?

This is something I've heard a lot and I'm curious if this sentiment is more to emphasize that you can't build your research from coursework, or if it's a commentary on the role of coursework in a PhD program. With that, what are the intended purposes of coursework in a PhD program? Would you ever advise choosing one program over another based on course offerings (holding all else roughly equal)? My impression is that the classes you take give you some more interaction with select faculty, inform your areas of interest, provide a level of basic/vocational training for when you are working on research, and they can be a lot of fun. I understand that coursework is not the purpose of a PhD, but sometimes I get the impression that people feel like it was of little importance to their PhD experience as a whole.

@likewater I got the same memo, but I know there were other admits who did not. Just curious if there were any official funding offers. Best of luck!

Did you hear anything about funding?

I received an email from Florida State over a month ago saying my application was undergoing initial departmental review, and another this week saying the department review committee has it for official review. Hopeful to hear final decision before March!

Whether it's useful or not the GRE Q has a meaningful impact in admissions, a low score will be used to disqualify your application. A 160 puts you well in the bottom quartile for the available data among Biostats applicants, and I think that will really hurt your application. I don't like the GRE, the first time I took it got a 155 on the quant and walked in 3 weeks later with a few practice tests and got a 166. I don't know why a timed test on low level math has such an impact on admissions, but it does and it's absolutely in your ability to boost your score to a 165+. I also think aiming for a 155+ verbal is probably worthwhile.