GeekySarah

Thank you both for your honesty. I have a lot to think about. I'm probably going to do go to a master's in statistics program this spring (somewhere besides at U of I) and wait to apply for a PhD program next year. I will make it a priority to get research experience! My whole motivation behind getting into statistics research was to be on the cutting edge of machine learning and data analysis. Which I think really comes from statistics first.

I finished my masters in Data Analytics in May. Now I want to go for a PhD in statistics. Undergrad: Computer Science at Illinois State University GPA 2.9, 3.3 in major Good grades in CS classes (As & Bs) not as good in math classes for my (unfinished) minor. One repeat and one D. Grad: Data Analytics at University of Illinois Springfield GPA: 3.7 GRE (from four years ago): Verbal 166 (97%), Quant. 157 (64%), Writing 3.5 (39%) -- I plan to take this again in September and will study more for the Quant portion! Master's closure project in machine learning and natural language processing. LoR: One confirmed from master's capstone class, pretty sure he was impressed with my project/work. Could ask for one from manager at on-campus min. wage job. Her letter might be relevant for a TA position... Not sure about #3... Research: None really. My MS program was entirely focused on getting a job. (Only one prof ever mentioned his research!) My research interests are in machine learning and creating new algorithms using statistics. My top choice is Univ of Illinois UC. Should I apply to the MS program and switch after a year? Or is there a chance of acceptance into a PhD program? If it matters I'm a female domestic, Illinois resident. Thanks for any advice!