pcraw12

@bayessays Glad to hear it! Thanks for your input. If I were applying to the schools above for an MS would that be a pretty decent list given my background? or still too high? Also, we are nervous about student debt as well. I know MS students are much less likely to be given funding, so would you say most people just make it work by taking out loans?

Hello! I will be applying to statistics PhD programs this fall and would love any feedback. I had a rough semester of trying out Chemical Engineering and quickly found out how much I disliked chemistry, but eventually found statistics and fell in love with everything about it! As a result of my rough semester of ChemE, my grades dropped a bit (otherwise would be at about a 3.75 or so) and am considering mentioning that in my SOP. Here is my profile: Undergrad Institution: #66 in National Universities (US News) Major(s): Statistics: emphasis in Data Science, minor in Mathematics GPA: 3.62 Type of Student: Domestic White Male Relevant Courses: Math: Calculus 1-2 (A, A-). Linear Algebra (B), Fundamentals of Mathematics [proof-type class] (A-) Stats: Intro to Statistics (A). R programming 1-2 (B-, A), SAS programing 1-2 (A, B+), Analysis of Variance (B+), Probability and Inference 1 (B+), Intro to Regression (A) Misc.: Intro to Computer Programming (A) Currently enrolled: Data Structures, Calc III, Probability and Inference II, Big Data Science I GRE General Test: Q: 166 V: 153 W: TBD Research Experience: Two part time undergraduate research projects, one with the Dept. Chair of the Math department (who also happens to be a leader in the MAA) looking at stock-data for a hedge fund located in Brazil. The other was working with a stats professor collecting and analyzing data for the universities' golf team. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list, awarded for academic excellence during undergrad study. Received two Math awards for undergraduate performance. Letters of Recommendation: Two from the professors with whom I'm doing research. The other from a stats professor. Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Fluent in Portuguese! Again, as I said earlier, ChemE definitely didn't help my GPA out a ton... Also had an internship for a small tech company based out of Austin Texas, as a data analyst. Applying to Where: (Stats programs) Dream schools: UNC, UCLA Stretch: UT Austin, UC Davis, UVA Lower: VT, UCSB, SMU let me know if my aims are too high, or if there are any other schools I should consider.. my wife and I like CA/Texas/ and east coast.