I am an International student completing Master's in an US institute. I am applying for Ph.D. programs in Biostatistics for Fall 2020. I have a good GPA, industrial and research experience and strong LORs. My main concern is my low GRE score and that I don't have any publications. I will be publishing my Master's thesis but not before I complete the applications.
Undergrad Institution: International, one of the top universities, good reputation
Major: Statistics
GPA: 72% (converted using WES - 3.58 GPA)
Grad Institution: Top 100 in USA
Degree: MS. Applied Statistics 50% scholarship
GPA: 3.89/4.0
Student: International, female
Courses:
Courses (Sem I, II, III and IV): Fundamentals of Statistical Theory (A), Regression Analysis (A), Statistical Software – R and SAS (A), Design of Experiments (A), Predictive Analytics (B+), Design & Analysis of Clinical Trials (A), Categorical Data Analysis (A), Non-parametric Statistics and Bootstrapping (A -).
GRE: 160 Q, 150 V, 3.5 AW, scores are 3 years old
TOEFL: 104
Research/Work Experience: 3 years as a Data Analyst in a global Fortune 500 Market research company (native country), during Masters in USA - 2 and half years as a Teaching Assistant with 6 professors, 1 year as Research Assistant with 2 professors, 6 months with a startup as a Statistical Analyst Intern. Currently working as a Clinical Research Assistant within an Analysis unit at a Medical Center of a reputed University.
Judge and Mentor for a Datathon arranged for Undergrad students. Have attended a conference in 2019. Both events were associated with American Statistical Association.
Two Awards of Excellence when I worked as Data Analyst before Master's.
Won Best Teaching Assistant Award as well.
Expecting strong Letters of Recommendation.
Applying to:
University of Rochester Ph.D. in Statistics - concentration in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
University of Maryland - Ph.D. in Statistics - Biostatistics and Bioinformatics concentration
University of Buffalo - Ph.D. in Biostatistics
University of California, Riverside - Ph.D. in Applied Statistics
University of California, Davis - Ph.D. in Biostatistics
Penn State - Ph.D. in Biostatistics
University of Texas, Dallas
Is my choice of Universities appropriate with my profile? Am I aiming too low considering my work experience, research experience and GPA.
Which of the above Universities conduct an interview before giving an admit?
Please suggest some top universities which might be a good fit with my profile.