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ElanMorin

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  1. I am nearing completion of a masters program in a social science. I had begun the program with the intent of applying to PhD programs after completing the masters, but in the course of the program and my professional work in the last two years I have realized I'm much more interested in studying advanced statistics. So I am now looking at PhD programs in statistics. However, while I've taken a graduate sequence in research methods that included statistics, and have taken math through Calc III, I've found that most graduate programs in statistics require coursework in real analysis, mathematical statistics, and/or probability theory as a prerequisite for admission. My undergraduate degree is also in the social sciences. So I have two questions: 1.) First, is it totally unreasonable for me to expect a PhD program in statistics to admit me without having either a bachelors or masters degree in math or statistics. Has anyone here been admitted to a program with a similar background? 2.) Second, are there any available ways to take real analysis or other higher level mathematics classes online for a relatively low price? I'm fairly confident that I will do well in those classes if I take them and that will hopefully help my PhD application. But there don't seem to be any math classes offered online beyond Calc III, even at places like University of Illinois NetMath. I feel like there should be a way to take a Real Analysis class without shelling out $3000 for it, since its a pretty standard class that's offered at nearly every university. Any responses would be very helpful.
  2. I don't have any inside knowledge here, but I would imagine that its because its fairly easy to tell someone's aptitude for say, quantitative work, by looking at GRE scores, grades in math/stats/methods classes, etc. But for theory the question is, can this person think critically about political theory to the level required to do a PhD dissertation. Whether a person can do so is better attributed to by a professor who has gotten to know the student, worked with them on a research project, had out of class conversations on the subject, etc, as compared to that student having gotten an A in the one theory class they had as an undergrad (or none in your case).
  3. To Appleguy - I'm in a very similar spot (though with a lower uGPA, higher MA GPA, and higher GREs) and am also finishing an MA and looking to apply for next year. The advice that I've gotten from everyone is that applying with a sub 3.0 GPA means that its even more of a crapshoot then it is for everyone else, but that you still have a reasonable shot if the rest of your app is strong. I'm planning to apply to at least 10 schools, mostly mid range programs that are strong in my specialty but a couple top 25 ones. Also, if you were legitimately ill in undergrad and that's a reason for your low grades in a couple semesters, it might be worth mentioning somewhere on your application. Alas for me, I have no such excuse, other than that I was young, played too much Half-Life, and went to a school that fought very hard to buck the trend on grade inflation. Also, would love to hear what your experience is at GMU. I've heard very good things about the program there, and was considering applying to the PhD program this fall.
  4. The only thing I would caution you about is the cost and debt level. NYU is an extremely expensive school in a very expensive place to live. Depending on your financial situation, it may not be worth going $50k in the hole for a year, it will seriously hurt your ability to save money and generally have a reasonable lifestyle in your first few years as a AP making $60k a year. Not sure what state you live in, but might be worth seeing if applications are still being accepted for an in-state MA program near where you live. It might not have the same prestige as NYU, but an MA from a reasonable state program would be a fraction of the cost, especially if you can live at home, and would still give you the opportunity to do the kind of graduate work that would impress admissions committees for next year. Alternately you could just enroll for a handful of graduate courses at a program like that as a nondegree student to get some political theory courses under your belt. Again, this depends on your personal situation, but I would think long and hard before choosing a course that involves taking on a massive amount of debt to launch a career that won't pay big bucks. I know a lot of people who did so in their early 20s and really regret it in their late 20s/early 30s when it comes time to get married, buy a house, etc.
  5. Someone mentioned the National Review review of Atlas Shrugged. It was actually written by none other than Whitaker Chambers during his brief time writing for NR. Best quote: I've heard that Ayn Rand was so upset by the review that for the rest of her life, if William F. Buckley ever walked into a room she was in, she immediately left the room. That being said, I do agree its an important book to read, if only to be able to refute its faux intellectualism to anyone who ever tells you that they're a big Ayn Rand fan. I definitely skimmed the 100 page speech towards the end of the book though.
  6. From what I've heard from people at the program, as well as the general sense I've gotten from seeing which professors are prominently represented at Conferences etc, Catholic is a great place to study theory. It's also in DC, which presents its own opportunities. If you want to study other subfields though South Carolina is probably better. Also, the cost issue is very important to keep in mind. I've lived in both DC and Columbia, South Carolina and you can get an apartment in Columbia for literally 1/4-1/3 the cost of an equivalent apartment in DC. Columbia is a very, very cheap place to live, which is great if you're living on a stipend and don't want to take out a lot of loans.
  7. I have a question for The Realist. How did the department generally react to people with very low undergraduate GPAs but solid applications otherwise. Specifically, applicants who had done poorly in undergrad but then later did well in an MA program. I've read on some departments sites that they won't consider anyone with less than a 3.0 UGPA, but its not clear how that's affected by MA grades. Was there anyone with that profile that you admitted, and if so what convinced you to let them in? I'm looking to apply for Fall 2012 (finishing terminal MA this year) but am concerned about my application getting "weeded out" due to low undergrad grades without the rest of my application being looked at, similar to the way you described applications with low GRE scores getting removed automatically.
  8. My question is how research experience outside academia looks on a CV / graduate application for PhD programs. I've worked professionally doing survey and market research for the last several years, both political (campaigns, public affairs) and more traditional corporate stuff. I'd like to think I've learned as much or more about statistics and research methodology in the workplace as I would have as a research assistant to a professor. Will adcomms care at all about this since its research experience outside academia? What is the best way to position this in my application (and how much emphasis should I put on it)? I'm looking at PhD programs mostly in the 20-50 range.
  9. Even programs that have listed minimum GPAs? I've found that in several places the admissions websites basically say they are unlikely to look any further at your application if your GPA is under a 3.0.
  10. I'm trying to get a sense of what range of schools I should apply to. I did really poorly in undergrad - GPA under 2.5, particularly bad grades in math - at a top 40 university that has low average GPAs in comparison to most. Did better last two years, had about a 3.0 in last 60 hours. Graduated five years ago. After realizing a couple years ago I wanted to do a PhD I started a masters in political science at a well-known terminal MA program, which I'm almost finished with (GPA of 3.9+). I'm now looking at applying for next fall (2011) to PhD programs. GRE is 780Q/660V and have five years work experience in politics and public opinion research, with significant experience doing quantitative research. I'm aware the top 10-15 are probably out of the question because my u-gpa was so low, but I'm wondering how far below that I'll have to go before I stand a reasonable shot at getting in based on my work experience, MA grades, and GRE scores. Would appreciate the input of anyone here.
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