daniel1
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Posts posted by daniel1
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On 5/15/2020 at 9:14 PM, StatsG0d said:
It will help your application for sure, but not as much as taking the classes. Analysis is a prerequisite for most PhD programs. If it's not officially a prerequisite, it's highly recommended. Given that you are an international student, you will face stiff competition from other international students who have taken Analysis. You don't want to preclude yourself from consideration by not having the minimum background.
If you're interested in machine learning and AI and you don't want to take the math courses, perhaps you should consider a CS program.
On 5/15/2020 at 9:39 PM, Stat Postdoc Soon Faculty said:I think research experience does help the application a bit insofar as you can possibly get a good recommendation letter out of it. One of the posters on this forum is an international student from Australia who was admitted to Harvard, Duke, and University of Washington Statistics, and they had experience doing applied statistics in public health/epidemiology research (however, they *also* had a ton of math from a top university in Australia). You probably wouldn't do methodological/theoretical (bio)statistics research with a Stat/Biostat professor unless you are a PhD student in stat or biostat. But as a Masters student, you could definitely do some applied/clinical research and get a good recommendation letter out of that.
That said, having more math is much more important. So if you had to choose coursework vs. research, I would prioritize taking more math classes and getting good grades in them.
Appreciate the practical advice and sharing of experience.
I was due to read math courses at berkeley/nyu as a non-degree seeking student (start jan 2020), but had to shelve this course of action due to covid-19. (I'm an international applicant)Would anyone have chanced upon a real analysis course that allows remote exams* and gives a grade?
*maybe in a setting similar to the GRE exams haha
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On 5/12/2020 at 10:55 PM, Stat Postdoc Soon Faculty said:
Scoring well on the math subject GRE is sometimes helpful for someone with a non-traditional background like yourself. But it wouldn't be *nearly* as helpful as getting a Masters (or just taking advanced math classes at a local university as a non-degree seeking student) or some research experience. The majority of international applicants have high scores on the subject test, and yet, a lot of them are shut out of top PhD programs in Stats. And I believe one poster (also international) on this forum was also a non-traditional applicant who got research experience while working on a Masters at Harvard, and he was admitted to Statistics PhD programs at Harvard, Duke, and Berkeley -- even without submitting the subject test score. So the subject test is by no means sufficient NOR necessary to get into a reputable PhD program in Stats.
I don't see that you have taken real analysis or any upper division proof-based math classes besides discrete math, and your math background will be considerably lighter than the most competitive international applicants. So I would recommend that you work on strengthening your math background and seeing if you can get some research experience rather than preparing for the math subject GRE. A Masters would help you do both of those. (Note: by "research experience," I don't mean that you need to be publishing first-author papers in stat journals -- the PhD program should train you to do that. But you could volunteer some time to collaborate on a project with an established professor, so you can get a good letter of recommendation speaking to your "research potential").
Appreciate you taking the time to write this
. Reading this, I suppose I should aim for a M.S. in Statistics rather than a PhD at the moment.
I don't think I would be able to get hold of a professor in statistics given that I didn't major/minor in stats.
Do you think that publishing in a related field like machine learning/AI be (more/less/equally helpful/ uncertain) compared to taking math classes as a non-degree student w.r.t. a MS/PhD application?
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Hello. Hope everyone's coping during this difficult covid19 period.
I come from a non-traditional background and would like to pursue Statistics, perhaps via a rigorous M.S. Statistics program as a first step. Would apply to a PhD program if my profile were competitive and if I had a fairly solid idea of the areas that interest me.
The following are questions I have on my mind. Would be grateful if you could share your thoughts/experiences regarding these:
- Will a good score on the GRE math subject test help?
- Will publishing at a machine learning venue help?
- Am I targeting the right universities?
Undergrad Institution: A non-US, top 25 in THES & QS rankings
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Mathematical Finance
GPA: 3.80/4.00
Student type: International
Relevant Courses:
Probability (year 1 course), Statistics (year 1 course), Multivariate Calculus, Linear Algebra, Discrete math, Data Structures and Algorithms, Quantitative Finance.
(Grades are A's and the occasional B.)
(Have not taken real analysis)General GRE: Verbal 163 93%; Quant 169 95%; Ana 5 92%
GRE Mathematics Subject Test: should i take this?
Experience: Currently a machine learning research engineer with 3 years of experience. Trying hard but still struggling to publish at reputable venues.
Aspiration: Enter a PhD program, or seek a job whose functions are related to statistics preferably in tech (a familiar industry) as a Plan B out of academia.
Universities in my watchlist and thoughts about them (open to hearing your opinion):
California:
-UC Berkeley (Did not apply. My profile isn't competitive for PhD. M.A. Stats program seems more for preparing students for industry.)
-UCLA (waiting for reply)
-UC Davis (No thesis option for M.S.)
-USC (admitted for M.S.)Canada:
University of Toronto (Should I apply?)
University of Waterloo (Should I apply?)New York:
Columbia (M.A. Stats. Should I apply?)
NYU (M. Applied Stats. Don't think I should apply.)
Cornell (No terminal masters)Stay safe during this period and remember that you aren't alone in this difficult time. Thanks for reading!
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On 4/16/2020 at 2:48 AM, bayessays said:
Most MS programs in statistics are "cash cows", but ultimately it's up to you whether it's worth it. USC has solid professors, but I would look into whether they are actually teaching the MS classes or whether they're taught by adjuncts/grad students. The curriculum looks pretty standard and like it would give you a good foundation. But if it costs $70k/year, I'd try to find a cheap option.
Thanks so much for the advice.
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Hello all. It's my first time posting here and I apologize if it's not the right forum for such a post.
Would anyone here happen to know of the pros & cons of USC's M.S. in Statistics?
I mean no offense, but if I may be blunt, some friends have shared that some USC's master programmes are "cash cows". I couldn't find much candid commentary on USC's M.S. in Statistics online and am hoping that stats grad students may be able to weigh in. Subjective opinions are okay
Thanks for reading.
USC = University of Southern California (in case the acronym USC is overloaded)
Columbia CS@CU MS Bridge Program in Computer Science
in Waiting it Out
Posted
Regarding CS@CU MS (not the bridge program i think), a friend shared his email from CU (dated 12 May):
Hello,
Thank you for your application to the CS@CU MS program! This email is to let you know that the faculty on the MS Admissions Committee are still reviewing applications. At this time your application remains at the review stage however we hope to have more information in the coming week. We understand that this is a very important time in your life and we greatly appreciate your continued patience as the committee works to give each application careful consideration and attention. If the committee has any questions or concerns we will reach out to you directly and/or to your reference providers which we have been doing these past few months as necessary. We do not need to personally speak to every applicant we offer admission to but sometimes the admissions committee will determine that it is extremely helpful.