lhfields

guys any word from Cornell stats?

HBS?

Haha, but it comes down to whether you get interview offers or not. And you already have informal ones lined up or already had one Me = zilch

Undergrad: BC (Econ) Grad: Ivy (Math) GRE: 750/700 Math Course: Basic stats and probability courses + Calc I, II, III + undergrad stochastic processes, real/complex analysis (undergrad) Research: Honors thesis in college, independent project at graduate school Work Experience: 3 summer internships SoP: A narrative style why I want to do research/teach and the topics I am interested. LoR: two from undergrad + one from grad. Hopefully it is at minimum as glowing as all the other ones. Lol

I am in a different discipline, but I think I can add my 2-cent. The main topic seems to be 'fit'. If you were an undergrad applying to Ivies, the fit question should concern you more. This was a huge deal for me, because I was in between going to small liberal arts college where 50% of its student population came from New England and a big public university where I might feel lost and confused for the first year and half. I think this fit question is seen in a different angle when you apply to doctoral programs. It isn't so much whether you can go to frat parties or get to mingle with your dorm friends. After all, doctoral programs are designed to promote a small-group intellectual production under your adviser's apprenticeship. So the relevant 'fit' question, to me at least, is whether the professors in the department and people in the program are productive, not completely insane, and truly care about academic collaboration and beyond-the-program placements. If it is the case that your general fit to the student body and school is a more discernible issue to you, then it maybe better for you to talk to the admissions office, probably the undergrad one, to get a sense of what a typical day is like on campus. I am less empathetic to your concerns about the prestigious schools pursuing fame and fortune and virtually care nothing. I think a more relevant issue should be whether the professors in your accepted program care about his or her students. Hope my 2-cent helps.

So... Not yet for the Business Economics program!??

Haha, no I really mean it. I applied to top Finance programs and NOT keeping my fingers crossed, because my specs are just not as competitive as they should be. But oh well! That's really cool. I haven't had any informal/formal interviews. I am hoping to get some phone interviews at some point in Feb, but of course no high hopes. I am from Boston, so I was excited to hear (from urch) that you were visiting beantown. I prefer staying in Boston, so I applied to a couple of schools here. Geographical location is something I take into account. Do you have any geographical preference? I see you are from the lone star state. One of my friends is from UT Austin and wasn't too happy with the Longhorn's performance this year. Lolz. Speaking of which, NY Mayor Bloomberg anticipates Jets kicking Patriots butt soon and also making all the way to the Super Bowl. Have a good rest of Sunday. p.s. urch is an informative forum, but I do agree people there tend to be more insane than that of thegradcafe. But I have empathy for their insanity. Being in a limbo feels suckyyyyy. -L.

Hi there, please substantiate your claim.

hey, i saw your reply in one of the threads on urch. you truly have an amazing profile. did you have interviews already? how did it go? please provide some insights if you will! best of luck, lawrence

I haven't received any calls. I can feel my brain exploding.

Hi, To your OP question, I think there exist many industry jobs for math PhDs. Since you premised that you are interested in applied math not pure math, you can essentially align your industry career path with the subfield in your future doctoral program. For example, I know a guy who specialized in stochastic processes and inventory control and was employed by Dell as inventory controller. You mentioned doing OR, and I also know an OR PhD who specialized in hazard estimation and risk management and ended up as associate at Goldman Sachs (NYC). You can get a decent industry job if you plan carefully. However, I echo one of the replies that if you are planning to get an industry job, doing a PhD in applied math not be necessary. One caveat to the two job placements I mentioned is that they are all on a technical side of the industry. If you ever want to climb up the corporate ladder, you will need to compete with MBAs: managerial skills are key. Don't get me wrong, if you look at Pandit from Citi, he got PhD in Finance from CBS. And we all know Finance PhD is, in effect, a combination of applied math, stats, OR, and economics (Note he got MS from Columbia Fu). That said, if you want to side with development and research of products, markets, and the like, getting a job after Math or OR PhD sounds OK. Though my two-cent is that a long-term goal should always be making a leap to managerial positions in a firm. -LHF

Think of this way: Boston Red Sox and Fenway. Harvard. Hear, hear.

The OP seems to indicate that the trade-off basically boils down to prestige v. location. Academically speaking, I think UW program is great. My undergrad math dept head was UW PhD, and he was excellent. I am a Cornellian, so I am biased, but your access to resources Cornell math faculty provides will be unreal. As for living, Ithaca can be snowy, cloudy, and cold. I have never visited UW, but I strongly recommend visiting both places. I don't know how many offers are made each year and whether the accepted students ever come visit, but getting an idea how the town works, whether it is college-y, or the like is important. I mean, you will be spending about 4-6 years! LHF

I second Matt.

Aloha, Hawaii. Oahu. Wonderful. Please go visit Hanauma bay, North shore, Ko Olina, Kailua park, and all other wonderful places in other islands. The only thing you should worry is getting a solid GRE score and personal statement. Also, I think it won't hurt to apply directly as PhD though chances might decrease. Remember, most Master's degree in stats don't offer funding, if any a very little amount. To enhance your quantitative background, taking more probability courses such as theory of probability, statistical methods, and stochastic processes, might be a good idea. I've been to UH Manoa library many times, and they are awesome. LHF

My two-cent: - When you say "employers", which sector and industry are you looking at? - I think it actually doesn't matter. Even to industry people, your research topic and expertise matter the most. I've seen successful cases in both econ and stats PhD programs. For example, take a look at a econ or stat PhD who want to get a private sector job in finance. You can specialize in financial econometrics under econ PhD. Likewise, you can specialize in something like jump processes, control theory, queueing, and the like under stats PhD. So, it all depends on your research topic. LHF

The closest that I could come up with is U.S News Rankings. I am sure there are other online sources that are less credible but still legitimate to scout on. Since you still have few years till applying for the degree, the best way to get inside information on the strengths and specialities of top business schools is asking your industry people, alum, and colleagues. LHF

Fully funded students: I remember dealing with this last year. I think you just need to give a quick phone call to Bursar or, even a faster route, talk to your department advisor. I think the due date says something like August 6th, but it is my belief that the charges will drop for those who are fully funded even if they occur on your next billing cycle. Just an administrative cost to deal with. Student activity fee: Mandatory! Go to Big Red Barn to get cheap beer on Fridays! Hooray.