statisticality

Undergrad Institution: Small, private liberal arts school Major(s): Mathematics Minor(s): Art History GPA: 3.4 Type of Student: Domestic Female, white GRE General Test: Q: 162 (78%) V: 161 (88%) W: 4.0 (55%) GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: n/a M: n/a TOEFL Score: n/a Grad Institution: No other grad experience. Programs Applying: Statistics MA/MS only Research Experience: None Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor/TA for Math department Letters of Recommendation: 2 math professors, 1 math professor who was my advisor, & boss from TA job. I knew all of them well. Math/Statistics Grades: Calculus II: A- Programing (Python): B+ Calculus III: B- Differential Equations: A Linear Algebra: B Topology: C- Probability and Statistics: B Number Theory: A Abstract Algebra: B+ Discrete Mathematics: A Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Nothing that I can think of atm. Applying to Where: UCI (MS) / Admitted / Declined UCD (MS) / Rejected UCLA (MS) / Ghosted (definitely rejected) Pending on 4/19 Columbia (MA) / Admitted with $10k scholarship & TA Grading job / Accepted UVA (MS) / Admitted / Declined UW (MS) / Rejected Reflection and advice: I decided to apply to graduate school pretty late in my senior year. Due to the pandemic, I worried that I would struggle to find jobs, so around September I decided to give applying a shot. Originally, I'd planned to apply to many more schools than I did. I thought I would almost certainly get rejected everywhere I was inclined to attend and had basically decided to take a gap year and apply again the next, so why waste money on sure bet applications? I thought I'd applied to schools that were mostly out of my reach, but I guess that wasn't the case. I was floored to get accepted to the programs I was. Though I'd done some research on the programs, my reasoning for choosing the schools I did was mostly based on the undergraduate and PhD programs at the institutions. It turned out that finding information about Masters programs is a pretty tough task. I think I probably got accepted to the best programs I was going to, but I wish I'd done a little bit more research before accepting Columbia's offer. I was under the impression that Columbia was an excellent program (because the PhD program there is superb). However, it seems that Columbia's MA program accepts a higher percentage of applicants than do other Ivy League schools' Stats Masters programs. I'm happy with my decision, though. I would recommend looking into the LinkedIn profiles of former students at various programs of interest to you to see how employable they are. If I could do it again, I would also reach out to alums to ask about their experiences, to help determine fit. The great majority of Columbia admits that I've had contact with had a math background, which surprised me, especially since the program isn't as theoretical as others I applied to. I wouldn't be shocked if this was the case with other programs, as well. With time (after I applied), I realized that departmental websites have a huge amount of helpful information that is difficult to access. Taking a good amount of time to truly scour programs' websites would likely help in determining what you are looking for in a Master's education. Disclaimer: It's totally possible that I was comparatively uninformed, going into the application process, since I had 2-3 months to do research between deciding to apply and applying. I think I was probably on the lower end in terms of gpa/gre scores of accepted students to those programs that I got into. I think that my letters of rec were probably pretty humanizing, since I knew all of my recommenders very well. I imagine they talked about me, as a person, not as a student. This is because I go to a small school and was able to develop connections with them, which was likely evident in their letters. I also spent a long time on my personal statement and statement of purpose essays. For the most part, I ignored my grades and lack of experience in the field, instead opting to write a story about the most interesting aspects of my application. I don't know how much my letters of recommendation helped me, but I worked to make sure they weren't dry and showed off the best parts of who I am. I'm sure different admissions committees look for different strengths in their applicants, so doing research on what different programs like to see is always helpful. Honestly, I think that grad apps can't really go wrong, since there's always next year (which might be naive of me). I think putting a ton of pressure on yourself will only make your sops and personal statements worse. Especially since work experience and/or internships are such a help in getting into Stats programs, taking a gap year can only really help your application, as long as you use the time wisely. I hope this helps someone, and good luck to all the future Stats grad students out there!