SteelBite

I applied to 14 schools. It definitely can be done without stretching yourself thin, but it does require some money and careful documentation of your applications (I had an excel spreadsheet). My reasons were a combination of being international (so lower admission odds), wanting to get into a top school, and fear of getting in nowhere, mostly by seeing discussions here. I ended up getting into one of my top choices, so looking back I'd drop a few schools, admission in general is a bit easier than it's made out to be here. Best of luck!

Undergrad Institution: Foreign tech school, ranked 101-150 in mathematics on ARWU Major(s): Mathematics Minor(s): N/A GPA: 91.1 (converted to 3.94 with WES) Type of Student: International white male GRE General Test: Q: 170 (96%) V: 162 (90%) W: 4.0 (54%) GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: N/A TOEFL Score: 116 = R30/L30/S27/W29 Grad Institution: Same Concentration: Mathematics GPA: 97.2, but incomplete Programs Applying: Statistics PhD at all places except for MIT (mathematics) Research Experience: Worked on some abstract algebraic topology problem and got preliminary results, can't really call it research Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 4xDean's list, cum laude Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for 2.5 years, taught linear algebra, abstract algebra and fundamentals. Also tutored in lots of subjects. Worked for two years in an unrelated software engineering-ish role Letters of Recommendation: The advisor the MSc I didn't finish, a professor who saw me deliver a few seminar lectures and my real analysis professor. The first might have some recognition, but not in statistics. Math/Statistics Grades: Not going to list everything, but I guess the important ones are: Calc-based probability 99, Real Analysis 95, Numerical Analysis 96, Optimisation Theory 83, Intro to Applied Mathematics 83, ODEs 88 Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Some of the math classes mentioned were grad classes, along with more grad classes in algebra and topology Applying to Where: Harvard (statistics) - Rejected MIT (mathematics) - Rejected Columbia (statistics) - Interview, then Rejected NYU Stern (statistics at IOMS) - Rejected UPenn Wharton (statistics) - Rejected CMU (statistics and data science) - Rejected Pitt (statistics) - Waitlisted, then declined UT Austin (statistics and data science) - Rejected UChicago (statistics) - Accepted and attending! Northwestern (statistics) - Rejected UW Madison (statistics) - Waitlisted, declined after later being contacted by an adcom member due to preferring UChicago UWashington (statistics) - Rejected UCLA (statistics) - Rejected USC Marshall (statistics at DSO) - Rejected Comments: Overall very happy with the results. I was afraid I'd get in nowhere, but in retrospect people give too much weight to nonsense like essays or GRE subject exams, and real admission rates are higher than what is presented. I got a bit bummed after Columbia got my hopes up only to later dash them, but UChicago should be great.

Yep, they sent out an email telling me to ignore it.

Just got an email from Pitt (oddly enough, from SCI rather than Dietrich, where the stats department is located) that an offer of graduate admission to the PhD in statistics should be available at my account on the university website, and that my academic advisor is Dr. None (hmm). This seemed odd, especially since applications only closed on Saturday, so I logged onto the system and sure enough, the decision was still pending. I followed up with the sender for further details, will keep y'all posted.

Finished filling out my last application today. Applied to 14 statistics PhD programmes, and some are definitely ambitious. Hope I get into one, and that some life signs will show in January since I hate this waiting game.

It is indeed optional, but nothing "optional" on the applications truly feels that way to me.

Hey everyone! I'm applying to 14 stats programmes this year, and three of them are under business schools (Wharton, Stern and Marshall). I'm particularly worried about Stern's personal statement. What does an international white heterosexual male who does not lean left have to contribute to diversity? I could go on about teaching underprivileged high schoolers and soldiers at various points in life, but that seems to somewhat miss the point, and I don't want to come off as a white saviour.

Hi everyone, Now that my LoR writers have submitted all of the letters, I'm thinking of getting them something as a token of my appreciation. Is this customary? If so, what have you guys gotten your LoR writers? Thanks!

A few hours ago I got an email from UCLA asking me to specify my faculty preferences. Is this standard protocol for the department?

Update: Taking classes (in particular mathematical statistics; linear and logistic models and nonparametric tests; causal inference; non-cooperative games; computational statistics), though sadly no grades will be available by the time applications close. Does this work in my favour? Still stressing out about being an international candidate with no statistical research experience and fearing a worst-case scenario where I get rejected by every single one of the schools.

As I'm filling out the forms, most of them are asking for previous honours and awards I've received, most of which do not detail a time period. Scholarships, graduating cum laude and making the dean's list seem like obvious additions, but should I address accomplishments in national high school level mathematics olympiads, or would that be too old/irrelevant? Thanks!

Yes, it was the same class. Thanks for the suggestion.

That's a fair point. I actually had great grades, especially in the classes most relevant to my research, but insecurities caused a lot of other issues which led to me dropping out. I have worked out those issues and have found a field in which my interest is more robust, so I am far more confident regarding my ability to succeed at the moment. Perhaps I should mention that said lecturer is not a research professor, but rather a long-time external lecturer. Either way, thank you for your input.

Hi, I'm applying to PhD programmes in statistics after an undergraduate degree in mathematics and a failed master's in a very different mathematical area. My adviser in said master's and a professor from the department with whom I took one class and two seminars are going to write rec letters for me, but I'm not sure which of these routes is best for my third rec letter: 1. A prof with whom I took a relevant class and got a great grade (99 in probability and 95 in real analysis, two different profs) but otherwise doesn't know me very well. 2. A TA from two classes (probablity and calc 1) who knows me better, has already finished his PhD and is now doing a PhD in mathematical data science at a top 50 institution. 3. A lecturer with whom I worked as a TA for five semesters and created reworked class notes. Thanks!

Updates: Took the TOEFL, not worried about my score there. Still waiting for registration to open for the mathematics GRE. Going to take an intro to statistical modelling class at a local university (Shanghai 76-100 subject ranking in statistics) this coming autumn semester, so sadly no grade by the time applications are due. Also considering a class in mathematical finance. Would these look good on my application? At any rate, I plan on doing a master's there if I don't get into a PhD programme. As far as my research interests go, I'm mostly interested in applications of statistics in finance and medicine. As far as schools and expectations go, are these realistic? Reach: Harvard, Penn, Columbia, Chicago, CMU, Washington, UCLA, UW, MIT (mathematics department) Target: UT Austin, OSU, Northwestern, Pitt Attainable: Rutgers, NYU, USC, Boston U

Thank you for the non-coddling response. The lower-ranked programmes on my radar are at Rutgers, NYU, USC and Boston U, and the moderately ranked ones are UT Austin, OSU, Northwestern and Pitt. At least some of these still seem to be rather selective, so perhaps going further down would be a better idea. Basically, my three main considerations are academic rigour, a decently sized metro area where one can live without a car and the size of the stipend.

Update: I've gotten my (incomplete) MSc advisor and another professor from my alma mater with whom I took a class and two seminars (alas, in algebra) to agree to write rec letters for me, and I'm pretty sure the algebra professor is going to give me a very strong letter. Would a TA with whom I took calc 1 and probability and knows me fairly well be a good choice for my third rec letter, or should I go with a professor who knows me vaguely? I should also mentioned that I scored 83 in both optimisation and intro to applied mathematics (Fourier series, advanced ODE and dimensional analysis). I guess I still want to understand my reach/realistic/safety range for schools given my stats.

Thank you for your input! I went to the Technion (Israel). Most students here aren't really interested in studying in the US as far as I know, but some have gone on to doctoral programmes and postdocs at various schools in Germany, as well as ETH/EPFL. As far as North America goes, a couple of years back, one switched mid-masters to a maths PhD at Caltech, and a few PhD graduates have gone on to postdocs at IAS, Michigan and Toronto. As the usual annual cohort of pure math students is in the single digits, mine included, I'm not sure how much meaning class rank would hold, but I did graduate cum laude. As far as my interest in statistics goes, I've enjoyed manually compiling and deducing from data since childhood, I found the undergrad probability class easy, and the parts I like best about my job are the quantitative ones, where I have to reduce large arithmetic problems. I also have an interest in using quantitative mathods, particularly time series analysis, in order to contribute to our understanding of success in financial markets and optimising healthcare down the road. I've also learned a lot on kaggle, and would love to back up my technical knowledge there with statistical theory. How does one go about finding a reasearch project, especially when out of school for a year and a half? The competitions were mostly Israeli-based ones and at the high school level so I don't know if that would hold any weight, but I did get a honourable mention at the tournament of towns, which over here also serves as an IMO feeder. I definitely plan on registering for the subject exam as soon as ETS allows it.

Hi, I graduated with a degree in mathematics from a non-American tech school (ranked 151-200 for mathematics by ARWU) in 2018 and dropped out after a year of grad school in mathematics at the same institution. After working as a formal verification engineer for over a year, I've decided to apply for a PhD in statistics in the coming round. These are my stats: BSc GPA: 91.1/100 (cum laude) Major GPA: 90.8 Unfinished MSc GPA: 97.2 GRE: 170Q, 162V, 4 AW I plan on taking the GRE subject in mathematics. Relevant classes: Calc 1 (differential calculus in one variable): 88 Calc 2 (integrals and basics of multivariable calculus): 95 Calc 3 (advanced multivariable calculus): 100 Linear Algebra 1 (up to eigenvalues and CH): 92 Linear Algebra 2 (JNF, inner product spaces and bilinear forms): 92 ODE: 88 Intro to numerical analysis (mostly about evaluating functions, derivatives and integrals rather than matrix products): 96 Intro to probability (up to CLT and SLLN): 99 Real analysis: 95 I've taken many more classes in mathematics, though I'm not sure how relevant topology or abstract algebra would be. With the exception of complex analysis, I got 83 or more in every class in mathematics. Research: Not much, but proved the conjecture made in my MSc for the basic cases. Other skills: Strong C and python skills, working knowledge of sklearn and xgboost TA'd linear algebra for EE for five semesters, have my own PDF for it, and recognised for excellence in teaching in three of those semesters. Also TA'd several other classes. Other remarks: Currently going over Larry Wasserman's All of Statistics to make up for the lack of statistical background Won and placed at several national mathematics olympiads I'd love to get some input on my profile, including what I could improve. I've made a preliminary list of 15 institutions in the US, but at this point I'm clueless as to how realistic it would be. Thanks!