EmilyGeis

Undergrad Institution: Virginia Wesleyan University (tiny, low-ranked liberal arts school) Major(s): Mathematics Minor(s): Chemistry, Religious Studies GPA: 3.89 Type of Student: domestic white female GRE General Test: Didn't take because it wasn't required for any of my applications Programs Applying: Biostatistics (mostly MS but some PhD) Research Experience: Independent research experience with chemistry minor (I did a meta-analysis on an immunotherapy agent for non-small cell lung cancer, so kinda related to stats but technically chem research) Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Full tuition scholarship for four years of undergrad, graduating with honors in honors college, smaller activity-related scholarships, a couple of honor societies Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Internship with NATO's Innovation Hub- I was working with NATO's data analytics team at their headquarters near my campus on a project analyzing aviation data Letters of Recommendation: All three were math professors that I have very close relationships with so I'm sure they were all pretty strong. None of them are particularly well-known at all though. Math/Statistics Grades: Differential Equations (A), Logic and Proof (A), Linear Algebra (A), Multivariable Calc (A-), Algebraic Structures (A), Mathematical Models (B+), Real Analysis (A-), Cryptography (A-), Number Theory (A), Statistics (A), Statistical Models (A) Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: N/A Applying to Where: University of Michigan- Accepted in MS Program (no funding offered, applied to PhD) Columbia University- Accepted in MS Program ($6,000 per year offered, applied to PhD) New York University- Accepted in MS Program ($19,000 per year offered, applied to PhD) University of Wisconsin-Madison- Accepted (no funding offered) University of Massachusetts- Accepted ($5,000 offered per year) University at Albany SUNY- Accepted ($4,000 per year offered) University of Washington- Rejected Comments: I'm super excited to be attending the University of Michigan this fall! As almost everybody on here says (even though I never listened to it), don't stress too much about the application process! I was so convinced I wasn't going to get accepted into any of the schools I was applying to that, even though my current backpack was practically shredded, I told my mom not to get me a new one for Christmas. I thought my lack of graduate classes and applicable research experience would make me an immediate rejection, and I also thought that my undergrad institution (a tiny, low-ranked and unknown liberal arts school) would make matters even worse. So I'm hoping that this can be encouraging for someone cause I've learned that it's not all about undergrad prestige or having super famous recommenders (those definitely help but not necessary). I would recommend starting your essays early (maybe August or September) and rereading them over the course of a few months so you have a lot of time to tweak your writing. It's also beneficial to have someone experienced reading over them as well, as it can be hard to know what grad schools are expecting in the essays. And finally, be kind to yourself. You've worked hard to get to where you are and everything will end up working out.