ohrnor

I also got into Austin and talked to a faculty member and some students so far. Everything sounds great to me, and I'm not even that interested in Bayesian statistics. They are expanding (hiring more faculty and admitting more PhDs) and are/will be good at many other areas, in particular machine learning. Had I not have another offer that I can't say no too I would have chosen Austin, over NCSU which I also got into. I didn't get into/apply for other programs so I can't really speak on them but I'd agree that Austin is really good (location, stipend, vibe, research, etc.) and I can easily see their ranking rise. BUT all other schools are great so it really is up to your preferences.

by the way I don't want to reduce programs down to ranking. if you are interested in certain topics, look into that too! I was very confused last year as to what kind of programs are worth applying to for my profile, and knowing what I know now, I would've adjusted my strategies a bit. hindsight is 20/20 but I thought my experience might be useful for you, hence why I divided programs into tiers.

I have a pretty similar profile (refer to my previous post for details). In summary, I didn't do real analysis (I should have), have similar research experience, and higher GPA from a somewhat more prestigious/higher ranked uni. Based on my results and your profile, I would say Irvine and BU are match--I got into Irvine after being on their medium list and interviewing with them; I got into BU straightaway. Other schools are reaches, which is not to say that you don't have a chance, but do manage you expectations because applications are random and competitive. I would apply mostly in the top 10-40 range for statistics, top 10-20 programs are probably a bit of a reach and top 20-40 should be where you get some interest. Also look into biostatistics, it is not that different from statistics and doesn't require prior knowledge in biology. You can also apply to top 10-30 programs there to increase your chances. While more biostat applicants/current students seem to have a masters, it's entirely possible to get into a good program without one (like I did). For a good location, you might have to sacrifice ranking somewhat, which I don't think is a huge loss, especially if you don't want to go into academia.

Thanks so much! Would you say I need to add more safe schools to make sure at least I get into one school? If so any recommendation is appreciated.

Hey y'all, please take a look at my profile and chance me. Don't hold back on your assessments as I am very lost as to what schools would be match or safe. Gender : Asian Female Ethnicity : International Student Undegrad Institution : Top 30 Private University, average math department and a new statistics (not called this) department Major : Economics + Applied math and statistics GPA : 3.982 (one B+ from upper elective econ class taken freshman year, everything else is A) Relevant Courses : ALL A's Math/Statistics/ECON : Math Econ, multivariable calc, ODE, PDE, discrete math, linear algebra, numerical analysis, applied PDE, convex optimization, math stat 1 + 2 intro to stat, stat computing (R), machine learning, parametric estimation, nonparametric estimation, intermediate micro + macro, econometrics, causal inference, game theory, PhD level classes biostat department: causal inference; econ department: micro theory 1+2 General GRE : Quant 170 (94%) , Verbal 169 (99%), Writing 4.5 (81%) Research Experience: honor thesis on nonparametric ATE estimation, a summer research with math professor on uncertainty quantification (didn't do much), a year of econ research on game theory, two-sided markets (kinda gone nowhere) LORs: Two from statistics professors, one of which is the honor thesis advisor, another I have taken classes with and speaks highly of me; the third is from econ professor I took two metric classes with and done well in. I want to apply to PhD Statistics/Biostatistics for Fall 2024 in US. weaknesses: 1. international student 2. didn't take real analysis 3. not a ton of research experience 4. no masters or work experience strength 1. decent letters (I hope. Letter writes are pretty hyped) 2. good GPA 3. some coursework in PhD level and gotten A's in all of them BTW I am not super set on academia so I just want to get in to a decent and supportive program and keep my options open Schools I am thinking about applying to (blue = applied) CMU stat Emory biostat UW madison stat UC davis stat Duke biostat Uwashington stat Rice stat reach Cornell UCLA stat NYU center for data science (huge reach) umich stat duke stat Columbia stat UNC stat Yale stat/biostat JHU biostat/applied math NC state stat match vanderbilt biostat rutgers UC davis biostat Texas AM stat northwestern stat UT Austin stat Pittsburg stat UC Irvine stat BU stat UCSD math with stat specialization/data science Uminn twin city stat UIUC safe ??? very few lol. maybe I should look into schools outside of top 50 rochester UCSC UC Riverside