arborio

US universities love international students from IIT schools in India, you'll be fine.

that's unfortunate given that my ugrad degree is old and irrelevant. something I will keep in mind. any advice on how to get more competitve/ready to apply?

I don't think most graduate-level courses in stats give everyone all A's--if that were the case there wouldn't be hundreds of posts on forums with M.S GPAs below 4.0. Certainly a track-record of graduate statistics courses is valuable for stats research at the doctoral level. I also do not want a degree in biostatistics, so I will not look into them--I doubt it is significantly easier to get into #68 US World News ranked school in biostats than #88 in stats. I can certainly take linear algebra at the minimum. I would like to take real analysis as a conditional admit or something, or online at the schools I am gunning for if possible--if you know of any such offerings at please do share. I would happily take upper div and MS-level math courses if I could get into MS in Math programs at schools that have Ph.D in Stats degrees, and use that as my "in." Ex: M.S in Math at UCSC --> do not complete program --> change course of study to Ph.D in Stats at UCSC. I am amenable to hearing the "not quick" path to improve my profile though. I can continue to look at lower-ranked schools without linear algebra as a requirement, I do think personal statements and diversity in programs are important and have yielded me faculty encouragement to apply from one of the schools you claim are not "remotely realistic" but will consider your opinion.

does the school you took all those prerequisites at offer a Ph.D in Stats/Biostats? Do any of your Nutrition/Animal Science professors work with (bio)statisticians? People on the ground are who you want to talk to more than internet "experts" in my humble opinion. That being said some might be familiar with US schools reputations/faculty/culture which can help. Check out UC Davis (competitive), Iowa State stats and University of Iowa for biostats, Nebraska (less competitive) and other schools that have cross-pollination between your undergrad +MS and potential Ph.D. I'd also through in bioinformatics programs too tbh.

This will be the first (hopefully last) round that I apply for Stats Ph.D programs (Fall 2025 admission cycle) undergrad school: UC campus (not Berkeley or LA) undergrad major: Environmental Science minor in GIS undergrad GPA: 3.1 overall--this was the result of beginning uni over 10 years ago, having an undiagnosed disability, being immature and aimless. I think I can address it reasonably in my SOP without making excuses and showing improvement in study. Relevant Classes from ugrad: Calc 1 >10 years ago, grade (B-) Calc 2 >10 years ago grade (B) retaken at a CC after an (F) Diff Eq: taken in 2021 grade (B) at a CC Here's where it gets somewhat interesting, I recently finished my M.S in Statistics M.S school: California State University, XYZ not well-known outside of the area, definitely a place for upward mobility. Some alumni of the program are doing very well in industry very few have gone on to Ph.Ds. The degree is terminal at the M.S, course-based and has very little room for research. 2 year program with comprehensive exam to graduate. M.S GPA: 3.91 Classes taken: all A's unless ANOVA which was an A- Probability Theory (Hogg textbook) Mathematical Stats (J.A Rice textbook) Regression Analysis ANOVA (Design of Experiments Montgomery book) Electives: R + Advanced R, Data Visualization, Deep Learning, Bootstrapping Methods, Statistical Machine Learning Research: none in Stats Softs: published in Environmental Sciences at a think-tank, decent career in that sector pivoted to SWE and learning to program. Given a scholarship at my MS program, ASA club leader. Hopefully a compelling SoP and good LoRs. Under-represented minority, first-gen college graduate from low income (if it matters) Schools considering (in order of interest): UC Santa Cruz Northwestern UVA Texas A&M Washington U St. Louis Boston U Pitt Also open to University of British Columbia European schools with low barriers to enter and good name recognition Goal: Industry. Research Scientist at FAANG+, Quant/Financial. I'd like to spend the next 5-7 years of my life working towards the credentials needed for a lucrative career that needs statistical experts. I enjoyed my MS program and would have stayed on if they offered a Ph.D. I am an adult and will likely be on the older side of any cohort I get into, I am aware of the cost-benefit of staying in my position vs. leaving for an unknown. Weaknesses: should be obvious, I do not have a B.S in Math or Stats, I haven't taken (formally) linear algebra though very much needed it in the M.S, no higher math like Real Analysis or anything, never written a proof for a higher level math class. Low ugrad GPA in irrelevant field. GIVE IT TO ME STRAIGHT!