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Thanks for the information @bayessays. I was not aware that the funding for ag was going down compared to health. I like the idea to work with spatial, ecology, etc. because they are often applied to environmental issues in different aspects. Regarding being a faculty, I "think" I like the idea, but I have not taught any course or been a TA, so I am not sure if this would be for me. However, I do think about getting into a "good" (well-ranked) department because of the chances later if I want to become a faculty. Regarding internship, in fact I am doing a summer internship at one big ag company, and I have met two people here with a PhD in Stats from Iowa State, but like 10+ years ago. 1) What are your thoughts about K-state, Nebraska and Iowa State for PhD in Stats? More on the genetics side of things, my first goal was to continue in plants/crops, but it seems most of the faculty doing this type of research are in the crop science or horticulture departments. Said that, I think is a good idea to go to a Stats/Biostats department and do research in human statistical genetics (I know people "borrow" this knowledge among human/crops/animals). In fact, animal science is strong in linear mixed models and genetics (Henderson and Searle worked with this); that is why I mentioned Cornell. About some departments, I checked SMU and I liked the department as whole. I also liked Ohio State, Georgetown and George Washington University. I think UT Dallas also has some people doing research on this. 2) What Stat/Biostats departments would you recommend for human statistical genetics research?

That is great. Glad that you got lots of acceptances. Thanks for sharing background and info.

@BL4CKxP3NGU1N Can you tell us what was your background/profile and in which top 30+ schools have you applied to?

I have seen lots recommendations here for different areas, but I don't think I saw specifically about biology and agriculture. When looking to Biostats departments, I think most (if not all) programs focus more in biomedical research (e.g. public health), but I am mostly interested in working with agriculture (plants, crops, animals, and environment), not humans or medicine. I already have one first-author paper in a plant genetics journal and three co-author papers in agriculture (crops). I love to collaborate within the agricultural research! I guess in some places people call it agricultural statistics (agstats) or biometry? (Not sure though) Just to give a context, usually people in this area use a LOT linear mixed models, variance components estimation, experimental design, and quantitative genetics (in some cases where genetic/genomic data is used). People are also using machine learning for prediction of plant/animal traits. From my search, I have found those places where Stats department have research in agriculture: Kansas State Nebraska Iowa State UC Davis (I saw at least two faculty within biostats; not sure if in Stats they have such faculty). Cornell Well, Cornell and UC Davis are in the top, so I am not sure if I could make it. I am not from well-known schools, although I have good grades (master's 4.0 GPA) and considerable research experience. Could someone give me good recommendations of Stats/Biostats departments with faculty working with biology and/or agriculture? I like the idea to try K-state or Nebraska, but those programs are in the lower half of the USNews ranking, and I wonder if this could decrease my chances of finding good positions in academia later. Iowa State is within top-20, and I know they are VERY strong in agriculture. Can you think of more departments that would be a good fit? The thing is I don't want to go to a place where just few (like two) faculty are working with this. Note: my background is a bachelor's in Statistics and I am about to finish a master's in Applied Statistics. Thanks!

Have you applied to somewhere? If yes, were you accepted? I was curious about your background

Thanks for always replying!

Hello @bayessays. On top of the question 3, if a person already has a master's in Statistics but lacks real analysis (and/or bad grades in linear algebra), would it be better to take those courses in a graduate level before applying to the PhD, or taking at an undergraduate level would be enough?

Thank you @bayessays. This makes a lot of sense. Basically, I can only see two very good professors I would work with, but just one actively publishing. It is indeed risky. Thanks for touching on this.

Thanks @bayessays . Some faculty are still publishing, but others not. Is this a bad sign? At least one is doing lots of theoretical papers in stats journals. Do students often publish after the qualifying examinations, or it is more writing a thesis and use the chapters as potential papers? I wonder whether it is common to publish in stats journals during PhD or only during posdoc. I appreciate your help!

My question is not related to "chances of admissions" or "where to apply", but I will add some background that might be useful for context: Undergraduate institution: Top 25 University in Brazil Major: Statistics GPA: 83%/100% (different system), but the department's head said my grade was the highest ever since the program's creation 15 years ago (wowever, I don't think it is common to "graduate with distinction" or those types of honors in my country, at least not in this department) Type of student: International white male Graduate institution: Good R1 University but not sure if it's known for math/stats Graduate major: Applied Statistics Relevant courses in undergrad: Stats I and II, Probability I and II, Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Analytic Geometry, Numerical Calculus, Introduction to Measure Theory, Stochastic Processes, Biostatistics, Inference I and II, Linear Models, Regression Analysis, Statistical Computing I and II, Multivariable Analysis, Sampling I, Introduction to Computing (C), Physics I and II, Non-parametric Statistics, Experimental Design, Risk Analysis, Statistical Quality Control, Categorical Data Analysis, Time Series, Longitudinal Analysis Relevant courses in graduate degree (last semester): Experimental Design, Regression Analysis, Multivariable Analysis, and some electives (Statistical Computing for Biologists, Plant Breeding, Precision Agriculture). * My thesis has to do with agstats/genetics, and I do research with the crop sciences department, so I took some classes related to agronomy. Research experience: - Two years funded as an undergraduate researcher for a government unit (like USDA in U.S.) during my undergrad (my P.I. was a statistician and my co-PI an agronomist). - Two papers as co-author in very well known agronomy journal, one paper as co-author in a good agronomy journal. One paper as first author in very well known genetics journal is on review - Other papers as co-author ongoing related to agronomy in ok/good journals - Some experience assisting my P.I. with agricultural statistics consultancy for other departments - Summer internship at a Fortune 500 agribusiness company ------------------------------------------- Now about my real question: I am about to finish my master's this year (hopefully). The thing is, for personal reasons, I won't be able to move to another city for the next 2 or 3 years, and the university where I am at right now only offers a PhD in Math or PhD in Math with concentration in Statistics. I realized that we do have excellent statisticians (lot of them came from Top 10 stats programs) in the department, although the majority are more math. So I thought about two ideas: - Take some graduate math courses during those 2-3 next years to "fill the gaps" (real analysis, for example, and others if possible). As you can see, my master's was not very heavy in math becase I did a lot of research, but in my undergrad I had lot of proof-based courses. So, I thought it would be helpful to use this 2-3 years to really improve my math background. After that, I would apply to a PhD in Stats/Biostats somewhere else. This of course would take much more time. - Try to enroll into the PhD in Math with concentration in Statistics and stay in the area. I already know some faculty and the department, and I like the place. The thing is, is it worth to do a PhD in Math with concentration in Statistics? Do the academy market see them differently? Would the recommendation letter from my advisor and other faculty be more important than the degree itself? I plan to work as a researcher (either in academy or industry). I like the idea to be a faculty, but I don't have experience in teaching so far. If I get the opportunity to teach during PhD, I could see if that is for me. And maybe do a posdoc later to help in this sense. I appreciate any feedback! I am a bit frustrated with this situation but it is out of my control as I cannot move anyway.

I am also lacking Real Analysis from my undergrad, but I took Introduction to Measure Theory with lots of proofs. @bayessays Do you think this would be a good substitute? I plan to apply for PhD in stats/biostats.