Statistique

This is more for future readers' benefit than Kimolas (who we're really happy to have for next year!): That's quite an exaggeration. It's one of the lower stipends around, but it's more than livable. For comparison, I found a "cost of living" website that put this as equal to a 19k in Boston. Personally, I was expecting to live in poverty, but instead I can afford a huge apartment with nice furniture, I go out to eat when I want to, and I spend money on fun things. I'm not saving, but I'm not going into debt either and I live very comfortably. So I guess I'm saying, don't underestimate the cost of living differences. Also, don't let a school bribe you into being less happy for 5+ years with 10k.

I think this person meant to PM me or something. We can let this ancient thread die out now I'd say. To answer the question: Unfortunately, I didn't end up going to Davis, so I really have no idea about the MS program or about placement. Really sorry.

Going into the last week of March, I had not heard from UNC or UMich. I emailed both saying, basically, "Sorry to bother you, but I'm writing to ask about my application. I haven't heard anything yet, and I am assuming this means I'm waitlisted. Can you confirm that for me? And if so, is there any way I can visit in the next two weeks, so that I am in a position to make an informed decision if it comes down to the last minute?" Both schools were very helpful and kind - they even both funded my trip, which was above and beyond I thought. In addition to the "normal" visit, I also got grilled a bit on my background by the dept chair and the director of graduate studies at both places. It felt a little interview-ish. Long story short, I got into both. Now, it's certainly possible that my visit had nothing to do with Michigan's decision and they just happened to get to me on the waitlist a few days later. But I know for a fact that it made a difference at UNC, because they made me the offer on the spot at the end of the visit (which I ended up accepting; couldn't be happier). I don't think this would work for everyone - I have a sort of weird profile, and I think answering their questions may have helped a lot. However, I think showing enough enthusiasm/commitment to visit may have moved me up the list too; all else being equal, surely they want someone who's likely to accept the offer. In conclusion: I have no insider perspective, but I suspect that letting schools know you are interested is a good thing, especially closer to the deadline.

You and I are similar. I got a B- in 25b (oh god why did I take that class I almost died) and I aced 110 (best professor ever). I also got a couple other B-s and a handfull of B's, so I think you're in better shape than me there. I was told not to bother applying to the top few (i.e. Stanford/Berkeley), and I got rejected by several top 20s, but I also got into a few. The advantage of the douchey Harvard name-brand is that you can get in with mediocre grades (and deservedly so, I would say, but that's a debate for another time). I don't want to hijack this thread with my life story, but feel free to PM me if there's anything I can help with!

Funny that you use that example, because that's almost the exact decision I faced - except stats rather than biostats, and subtract 5K from each offer. The advice everyone around me gave was to not factor the stipend into my decision at all (as long as the offer was liveable), and so I went with UNC which was the better research fit. When you phrase it like "pay me $32,500 to go to Michigan", it certainly sounds tempting. But from my perspective, if I'm pouring my life into a PhD program, I'm not going to let 6K a year persuade me away from the one I prefer. Just my personal experience. Edited to add: One other BIG factor was what expectations come with the funding. At Michigan, they expect a ~10 hour/week GSI, and I got the impression that the situation stayed constant across four years. At UNC, for your first year it's only an 8 hour TAship, and by all accounts you don't really even spend that much time on it. After that, you either teach classes (better paid, but more hours similar to Michigan), become an RA (same pay, better work), or intern (much better pay). Everyone I talked to said their stipend went up across the years, except in the semesters they RA'ed. This is all based on hearsay and my conversations with current students, so you know, grain of salt. But worth noting that sometimes a bigger stipend also comes with more responsibilities to pull you away from your research...

Hi there, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice re: travel reimbursements. Three schools volunteered to pay for my visits in March/April while I was still deciding, and I haven't heard a peep out of them since. I realize academic departments can be notoriously slow processing such things, plus they've probably pushed it off until summer. Still, I'm wondering if anyone has words of wisdom about when/if/how I should give a gentle nudge. One of the schools is the one I ended up choosing, so my vague plan at the moment is to wait until I hear from them before I start worrying about other schools. I figure they won't abandon me on this since I'm an actual student now. Thoughts? Thanks all.

Statistics PhD checking in. I'm not moving until August - but I'll definitely join the meetup group!

Have to disagree here, actually. If OP's goal is to learn the material for his/her own sake, of course auditing is fine. But if he/she is asking about how it appears to grad comms, etc., I think retaking it officially makes more sense. You're trying to say, "Look, I did poorly, but actually I'm good at this stuff." An audit means very little to admissions people; an official retake with a good grade would constitue better "proof" of your abilities.

I had a similar situation with Real Analysis - took it freshman year and got a B-, retook it at my local UC the summer after I graduated and got an A+. I think when schools see bad grades, there are two concerns. One is for your effort/ability to handle academic challenges, and you can't do much to counteract that besides do well in other classes. The other is for your knowledge/ability to handle PhD level classes. I think retaking the class and acing it may have help assuage the second fear for some of my schools. In my opinion, if you retake it and don't get a top grade, that would be a big problem. But if you retake it and do great, or do okay in a higher division version as ANDS suggested, it probably helps.

To answer a few questions/suggestions: The boyfriend and I are both quite keen on living with roommates, although we haven't totally ruled out getting our own place. We like the idea of social interaction (especially since he's not a student), and of getting more space for less money. As to the car, it may influence our decision in terms of closeness to shops, etc. since we can just drive. But I don't want to commute to campus by car, especially with the parking issues near Chapel Hill. Based on what I've heard from you guys and from current grad students, it sounds like there's a "magic zone" in the 30-60 min walking range (or 15-40 minute bus range) where I won't hear undergrads but I'll be able to get to campus without feeling like it's a huge burden. We'll be checking those types of things out when we visit in a few weeks - hopefully, we can get a feel for what is a comfortable buffer from campus and what is prohibitively far when we see this stuff in person. Anyways, thanks to everyone for all the great advice & information!

Hi all, I'm trying to sort through the various stresses of finding housing for next year, and among them is the question of distance from campus versus house/apartment experience. Possibly important details: I'll be at UNC, my boyfriend (not a student) is moving with me, and we'll have a car but I don't want to drive it to campus. It looks like for the same price (about 500/month plus utilities), I could get: a. Apartment or room in house walking distance from campus. Pros: Near campus and the surrounding college town-y stuff. Might be able to meet more people. Cons: For the money, we'd get a lot less space, probably more roommates, shared bathrooms, and undergrads everywhere. b. Apartment with one or two roommates in Carrboro (bordering city). Pros: Could get more space and a private bathroom for our money. Pretty wooded area instead of undergrad flooded suburbs. Apartment complex advantages - swimming pool, sports, community? Cons: I'd be looking at a 20 minute bus ride or bike ride to get to campus. c. Townhouse/normal house in the outskirts of Chapel Hill or Carrboro. Pros: Loads more space and definitely a private bathroom. Quieter and more private than an apartment, even nice ones. Even prettier wooded area with trails. Potentially closer to Durham and/or Raleigh. Cons: 35 minute bus ride or 30 minute bike ride to get to campus. None of the community benefits of apartments. Higher utilities costs So in short, I have three types of homes (crappy apartment, nice apartment, house) and three distances (close, far, very far), and I'm going to have to make concessions somewhere to stay in our price range. What would you do? TL;DR: My main questions: (1) How important is it to be walking distance from campus and/or downtown? (2) For the first year, is an apartment complex (vs. sharing a house) a good way to meet people and make friends? Or is my only interaction with other tenants going to be hearing them through the wall at 2am? Thanks!

Wow, I'm surprised everyone is jumping on the Berkeley/Duke bandwagon, because my first instinct was "(s)he should totally go to UW!" Just to pluck out a few points where I have opinions: Point: Every single person I speak to cautions me against deciding based on money. Your offers are all very substantial - more than enough to live on. It's certainly tempting to get SO much more money per year, but it'll be a drop in the bucket compared to differences in job offers, so you ought to choose the place that will get you a good job that you'd be happy doing. Counterpoints: If you have debts to pay or partners/children to support, that might negate what I said. Also, while money amount may not be a consideration, what you have to do to earn that money is. Onerous TAships are a big negative for UW, especially if that expectation continues into your research years and chews up all your time. Also, while your stipend may not be a factor, a "cash-strapped" place might have issues with chasing away professors by lowering salaries, not having computing resources, etc. Something to ask about. Point: Having top professors who align with your research interests is absolutely the most important thing. Your job opportunities (if you go into academia) will come from rec letters from well-known profs, not from the ranking of your school. This will also impact your quality of life hugely; presumably you are getting a PhD to do what you love, and deviating from that totally defeats the purpose. Counterpoint: I don't have one. Seriously, if it were me, the research match at UW would totally trump everything else. (Unless that match is not as perfect as your post seemed to imply.) Point: Don't sweat it about being an "intellectual runt". You got into three amazing schools, with absurdly generous offers at all of them. Obviously, you are awesome. Counterpoint: One thing to keep in mind, though, is competition for advisors. This seems to be a concern at some places and not others. You're better off being advised (or co-advised) by a top professor than going to a school with great faculty but working only with unestablished people. So, while I'm sure you would excel at any of these places, ask around about this issue. Especially for Berkeley, where there seems to only be one person who fits your research well. Point: UW may be a "tier down" from Berkeley... Counterpoint: ... but that's because Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, and UChicago sort of occupy their own subset of the top tier. And I've often seen UW thrown into that ring as well. If it's a step down, it's not much of one at all. Point: Your non-stats friends are reacting to the undergraduate reputation of the schools, not their stats dept ranking. Ignore them. Counterpoint: If you intend to go into industry, etc. rather than academia, namebrand could matter. As for the rest of it, I can't give you much advice... in fact, I'm struggling with a similar issues (Chapel Hill vs. Bay Area, jobs for Boyfriend vs. my career). In the end, only you can decide where you'd be happiest and only you (well, you and your partner) can decide how much he factors in to the decision. OH and: your estimation of Bay Area schools is wrong, I think. UC Davis and maybe UCSC are both close enough for you to see each other (though maybe not live together), and there are a ton of state schools in the area (SF, SJ, and Sac) that may or may not have jobs. I can't speak for the other areas, but take a closer look at Bay Area schools, it's not just Berkeley and Stanford. Good luck, friend! Remember that with options like yours, you'll have a great time wherever you end up!

Seconded. Plus, faculty will often teach little seminar-style courses for grad students in specific areas, if there's enough interest. You might be able to talk someone into teaching a class if you are feeling like it's really an issue. It shouldn't be, though. Congrats on all your offers!

Just to update you all (n=2!): My score was in the 58th percentile like wine's, and I actually opted not to send it in (on my advisor's suggestion). I was rejected by Chicago, although they asked if I wanted to be considered for their MA program. However, I did just get into BU! It's not proof of much, since I don't know what would have happened if I'd submitted, but I'm really pleased with the result. I guess it proves that not submitting the score isn't an automatic Death Toll, anyways.

Yeah, I definitely understand that feeling, trust me. Just remember - what you worked hard for is to earn the best possible opportunity for yourself, and that can come in any form. Think about the opportunities each school gives you: prestige can be a good reason (it undeniably opens doors), but guilt never is. Passing up a school that fits better because you "owe it to undergrad self" or will feel guilty would be a mistake. That said, Minh makes a great points about Michigan's interdisciplinary program, it's alumni reach, and the fact that the academic slant of its graduates is a matter of choice rather than necessity. Sounds like, if you don't get Duke, you should do some soul-searching. Visit the programs, maybe contact some industry folk and ask. (Perhaps you could think of a few dream jobs and write to them saying "Hey, hypothetically if I want to work for you, which program would you prefer?") Keep us posted! I feel so invested in your future now, lol.

Hi friends, Two part question. The first part is, in general, how crucial is it to visit a school you are considering? I have an Open House invite from a school (UCD) where I 1) Know a professor (though not a potential advisor) 2) Know a current grad student 3) Have visited frequently (to see friends during undergrad), and grew up sort of nearby 4) Currently live very far away from. I'm trying to balance the fact that it's a big decision and visiting is important, versus the fact that I have access to a lot of the crucial information already and it's a pretty big hassle to get out there. Sooo, part two of my question: For this and potentially other schools, is it important to go to the Open House? I'm trying to plan some trips to see friends while flights are still affordable, and I could very easily tack a visit to some schools onto these trips if I get in. However, deciding that now would commit me to a date, so I would likely be missing any kind of Open House type event. This is a tad hypothetical since I haven't heard from 4 of my top 5 choices, but it would help a lot with planning to get some input now. Thanks!

I think we're all in agreement on Duke - here's hoping you get in! Do you have an advisor you could ask about the ranking thing? Or a connection in the industry? Basically, say "Would you be more likely to hire someone who graduated from a highly ranked program, or someone from a lower program with internship experience?" My suspicion is towards the latter - much like how if you have a very specific research interest, you're better off going to a lower school that is strong in that particular interest than going off rankings alone. But then, what do I know, I'm just a 2012 applicant like yourself. Also worth noting: NC State is ranked higher than Mich/Wisc in the US News ranking. It's also ranked equal to Wisc in the regression-based NRC (though significantly lower in the survey-based one). The point is, I don't think you'd be shooting yourself in the foot to go there; the "prestige factor" is comparable. But again, an advisor would probably be better equipped to answer.

Anywhere but Michigan, so I can get in! (Kidding, of course.) Seriously, though: Michigan, Florida, and Wisconsin are way more geared towards academia than NC State and (I think) Duke. According to phds.org, NC State sends 63% of its grads into the private sector, compared to ~32% for Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida. They don't have stats for Duke, but if you check out their recent phd grads page (http://stat.duke.edu/people/phd-alumni-pages), it's pretty clear that a large portion of them end up in industry. The Research Triangle influence, I'm sure. So, I think Duke is the obvious answer if you get in - it's the highest rated and industry-oriented. If you don't, my inclination would be towards NC State. It's a tad lower rated than Mich/Wisc, but it's still a fantastic school and there is literally no better place to get your foot in the industry door than the Research Triangle. At a place like Michigan, you will be working as a TA pretty exclusively. At NC State, you could have internships at the RT companies. Since the only thing you seem sure of is that you want to go into industry, that seems like a pretty big factor to me. That said, NC State is only Top 20 while Mich/Wisc are Top 10 or 15. If that's more important to you than industry contacts, it's really up to you to decide between those two.

Sounds like the consensus (of two, haha) is that I should send - my score is also just above median. I'll speak to my advisor and see what he thinks. Thanks for all the responses everyone, I really appreciate.

Hi guys, So, I got my math GRE subject test scores today (which I guess is earlier than most people?), and I did very poorly. This wasn't unexpected - I wasn't feeling well and had a major off-day. Anyways, the bad news is I'm stuck with the scores, but the good news is I'm applying to Stats Ph.D.s that by and large don't need subject tests. Two of my schools (BU and UChicago) "strongly recommend" it. Obviously I won't be sending this junk off to the others, but what do I do about those two? If they strongly recommend and I don't send, will they assume even worse than my abysmal score? Or am I better off not letting them know how poorly I did? What would you say is the "don't tell them" cutoff? Thanks in advance all! (Side rant: How dumb is it that the signup deadline for the Nov test was the day before the Oct test? I knew immediately that I'd had a bad day, they just had to extend the deadline one day and I could have retaken it... alas.)

Hi there, I just registered in the hopes that someone could help me out. My question is this: How do the top Canadian programs for a Stats Ph.D. stack up against the American ones? I'm not using US World & News as an end-all, be-all, but I'd like to know roughly where the Canadian schools would fit in. Specifically, I'm looking at: UToronto, UBC, Waterloo, Simon Fraser, and McGill. But that's just based on idle recommendations from profs; if I'm missing some good ones, I'd like to hear it. Anyone with Canadian experience (eh?) care to give me a rough estimate for where these programs stand? Thanks in advance!