[What can I do to improve my chances?]

Hi all, quick rundown of stats (intend on applying for Fall 2013 admission)

Undergrad GPA: 3.9 in math from top 10

Masters GPA: 3.8 in statistics from Columbia (part time)

GRE: 800Q, 590V, 5 AW

Work experience: 3 years as a quantitative finance analyst at an investment bank in NY.

Recommendations/SOP: Will probably be average...

I'm looking to make a transition from finance to the public sector (or something like public policy consulting at a management consulting firm), and it seems like I can't do that without getting an MPA.

I think stats-wise I am OK but I am severely lacking in relevant work experience... the catch 22 here of course, is that to get relevant work experience I need to have shown some interest in the public sector (via getting, for example, an MPA degree), but to get into an MPA I would need work experience.

I volunteer regularly but what else can I do to improve my chances at top programs? I've read student bios at WWS and they almost always have some sort of public sector experience...

[What can you do with MPA/MPP degrees?]

Thanks!

Are there any other quantitatively-oriented programs that I should be considering? Seems like SIPA/HKS are more on the qualitative side but my research has been cursory to say the least.

[What can you do with MPA/MPP degrees?]

Hi all, I have some very specific questions that I was hoping this forum could answer.

To give a little background, I will be obtaining my MS in Statistics this coming semester and I am looking at MPA/MPP programs (I am working full time while going to school part time, so it's not like I am a degree collector or anything ). I've been working in finance for the past 3 years and while the money is great, I find the work very unfulfilling and thus I've been looking for public service jobs. My questions are:

1) My main interest is in using advanced statistical methods to guide public policy decisions (e.g. how to best allocate funding to different projects, what factors drive ncrease in standards of living) - are there any schools that would be a good fit for me for this purpose? A lot of the MPA/MPP programs seem to be mostly qualitative in nature with a few quant courses sprinkled here and there, and I want it to be the other way around. Would an MPA/MPP program even be the right degree to do something like this (maybe this would be more for a MA/phD in econ?).

2) While money isn't the main factor (if it were, then I would be staying in finance), I want to be able to make enough to comfortably provide for my family. How realistic would it for me to expect 200K~300K (pre-tax) income in the public sector mid-career (say, when I am 35~40ish) with an MPA?

3) Are there consulting firms that specifically do consulting for the public sector?

4) Would it be possible for me to be admitted to top MPA/MPP programs without directly related work-experience (I volunteer regularly and I've taken some MPA courses at the school that I am doing MS degree, but will that be enough?)

5) How do MPA/MPP programs perceive those coming from the private sector?

Thanks all!

[Stats phd - realistic for me? If so, what schools?]

If statistics is anything like theoretical computer science or mathematics, then no, you don't have a shot at the top programs. Did well in class recommendations mean nothing, and research experience is paramount. The fact that you have absolutely no research experience will really, really hurt you.

yeah that's what im wondering too (i.e. if statistics departments are like math departments)

[Possible to compare significance levels of coefficient estimates using some test?]

beta1y and beta1z are have formulas (as a function of X's and Y's for beta1y and of X's and Z's). since they share the X's, we know for sure that their cov is not 0. (not sure if you will need cov(Y,Z) for this as well, but you should be able to get this from your data).

[Possible to compare significance levels of coefficient estimates using some test?]

you would need to get var(betaY - betaZ), for which youl would need their covariance. covariance won't be 0 because they both have X's in them, but you should be able to figure out the covariance from the formulas of betaY-betaZ

[Stats phd - realistic for me? If so, what schools?]

Oh and my math/stat-related courses include:

number theory, real analysis, linear algebra, statiscal inference, intro-level stochastic processes, linear regression, time series, econometrics, some data-related classes (e.g. data mining) and some quant finance classes.

I also have experience in R/SAS/MATLAB (not sure if this would add anything to the application).

[Stats phd - realistic for me? If so, what schools?]

All, I am very interested in pursuing a phD in statistics and I had a few questions. To give a little background, I was an undergrad Math/Econ major at a decent school (top 10) and my GPA was > 3.9, but this was mostly because I took the easiest classes in order to graduate (i.e. no ‘honors’ level classes, just the bare minimums like real analysis, number theory etc.). I believe I am mathematically apt, but definitely no where near what my GPA would suggest. Upon graduating in 2009, I got a job in quantitative finance, but while I found the applied aspect of the job fascinating, I felt that I didn’t have the necessary mathematical tools. To enhance my quant skills, I decided to do a part-time Masters in statistics, and I will be graduating from the said program May of next year. While I’ve learned a lot from the program, I felt that there was not enough depth (e.g. we learned to use GLM, but didn’t show why it worked), and this led me to look into phD programs in Stats. Now, my questions (sorry for the lengthy background!):

• While I am fascinated by Statistics, I don’t see myself in academia – I see myself working jobs either in the public/private sector (not necessarily in finance though) that utilize high level statistics. Will this be a problem in my statement of purpose if I state that I do not want to be in academia? It seems like a lot of Math phD’s explicitly state that the goal of the program is to prepare their students for a career in research/academics.
  
• For many phDs (especially the sciences), undergrad research is paramount – how true is this for Stat phDs? I have 0 research experience (at least in an academic setting).
  
• Related to above, I feel like my recommendations (from my Master’s program), while good, will not be stellar – I did well in classes (my MS gpa is ~3.9) but didn’t really do anything beyond what was required (part of it was because I was/am working full time). My classes were also quite big and I feel that my recommendations will be impersonal. How important are recommendations? Will my work experience be given any (positive) consideration?
  
• Does the GRE matter for the verbal section? I didn’t have time to study for the GREs so my verbal score is on the low side (580), but my quant is 800.
  
• Which universities have a focus in applied statistics?
  
• Finally, given the above stats, do I have a realistic shot at the really top programs (Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard etc.). If not (which I fear will be the case), what is my realistic reach?
  

Thank you!