arpan

I am having a little bit of the same problem. Don't really know how the score-in-increment is changed to 1600 format, but you should get the percentile along with your score. You can, may be, match that percentile with the old score history.

How important do you guys think it is to talk to a faculty member before applying to a grad school? I am planning on applying to MS/PhD in Statistics. I have been reading a lot of papers written by the faculties at several universities, and I find myself quite apprehensive about writing to a professor, to whom I am a stranger, and asking him about all sort of things. Some of the FAQ's in universities clearly stated that inquiries about admission chances to faculties are at best frowned upon and at worst detrimental to applicant's chances of being admitted. So, I was hoping if any one in here had some advise for me. I did look into a lot of programs, and most of the top ones have statistics with heavy Bayesian inclinations. Although I come from a econometric background, application of Bayesian statistics is quite exciting. I am particularly interested in application of Bayesian statistics in policy analysis. Although this method is quite common in law, this seems to be a relatively unexplored territory for other public policy development and evaluation. Do you guys think, it is right to chat with a professor about my expectation and his thoughts about it? My rationale is that it is better for me to get a view from the faculty about my idea before applying because many posts in here have stated clearly the dangerous misfortune of getting into a program with different faculty research interest. Thanks in advance. Cheers.

Thanks for the encouragement. God willing, your words will come true.

Hello, It is really stressful to go through universities' information, complete all information for application, and pay some hefty fees for all the applications. I would really appreciate if anyone in here could give me some advice. I am applying for MS/PhD in stat. Background: Bachelors in Mathematics and Economics (Honors) from a relatively small and less-known private liberal arts school -got merit based full ride for all four years -gold medalist for two of the four years -top ten of the graduating class -highest award possible for the graduating class in both departments -major GPA of 4/4; overall 3.95/4 GRE Q-162 (87%) V-163(93%) A-5 (not sure if this what the score will be like when they are reported. I took the new GRE and am still waiting for the scores to be reported on Dec. 1. I am guessing scores will be changed to the old 1600 system). I essentially do not have any academic research other than the undergraduate thesis I did for economics. My feeling was that the paper could have been better but because of time restraints and all it was as it was. I could have done research during my undergrad but because of economic reasons did internship instead for the last two years of undergrad in a company and was heavily involved in SAS based econometric works works (I am hoping that shows I am not a slacker and somehow compensates for my limited of academic research background). I have taken some higher level math classes (advanced calculus, mathematical modelling, statistics, probability, ordinary differential equations, linear algebra), econometric ( took a introductory class, and did three semester worth of independent study on time series as co-op credit for the internship), Mathlab (classes on Mathlab, Mathematica, Matlab). I am also relatively familiar with SPSS, SAS, and R. I have recommendations, which I am hoping will be strong, from professors (one advised me on the thesis, and two are aware of the work I did for internships) and a decent letter of intent. But being from a non-research based institution, some of the professors, I am afraid, do not have the desired stellar reputation in academic circles. I hope this won't hurt my chances. Universities applying to: Carnegie Mellon Northwestern Duke UNC Chapel-Hill UPenn Duke Kentucky and Colorado State (may be) Given my next to bleak economic condition, it is absolutely essential I get some form of financial aid. This is the part that worries me the most. Could you please give me some advice on the prospects I have and may be on some programs I have not yet heard about. Loads of thanks in advance.