Biostat_Assistant_Prof

Thanks Shostakovich, I actually emailed them last Friday, but turns out this last week was their spring break which may be why I never received a response... I'd really like to know what the deal is, and if I am on a wait list of sorts, where I'm at on the list and when I should expect to hear, so I'll probably send another email on Monday... I just want to make my decision ASAP so I have the maximum amount of time to plan a move, find a roommate, get finances figured out given whatever funding I receive, etc.

Has anyone else also received recent notification from UNC? I still haven't heard a thing since I applied back in December... It's nice knowing they are still sending out acceptances which gives me the smallest bit of hope... but I have another offer I'm ready to accept if officially rejected from UNC, but if by some miracle I'm accepted by UNC, I'd take their offer... Sorry, to kind of high jack your thread with another question, but does anyone know why UNC has waited so long to notify someone like me (I'm a domestic applicant too)?

If funding were provided for Harvard or Washington, they would be the obvious choices, and you couldn't really go wrong with either... I would probably choose Harvard, but that's really just because I like the city of Boston and while the departments are roughly equal in terms of rank, the general prestige of Harvard University is arguable the best in the world (and without a doubt top 3). Now, all three of these choices are great schools, especially for outside of academia where rank will matter even less. With that said, if Berkeley is the only place offering you funding, then I don't think the higher rankings of UW or Harvard outweigh you going into debt to attend them, again, especially for work in industry after graduating... Therefore, take the Berkeley offer unless the other places comes up with funding.

I feel the same. Admittedly, my knowledge of the applicant pool for Biostatistics in general comes 99% from what I read and observe here on gradcafe... But regardless, if this website is an indicator of how things are in general, then this year was much more competitive years past (given the amount of applicants posts in the results forum, the amount of discussion in this sub-forum, and the credentials of students admitted to specific programs). ... It seems like the big secret of how awesome biostats is, is now out of the bag and everyone wants to get in on it.

If you do as well on the GRE as you assume you will and have 3 good LORs, then Im guessing you'd have a reasonably good shot at schools ranked 4 and beyond. There may be an outside shot at the top 3 (Harvard, Hopkins, Washington), but if next year is as competitive as this year, then I think it'd be unlikely because your GPA/Math grades are good, but not outstanding. Don't worry about relevant research experience hurting you, most applicants don't have it. This is for PhD programs too.,, if your applying to Masters, you'd probably get in everywhere (except maybe Harvard or Hopkins) If I were to give you a list of 10ish schools to apply to, this is what it would be Reaches - choose 2 from: Hopkins, Harvard, and Washington Reasonable - UNC, Minnesota, Michigan (if you'd be ok with a funded fast track MS/PhD), Emory, Brown, Penn, UC Berkeley Safeties: choose 1 or 2 from pretty much any school that is listed in the rankings that isn't listed above... Examples: UCLA, Boston, Pitt, etc. ...this is info comes from everything I've read and learned over the last year on this forum while figuring it all out for myself.

I'm finishing up undergrad, and with a hell of a semester too, with 3 upper level Biology courses and 2 upper level math courses... After finals end, I plan on literally enjoying every waking, relaxing second between mid-May to late August. Before I move in early August, I plan on cherishing [what could be] the last few months I ever have living near my parents and brother... I'll take a few trips to visit friends, take a big family vacation with parents and brother, and literally just enjoy not having any real responsibilities for the last time in my life... Lucky for me I have money saved up to allow me to do so, though I also have the ability to work as a pool/lake party DJ if I want to make a little cash... All I have to do is make it thru the next 6.5 weeks to finals...

I totally get where your coming from. I could end up in the same boat... I have a great offer and I'm pretty set on going there, but I still have 3 schools yet to notify of an admission decision (expecting them this week!)... I think it'd be great to get multiple acceptances to schools I like, but at the same time, Im halfway hoping I don't get good offers so I do t have to make that decision.... This is pretty much the pinnacle of first world problems

I was in a similar situation this year with Biostats... To summarize quickly: Bio major, found late intest in stats, managed to schedule Calc II and Linear Algebra last fall (the semester I was filling out apps) and Calc III and probability theory in the spring (currently enrolled and graduating in 7 weeks). Eveyone says to submit apps early, but in my situation (and potentially yours), it was best to wait until just before the deadline (around Dec. 15th for most schools I applied to) so I could include grades I made in required courses (but in my case, Calc II and Linear were absolutely necessary, whereas with you, the extra classes may just be an added bonus to your resume)... I did have a few apps submitted without the updated transcript, and to be honest, I think it definitely hurt my chances despite having said I was currently enrolled in the classes (I say this because with the three schools I applied too before I had final grades from the fall, I was quickly rejected in the first round of rejects, but with the apps that did include my updated transcript, I had a few admits and interviews). I'll also be an advocate of Biostats if your interests are more applied than theoretical. A bonus to the Biostats route would be that you already exceed the math requirements and your chances at being admitted to a top department (where you'll still get a god dose of theory) will be greater than with stats.

I PM'ed you with a response.

To answer your first question regarding all schools holding rejections to send out at once, I'm not sure... I do know that some schools will only immediately reject the obvious applicants not fit for their program and essentially place everyone else that isn't an obvious admit on a long unofficial waiting list. Because of this, it may seem like they wait to send out rejections, and while true, it's because decisions hadn't actually been made yet. Concerning the MSPH offer at Emory, I would definitely take a funded masters offer from there rather than an unfunded PhD from GWU. In the event that both are unfunded, I actually would still take the MSPH Emory offer because of its greater prestige in terms of Biostats and I think it would open potential doors for a higher ranked [funded] PhD program in the future... As with Vanderbilt, I haven't heard anything from them, but even if I am admitted there, I will be turning it down. I have a funded PhD offer elsewhere with a department I really clicked with when I visited. I turned down a couple unfunded MS offers already but [along with Vanderbilt] Im also still waiting to hear from Yale, Boston, and UNC.... I really expect Yale and Boston to send out notifications this week, but I'm not really sure what UNC's deal is. They've sent out acceptances and rejections for months now, and I haven't heard a thing, so Im pretty positive it'll end up being a rejection. With all that said, unless by some miracle Im admitted to UNC with funding, I'm almost positive I'll be accepting the offer I already have (despite the Yale and Boston decisions) because of how well I fit with the department and the funding package being offered (something I doubt Yale and Boston will match, though if they do, will make my decision very hard). Anyways, best of luck to you! I certainly understand how stressful all of this is, I'm so glad it's almost all over!

If it saves you money, I think it's worth it! I've been able to do it during undergrad... It's been hard at times not having the same freedom away from home that most of my friends have. I even find it kind of embarrassing when I find time to go out and meet people, having to explain I live with my parents; but people generally understand it from my POV when I explain how much money I've saved. I never moved out after high school, so I'll be moving out for the first time just days after my 22nd birthday at the start of grad school. I'm extremely excited to finally do so and become independent, but at the same time, I'm going to be learning how to do it 4 years later than most of my friends who experienced it at 18... Despite all of that and despite how anxious I currently am to move out, I still wouldn't trade it for the away from home undergrad college dorm life. I look at the big picture, and what's best for the rest of my life rather than what's most enjoyable for me this year. While most people I know all have $40k+ in student loans, I have absolutely no debt at all. In fact, Ive managed to save a few thousand dollars (which I know isn't much but better than nothing)... I'm entering grad school now at 22, and rather than slowly transitioning to financial independence over the course of the undergrad years like many do, I'm pretty much going from almost completely dependent (in that, my parents pay for my car insurance, cell phone, food, and general living expenses) to completely independent (paying for everything myself) over the course of a couple months. It's scary, but I know I'm ready and able to do it because like I said, I have no debt at all and will be receiving a stipend that will cover all of my expenses.... The fact that I'll be able to finish my PhD at the young age of 25-26, and have absolutely no debt, is seriously the best thing I could ever ask for. I almost feel like I'm cheating the system by doing it. Basically, my point is, take advantage of the opportunities you're presented with if if saves you a ton of money!

I can't help you much with reputation but with regards to how I feel of the department, I wanted to say that I've spent a lot of time this past year researching Biostat departments and even so, I have read/heard very little about GWU.... Because of this, I'm inclined to say its definitely a lesser known program. I'd also be interested in knowing where you found their ranking of 16, as I haven't been able to find them in biostat rankings.... With that said , if it is your only choice, I think it'd be a fine place to end up. Honestly, I think everyone gets caught up in the rankings too much on here (and I have to admit, I'm definitely guilty of this too). Certainly, the top 7-8 programs are a notch above the rest (I'm talking about Harvard down through Berkeley or Emory in Biostats), but when you get out of the top 10 I think the rankings become close to meaningless in terms of their ability to assess quality of departments (such that school A ranked 11 vs school B ranked 16 are probably so close, the difference of 5 spots is meaningless); research interests and potential advisor/mentors are significantly more important. I mean, unless you aspire to get a position in academia at Harvard, Washington, or some place similar, I don't think attending GWU will hind your career at all. Basically, it's up to you. If funding is provided, and youve visited the department snd deeemed it to be a good fit, then I would take it if I was in your position. If funding isn't provided, it may actually be worth it to wait a year and try to get funding somewhere else (afterall, is a year worth $40k+ in debt to you?)

I am having the hardest time now staying motivated and focused on this last semester. I guess you can call it senioritis, but I've got it bad! With being admitted, awarded funding, etc., I'm just so excited and ready to move somewhere new and start what I'll be doing for the rest of my life, it's getting increasingly hard to stay focused during these last 7 upcoming weeks. Making it especially bad for me is that I'm going to grad school in a subject that is pretty different than my undergrad major (major is biology, but grad school in Biostats). The bio classes I'm taking to finish up my degree have literally no relevance to statistics, so that makes things worse because it almost seems pointless to me.... Don't get me wrong here, I'm interested in [most] the Biology (except for a plant morphology course that's required] and I'm not on the brink of failing or anything (still maintaining 4 A's and 1 B this last semester), it's just hard for me to focus when I'd rather think about planning my move to my new school. Anybody feeling the same way? How are you coping and keeping your sanity these last couple months of your undergraduate degree? I understand the importance of doing well, and in the back of my mind I know I'll pull things together to maintain decent grades in the end, but I'm just having a lot of trouble with keeping my mind off of the future and focused on the present, especially now that I've just finished my spring break!

After hearing nothing again last week, I sent an email yesterday to UNC. I hope to receive a response on Monday.

I just had my first interview experience a couple weeks ago in a closely related field to yours (Biostats)... My interview day consisted of 6, 30 minute interviews with 6 different faculty members... I was really nervous, but here's what I learned from my experience at least. They all started the same way, with the question, "tell me about your background"... This was followed with the standard, "why do you want to study [biostatistics] in grad school?".... Then not all intviewers asked me the following, but I was definitely asked these next questions by multiple people: "how did you hear of our program?", "why do you think our department/our school is right for you as opposed to other schools?", "how do you think your background in X will help you succeed as a [biostatistician]?", and "tell me about your relevant research experience and/or future research interests?" ..... All pretty standard and predictable stuff. To be honest, I think I did just as much talking in my interviews as did the itterviewers, because at the same time they're trying to sell you the school. All of them explained their research interests, current projects, talked about how great the city was, and actually tried to explain to me why their program was right for me personally.... In 3 of the 6 interviews, I actually spent quite a bit of time talking about my interests outside of my field. I'm a marathon runner, so I spent a good bit of time talking about that... All in all, my experience was a lot more laid back than I expected. They want to get to know you as a person, because they can already look at your CV, transcripts, and research history to learn of your academic excellence... Be yourself and relax... It seemed to work for me, as I was given a funded PhD offer with an additional scholarship my first year about 4 days after my interviews.

Well it's different for everyone, but here are the factors that have helped me (listed in terms of importance): 1) Fit and faculty... Yes, it's cliche, but so important. Visit the department and see how you fit in there. Can you see yourself being happy? Do you like the faculty? Are the currently students happy?... The school I'm likely going to decide on isn't the highest ranked, but when I visited everything clicked. I loved the feel of the university as a whole, not just the department. The students there loved it, all faculty members I met with were extmeley nice, helpful and very open to training grad students to the best of their ability. I think that ones advisor/mentor(s) is more important than school rank. The faculty in my specific subfield of interest at the current leading school on my list publish regularly and do work that I find fascinating. Their students have great placement snd success after graduation. 2) this stems from "fit" but is worthy of its own category... Research interests. Again, this is huge. It would make no sense to attend a top 5 school over a low ranked school if there was very little to no research being done in the subfield your interested in... For me, the top contending schools have a lot of work being done in clinical trials (biostatistics here). The school I'll likely end up at has about 40-50% of their department working in clinical trials that focus on other things I find interesting (cancer, infectious disease, neurological). 3) Funding.... Without funding, I won't consider a school. It's simple, I'm not going into debt. It would be really stupid (IMHO) to go into serious debt to attend one school when another is paying for you. I was admitted to a top 5 program (a fast track ms/phd, rather than phd), but without funding. I'm not sure if I would have chosen it over the lower ranked school in the end anyways (because I'm told the research interests there aren't exactly in line with what I want), but regardless, without funding I'm not even going for a visit to give it a chance because Im not taking out $100k in student loans.... Again, I'm still waiting on a few schools that I'd seriously consider over what is now the leading contender, but with as much as I liked and "fit" with the current leader on my list, they would have to match my current funding offer given cost of living (which would be hard, because my offer now is a pretty good $25k stipend in a place with low cost of living, which would be equivalent to $33k+ in New England areas), as well as offer an equally great or better fit. 4 and 5) Rank and Climate/Environment.... I have to lump these together because they can cancel eachother out depending on the extremes. Both of these factors come into play when all other things are equal. If the fit, research, and funding is equal between two schools, I then move to rank and environment. To start, I will consider more favorably the higher ranked school... But again, I don't think rank means nearly as much as one's mentor/advisor, so I'd go back go factor number 1 and look at the likelihood of me getting to work with someone I'm interested in. If they are equal, like I said, I start giving favor to the higher ranked and then look at environment/climate. If school A is ranked #2 and school B is ranked #50, then for me to choose B over A, B would have to be in paradise and A would have to be at the North Pole... But if say A was ranked #8 and B was #15, but B was in a beautiful town by the beach and A was in Iowa (no offend to people in Iowa), but I'd take school B. Afterall, I'm going to be living the for at least 5 years, so I want to like it.... Thats pretty much how Im deciding. It's led me to a lower ranked school, but with terrific funding, a great location, a perfect feeling fit, and faculty who's research match my interests.

I'm going to give my POV from a different side than what seems to be the norm here... I actually applied to a "safety" program, mostly because their application fee was free and I thought "why not, it can't hurt?" The school isn't ranked in the top 10 or anything, but it actually had a [relatively] low acceptance rate around ~25% (yea, I know not super competitive, but not a sure thing either)... Well I got a paid interview/campus visit and when I went I was blown away. The department research matched exactly what I was interested in, and something about it just clicked with me, I got that good "fit" feeling about the school that everyone talks about... I was accepted with funding and almost certain I'll take the offer. Its funny, 3 months ago it was a safety and not something I'd consider unless all other options were exhausted, but after the visit, it's now a place I want to go over many other options! I'm excited and know I'll be happy there So, there is a different side. Sometimes you'll regret places you didn't apply, even if you dot realize it yet.

Another vote for UW Biostats... One of the top 3 departments in the world and I've heard you'll get a good dose of theory even in their Biostat department. Plus, Seattle vs New Haven should be an obvious choice in terms of climate/location.

Someone more informed than I am should chime in, but from my perspective (given the research I've done), I think Columbia has a better reputation in the Biostat field... However, I don't know how substantial the gap in reputation is. Also, given you only desire a masters for industry, I think reputation matters even less. Unless Columbia is funding you, I would take Yale if I was in your position for the main reason being cost of living in New Haven is less than NYC and even though both have fantastic reputations, I'd give an edge to Yale for the "name brand" Edit: on a different note, how did Yale notify you? I'm still waiting for a PhD decision and I assume I'd the masters offers were sent out yesterday, then, PhD may be coming soon

These are my thoughts as well and I don't have my hopes up, so I won't be surprised to receive a rejection soon.... However, I still can't help but wonder why, if Ive been rejected, why they've taken so long to notify me (of at least update the website).

If anyone emails and hears back from UNC for Biostats, I'd certainly like to hear about what was said. In fact, I may send an email this week myself.

I received the unfortunate letter in the mail on Friday evening. I was actually away at the mentioned campus visit at the time too and received the news from my parents (because I have my mail directed towards their house)... I was hopeful, but not all the surprised given my weaker math background. And yeah, to reiterate, I am absolutely sure about the PhD offer vs the unfunded UMich offer. Everyone talks about "fit" when choosing a grad school and something about the department I visited fit me perfectly and I can easily see myself being very happy there... On top of that, I have no debt coming from undergrad and will have no debt after grad school if I take the funded PhD offer. Even if getting student loans to pay for UMich was feasible, I just can't rationalize taking on that much debt (coming from out of state) when I have other options preventing debt.

Similar situation here, at least I was before visiting the other department. I have a fast track MS/PhD offer to UMich, but not funded... However, after visiting the department of a lower ranked school I'm considering (not unranked, but not top 10 either), if given a funded PhD offer (which seems likely given the conversations I had with the faculty on the admissions committee), I will be accepting it over an unfunded UMich.... I found that visiting was extremely important because I was blown away by the school. Every faculty member I talked with was awesome and with great research matching my interest. The grad students were extremely happy and their job placement after graduation was great.... I know it goes against the grain of what others are saying, but I think you should visit both before making a decision and get a feel for the education you would receive. Again, my situation applies to a PhD and not MS, and it may be that an MS from a higher ranked program is worth the investment... But for PhD at least, while rank is important (especially for academic careers), the work you do while in school and your advisors/mentor(s) is just as important, and coupled with being fully funded vs unfunded in my case, the choice for me is obvious. Regardless, good luck to you in making the decision.

I also applied to Boston and UNC Biostats... I sent in applications in mid December just before the deadlines and I've yet to hear from either school

One thing I'd like to know is if we will still receive notification regardless of whether we actually get funding, simply letting us know decisions were made and we aren't being offered funding... Even if Im not fortunate to receive it, it'd be nice to know so Im not waiting for nothing... Does anyone know if schools will do this?