Biostat_Assistant_Prof

I notice there to be a lot more interest/discussion/results posting about Biostat programs this year than last. I know UW got over 250+ apps this year and with Emory's results, I definitely agree that this year is highly competitive! I have 3 rejections and 1 paid visit/interview so far, and 7 left to hear back from. I'm certainly hoping to hear good things from Mich, UNC, Brown, Yale, Pitt, Boston, and Vanderbilt!

Maybe it was unrealistic expectations/misunderstanding on my part about Emory's strength of program, but I'm a bit surprised at some of the rejections!

I think you should be OK, especially only having applied for Masters.

Where else did you apply? I also applied to Brown, but haven't heard anything from them but a reminder in very early January that one of my LORs hadn't been received (this was before their jan 5th deadline).

Sisyphus, If I recall, you said you were wait listed by UW... I think that could mean you have a good shot at getting accepted to some lower ranked school.

UW and JHU are in the top 3 hardest programs to get into in the country. You have a better chance at the rest of the school (probably excluding Harvard) than you did at those first two, so stay optimistic. Worrying will do you no good anyways, as it is out of your control now. I too have been rejected from UW and also Minnesota now. Those were the very first apps I sent in, both of which did not reflect my fall term of which I earned a 4.0, earning an A in 2 key math classes... I have 9 school left to hear back from, and while I'm naturally worried to some extent, I'm still optimistic and realize I still have next year!

I applied for PhD Biostats and have heard nothing from UW yet.

Hey everybody, chill out, 2 posts on the results page hardly means your chances have been completely shot! Look at the results from last year, admission decisions started about this time and were steadily reported through the end of February.... Relax!

To PittPanther, yes I'm applying to Biostats. I applied to the PhD programs, but I'm coming straight from undergrad so I also indicated I would like to be considered for Masters if I didn't make the cut for PhD. My biggest concern is that I'm coming from a Biology degree and haven't taken Real Analysis. I made an A in Linear Algebra and Calc II last semester and I'm currently taking Calc 3

Which schools did you guys apply to? I myself ended up applying to 11, and preferring to stay on the East Coast (making an exception for UW), I think I had a decent list of schools representing all tiers... And in my order of preference they are: UW, UNC, Minnesota, Michigan, Brown, Emory, Yale, Boston, Pitt, Med U of South Carolina, Vanderbilt.... The last two were free applications.

I heard from Michigan and Minnesota that an admission decision would likely be sent late January/ early February, but I applied relatively late/close to their deadlines. I also received and email from Boston today letting me know I should sent an updated transcript with fall term grades, which I guess means they are at least looking at apps. If it means anything, I applied to UW in November and haven't heard anything either. I'm not holding my breathe for that one though... Edit: looking at the results forum from last year, very few decisions had been reported at this point. It looks as if they really start to come in between January 15th-20th and continue until March... Brace yourselves, it looks like decisions are near!

Wow, 20 school...?! I thought I had a lot with 11! I think it's pretty common for it to take a while for transcripts to be received and processed and then updated on the application page. If they were sent January 3rd, depending on how far they had to go, it could be they are still in the Universities mail room or something ... Only 3 school I applied to actually required official transcripts to be mailed, and it too, about 3 weeks after them being mailed to show up as received. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to mail out a 2nd round, but it's likely just a result of slow processing.

Relax. It hasn't even been a month yet since the deadlines for most (Dec 15th)... Heck, some schools deadlines are tomorrow!

This isn't the kind of forum for these types of questions

From what I understand, this seems to hold more true for industry (which is what Immy is primarily focused on). But to cover all bases, I think it's good to point out that the Univeristy one attends does plays a role for job prospects for research positions at Universities, if he/she ever chooses to go that route.

If you do well in your math classes (calc and linear algebra), then it may not be totally out of the realm of possibility to get accepted into some of the lower ranked Biostat PhD programs, but your shot at the top 6 (Washington, Harvard, Hopkins, UNC, Michigan, Minnesota) are probably out of the question with your GPA... Of course your LORs, GRE quant score, and School reputation will also play a role... As for Masters, I'm not the expert around here by any means, but I think you would have a decent shot at acceptance at quite a few places, maybe not the top 3, but everything else could be possible... From what I know, if you want to work in industry, a masters can be sufficient, but a PhD will get you further in the long run. Also, Phd programs are usually funded, whereas Masters programs are usually not, so that's something to consider as well... But as you know, you'd be looking at ~5 years vs 2 years. I actually have a similar goal as you, in that, my interest in academia after grad school is not high. I want to work in industry with clinical trials/Pharmaceuticals, but I'm still pursuing a PhD for these reasons: 1) no glass ceiling I'm terms of my career 2) funding 3) I'm fascinated with statistics and want to learn as much as possible 4) the idea of teaching when I'm a bit older is appealing and could be an option 5) I'm young enough so that I have plenty of time after grad school to get established (assuming 5 years, I'll finish around my 26th birthday) 6) Dr. Noco7 has a nice ring to it

I used Kaplan's main overall book, Kaplan's Math book, Barron's Math book, and the ETS official guide.... Among those, I found the ETS Guide to be the most helpful. I took all the practice tests in these books, and worked every quant problem available, but didn't study verbal at all. I used the ETS Powerprep software for 2 practice tests and also did a free practice test on Princeton Review. I spent about a month studying, but really only focused intensely for about a week, which was 2 weeks before the test. I took off from studying the 3 days before it to keep from psyching myself out. I scored 158V, 161Q, and 4.0 writing.... Overall I'm OK with my scores, I didn't care all that much about my verbal score going in, so long as I got it above 150, so I was happy with a 158.... but I really needed a >160 on Quant, which I achieved. So overall, I did what I needed.

Out of curiosity, which school was it that you heard back from and when did you send your applications in? I applied to both Washington and Minnesota, both of which were due yesterday. However, I applied relatively late, so I'm not expecting to hear anything until January.... The other schools I'm applying to include: Michigan, UNC, Yale, Brown, Emory, Boston, Pitt, Vanderbilt, Florida State, MUSC, and Iowa.... Of course my top pick above all else would be UW, but I'm not holding my breathe on that one. UNC and Minnesota are tied for my second choice, but again, I think both are 'iffy' at best for me, as I'm coming from Biology degree with a relatively weak math background (as in I'm literally finishing calc 2 and linear right now, and taking calc 3 in the spring). Anyways, of the schools out of the top 7, I'd have to say Emory and Brown are my top picks, so I'm really hoping for the best. Also, I'm curious what your GRE scores and GPA is?

So, I've been thinking it would be helpful to all of us applying to Biostatistics programs to discuss the rankings, as there seems to be a bit of discrepancy once you begin to get out of the top 6 or 7. Through reading these forums over the past year, as well as looking at department webpages, I think few would argue that ranked 1-3 are some variation of: Hopkins, Washington, and Harvard Then, I think 4-7 are typically understood to be some order of: UNC, Michigan, Minnesota, and Berkeley, with Berkeley probably being 6 or 7. However, after this, from what I understand, the rankings become much more unclear. There are names thrown around here more often than others (e.g. Brown, Columbia, Emory), but outside of the initial top 7, there are quite a few other schools with PhD programs. Here is a list from what I can remember, of all the schools I have looked at online: - Yale - Brown - Columbia - Emory - UCLA - Pitt - Boston - Penn - Iowa - Wisconsin - Indiana - Purdue - Florida - Florida State - Colorado - Med. University of South Carolina - Southern Cal - UMass - Buffalo - Vanderbilt - Arizona - UC Davis - LSU - New Orleans - U. of Illinois Chicago - Tulane So, my question is, are any of these schools inherently better than the others, or is the margin of error so close that the rankings don't matter that much? Would going to a school like Vanderbilt drastically affect the career of someone, than if they went to Brown (this is just an example)? This is something I've been wondering about as I'm in the process of applying to 13 of these programs (4 from the top 7 and the 9 from the large 3rd group of schools listed), and it will affect my decision making when admission decisions start being made. Also, thanks ahead of time Cyberwulf, as I know you're the one here that knows more about this than most everyone else.

The first time I took it was a disaster. I didn't study verbal at all and studied a little for quant because that's what actually matters for the field I'm applying to. Practice tests were showing >160... But the days before I thought I needed to cram every little bit of math I could into my brain. I totally psyched myself out... The night before, I couldn't sleep, I got maybe 3 hours... On top of that, I woke up sick (food poisoning, virus, ?, Idk) ... I would lose track of time and not get to certain questions, and it was just a bad experience... I scored 152V/153Q/4.0.... I used Kaplans book and overall, I felt like ETS questions were trickier I signed up for the next day I could, 31 days after my initial test date. I bought the ETS guide book to study from... I read through their math section and did the practice problems about 2 weeks before the test, but I still didn't do any verbal. It was risky, I reviewed the notes I had made about 4 days before the test, but to keep from psyching myself out again, I literally didn't do anything for the three days before, and I mean nothing! In fact, I took the test on Sunday, and that Friday night before, I was out at the bar until 2 AM and hungover all day Saturday (in retrospect, that was pretty idiotic).... Anyway, I took the test at 12:30 on Sunday for the second time. It was significantly better than the first. I was much more relaxed, significantly more comfortable, more awake (part of this was the 12:30 time vs 8:00am I first did) and was able to pace myself. Rather than stressing over the things I didn't know, I skipped them and answered what I did know, and then came back to them once I had gone through all the questions..... My results: 158v/163q/5.0 So my biggest advice is anyone taking it a second time is to study what you need to, but the few days before the test, RELAX!

Others can correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I gather, if your quant score is >160, then you're fine and shouldn't be excluded because of it. The rest of your application will determine your applications success. The verbal score is not important, and your 154v may actually be higher than that of the average biostat applicant.... So regarding GRE, I don't think you should worry. Other than that, you may want to hurry. UWs application deadline is Saturday, and most other schools a December 15th

You're math/stat GPA is a little low, but not horrendous. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm a Bio major as well currently applying, so I've done my fair of research into applications and requirements. I think If you do well on the Quant section of the GRE (ideally 160+) and with good LORs, then you'd probably get accepted to quite a few Masters programs. As for PhD programs, you probably have little to no chance at the top 3 Biostat programs (Hopkins, Harvard, UW), but your chances for PhD admission would probably start to increase as you move down the rankings into the teens... If you sent out 10ish applications, you'd likely get into a few. Taking real analysis definitely would not hurt if you make an A, it may actually redeem you for the B in Multivariable..... However, with that said, Real Analysis is not a pre-requisite for most schools and if you can't fit it into your schedule, then don't stress about it. If you know for certain your end-goal is a PhD, then it is in your best interest to apply directly to the Doctoral programs, mainly for funding reasons.

If your end goal is a PhD, its definitely in your favor to skip the masters and go straight into a PhD program. Not only will this likely save you a year, but more importantly, it will save you a ton of money. Students typically pay for Masters programs, whereas PhD students are likely to receive funding through RA's, TA's, or, fellowships, which come with tuition waivers and stipends.

I think you are worrying way too much. Its true a student with a degree from a top 20 institution will have the edge over you given all other things identical, but I highly doubt a B+ at your school is an F somewhere, probably more along the lines of a B-. The top 20 institutions are great and viewed admirably, but there are reasons other than academics, such as financial reasons, that students may not have attended these top institutions. For example, I could have attended Emory as an undergrad, but instead, I went to a large state university because it was significantly cheaper. I'm finishing undergrad completely free of debt because of that.... Overall, as long as you attend an accredited university and performed well, your application won't be immediately shot down simply because of the school name. Don't take what I said as absolute, but Biostat programs are not exactly drawing in record breaking applications numbers. Given your GPA, LORs, classes taken, and expected GRE school, you'll probably be in the running at any schools phd you apply to for Biostat. If you're thinking of applying for entrance next fall, you still have time. Most schools have deadlines around mid- December, although a few are early December and a few are in January... If you can take the GRE before the end of November, you should still be able to get the GRE scores to them in time ( at least unofficially for schools with a December, 1st deadline and official scores shortly after)

I don't think you should worry much about those scores. I think they are adequate and won't make or break your app. Your grades and LORs will play a greater role in determinining your acceptance. Assuming you made good grades in calculus and linear algebra while in school, I think you should still have a pretty good chance at most programs, especially with your work experience. Overall, except for maybe at Harvard or Hopkins, you won't be excluded simply because of your GRE scores.