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ongtz

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Everything posted by ongtz

  1. Doesn't hurt at all not having any math/stat profs. Generally, what graduate committees seek answers from LORs are: (i) Student's background (ii) Student's interest (drive, motivation, etc) (iii) will he/she be a suitable fit into the program You have to understand, a very common misconception from people about math and statistics is that they are deadlocked and theoretical (only black and white... yadda yadda yadda). A lot of people may refute this post but math is the mother of all sciences... So I believe that having LORs from a chemist, physicist and geologist each shows how rich your research base is. Your uniqueness: dynamism With strong mathematical background, it's a plus point applying for statistics. To be honest, I'm totally no where on earth close to the cream of the crop so schools like Harvard, John Hopkins, Cornell, Yale (list goes on and you know it...) etc etc, are beyond even my wildest dreams (doesn't hurt trying... you'll never know). Here's a list of ranking from USN which I refer to. http://grad-schools....istics-rankings Good thing you are learning SAS. Very powerful software! Ever considered real analysis? It's fundamental for statistics Hope it helps. Good Luck!
  2. I am pretty sure you will include an unofficial/official transcript together with the application. So yes, all the courses related to your major from lower to upper division. Does your school website auto generates an audit report based on your current student record on file? You can try this: (I) For every course, multiply the credit hours and credit points (see below). Sum all of them up. This is your total GPA points. A+ = 4.00 A = 4.00 A- = 3.67 B+ = 3.33 B = 3.00 B- = 2.67 C+ = 2.33 C = 2.00 C- = 1.67 D+ = 1.33 D = 1.00 D- = 0.67 F = 0 FN=0 FW = 0 (II) Total up the number of credit hours you have. Divide the total GPA points with total number of credit hours. The resulting number is your GPA for your major. Hope that helps!
  3. I am just curious. Where you looking to apply to? There are so many deciding factors and each graduate committee handles them differently. Since you can't turn back time, focus on the LORs and best of luck for your GRE. Do consider acquiring a programming language if possible (MATLAB/C++).
  4. Good luck to you! I have to agree with hedgie. Linear algebra and real analysis (measure theory) are part of the fundamentals for a strong statistical background. You don't have to worry much about Chem and Bio because in a biostats program, you'll be taking courses on clinical studies and trials which will have you covered. The stats dept. is also seeking for students who has background in statistical analysis/programming. A lot of professors would recommend SAS (especially this program... most sought after... And if you have SAS certification, employers will favor you) and C++ or MATLAB.
  5. There are so many factors to consider when accepting students; GRE, Curriculum vitae, SOP, recommendations. Try not to undermine Masters (although funding is a stressful thing judging from the cost of education today) because the market does have a demand for biostatisticians. I am currently summer interning in st jude children's research hospital and to my surprise, the biostatistics department comprise around 50% of master degree holders. You can probably try applying MS and PhD at the same time (kinda like a Plan A and Plan B else one fails). It was very nerve-wrecking for me because I applied PhD to 7 schools and all got rejected. I was lucky enough to be admitted into a MS program in the fall. Try taking a step at a time and exhaust all resources you can, those are what my seniors told me. For me being an international student, I am going to squeeze every single penny just to make sure my position here in the United States is stable. It is a risk game. If given the chance to rewind time, I would try applying everywhere, even competitive schools. Here are some schools you can add into the list for consideration: Ohio State University University of Chicago, IL University of Urbana-Champaign Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Oregon State University, Corvallis Purdue University Loyola University Chicago (Masters only) <--- the only application that accepted me. got a GA position too. give it a try Iowa State University University of Iowa Kansas State University All the best to you
  6. There are a lot of differing opinions on the benchmark for GRE scores (definitely higher if you're talking about top notch institutes). But there's one thing statistics is really looking at: mathematics. A lot of professors are seeking for students who are able to understand the mathematical and theoretical reasoning behind the statistical methodologies. In the undergraduate level, we just take the methodologies right on the surface (touch-and-go kinda thing), whereas graduate level goes really in-depth with theories. It may be true that some schools look more into your curriculum vitae than the GRE to assess your preparedness for the MS/PhD discipline. Your GRE scores are actually good to me. I am very bad at standardized test taking. I remember blanking out and ended up flunked badly in it (V 146 Q 160 A 4.0) (Being an international student is a bit tough at times). I feel the nausea thinking the 4 hour gruesome experience again. I believe what really saved me is the double major in mathematics and statistics. I know I am not a great person in giving opinions but think of it; standardized test (standard already tells all) VS curriculum vitae. Which one would you think can be more unique? Retaking GRE or taking an assortment of related courses? That's your call. If you are looking at courses; I strongly suggest REAL ANALYSIS (very fundamental and tend to be left out by a lot of statistics majors) and operations research. Courses that might be helpful too: abstract algebra; complex analysis Hope that helps. By all means I am not an expert. I am still learning and will be moving to Chicago in fall for my MSc
  7. I may be naive on this. I gathered information from my peers and department about the same question as well. It is true that Statistics encompass a wide variety of research fields compared to Bio-Statisitics. But then Biometrics is much more hands-on and applicable (direction specific), with the potential of furthering the depths of current methodologies. I am torn between the two as well but I do feel (I may be wrong) somehow, you can get some sort of a "balance" from how you shape the discipline based on the courses you undertake before heading full-time into research/thesis. By the way, I really need some advice from any of you. I got rejected from all 6 schools (3 waitlisted before rejection) which I applied for PhD. The only 1 school I applied for MS accepted me. What are the experiences like in grad school? I am only told that it is a total different world. I am pursuing Applied Statistics (been approved by the department with the course combination in an attempt to encompass both tracks; stats & biostats). I am hoping with a MS, my odds of fighting a spot in PhD would be better.
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