2018 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results for Statistics/Biostatistics

[Bayesian1701]

Past years: 2013,  2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

As someone who read and used the past results a lot during the process please contribute even if you don't want to fill out all the information.   You will only be allowed to edit for an hour so you might want to wait until you have all your results. 

 

Below is the template:

Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school (such as Big state/Lib Arts/Ivy/Technical/Foreign (Country?))
Major(s):
Minor(s):
GPA:

Type of Student: (Domestic/International (Country?), Male/Female?, Minority?)

GRE General Test:
Q: xxx (xx%)
V: xxx (xx%)
W: x.x (xx%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: xxx (xx%)

TOEFL Score: (xx = Rxx/Lxx/Sxx/Wxx) (if applicable)

Grad Institution: (school or type of school?) (if applicable)

Concentration: 
GPA:
 

Programs Applying: (Statistics/Operation Research/Biostatistics/Financial Math/etc.)

 

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications or conference talks etc...)
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, etc...)

Letters of Recommendation: (what kinds of professors? "well-known" in field? etc.)

Math/Statistics Grades:  (calculus sequence,  mathematical statistics, probability,  real analysis etc.) 
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: (Such as connections, grad classes, etc...)

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
School - Program / Admitted/Rejected/Waitlisted/Pending on (date) / Accepted/Declined
School - Program / Admitted/Rejected/Waitlisted/Pending on (date) / Accepted/Declined
School - Program / Admitted/Rejected/Waitlisted/Pending on (date) / Accepted/Declined

[statscan9]

Undergrad Institution: University of Western Ontario (Canada)
Major: Statistical Finance
Minor: Pure Math
GPA: 3.96 cumulative, 4.00 major

Type of Student: Canadian

GRE General Test
Q: 167 (92%)
V: 163 (93%)
W: 4.5 (82%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics
M: N/A (this was probably a mistake) 
 

Research Experience 

One summer research project funded by the Canadian government (NSERC). Ultimately led to a publication, but not before applying so schools didn't see that. 
 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions

Nothing impressive.
 

Industry Experience

Two summer internships in industry, with one in a research capacity for an insurance company.

 

Letters of Recommendation

One from my analysis professor, where I got the highest mark in the class. One from an MD who I worked with during my summer research project, I'm guessing this was an average letter. My third letter was from my summer research supervisor, and this one was definitely my strongest. He let me look at it after sending it in, and the highlight of it was when he called me the strongest undergrad he's had in his 34 year career.

 

Math/Statistics Grades  

We grade on a percentage scale, with a 90% being a 4.0, and most course averages between 65-70%.

• Calculus I,II,III - 96%, 97%, 90%
• ODEs, PDEs - 92%, 100%
• Probability I,II - 90%, 94%
• Statistics I,II - 93%, 96%
• Real Analysis I,II - 99%, 100%
• Linear Algebra I,II - 87%, 98%

 

Lots of experience programming in python, R, SQL, java, and C++.

 

Results

University of Waterloo - MMath Statistics Accepted (Jan 8), Tuition + 15K for 12 months
University of Chicago - PhD Statistics Rejected (Jan 26)
Carnegie Mellon University - PhD Statistics Accepted (Feb 1), 5 years of Tuition + 26K/year

University of Toronto - PhD Statistics Accepted (Feb 9), 5 years of Tuition + 17.5K/year -- Decided to go here!

McGill University - MSc Statistics Accepted (Feb 15), Tuition + 19K for 16 months

University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) - PhD Statistics Rejected (Feb 23)

Columbia University - PhD Statistics Rejected (Mar 2)

Edited March 3, 2018 by statscan9

[biostat43]

Undergrad Institution: Canadian (fairly well known)
Major(s):  Mathematics
Minor(s):
GPA: 4.00

Type of Student: US Citizen

GRE General Test:
Q: 165 (89%)
V: 163 (93%)
W: 4.5 (82%)
 

GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: NA
 

Programs Applying: Biostatistics and Statistics PhD

 

Research Experience: 

Worked for a couple of years on projects in statistics/biostatistics during undergrad. A few methods papers submitted / in progress at the time of application. 5-10 presentations at conferences/seminars/etc. Won a reasonably well-regarded data science competition (as part of a team). About a half-year working in research in numerical analysis.
 

Letters of Recommendation: 

Two from research supervisors and one from an advanced math course

 

Math/Statistics Grades:  

Math courses: Calculus 2 and 3, Advanced Calculus, ODEs, Linear Algebra, Analysis 1 and 2, Abstract Algebra 1 and 2, Number Theory, Discrete Structures, Complex Variables, Numerical Analysis, Matrix Numerical Analysis

Statistics courses: Probability, Statistics, Regression and ANOVA, Research Project (in biostat methods), Bayesian Statistics (PhD level)

Plus a handful of computer sciences courses

 

Results: 

Biostatistics PhD
Harvard University - Accepted 2/13
Johns Hopkins University - Accepted 3/02 
University of Washington - Rejected 1/26
University of Minnesota - Accepted 12/21 

Statistics PhD
Duke University - Accepted 2/05
UC Berkeley - Rejected 2/15
University of Washington - Rejected 2/08

[OuterEdge]

Undergrad Institution: Top 50 public, State University
Major(s): Statistics
Minor(s): Mathematics
GPA: 2.84 Undergrad, 3.75 Graduate (completing a graduate certificate after undergrad)

Type of Student: Domestic Female

GRE General Test:
Q: 167 (92%)
V: 160 (86%)
W: 4.0 (60%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: N/A
 

Programs Applying: MS Biostatistics

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 2.5 years (current job) as a Research & Data Analyst for a state government agency

Letters of Recommendation: two from work supervisors (both very strong), one from an undergrad professor (no idea on strength)

Math/Statistics Grades:  

Math: Calculus I (AP credit), II (B), III (C); Linear Algebra I (B+), II (C); Intro to Advance Math (basically introduction to proofs, A-); ODE (F), Abstract Algebra 1 (D+)

Statistics: Statistics for Engineers (A-), SAS for Data and Statistical Analysis (A-), ANOVA (B), Intro to Math Stat (A), Quality Control (B), Clinical Trails (A), Biostatistics (A), Regression (C+), Time Series & Forecasting (B) ;; Graduate Stat Courses- Applied Logistic Regression (A), SAS Data Management (B+), Applied Regression Methods (A)

Misc Related: Econometrics (A-), C++ Programming (C)

 

Results:
Johns Hopkins  ScM Biostatistics - Pending (expecting a rejection)
Duke University Master of Biostatics - Accepted on 2/16, $10k scholarship per year
Washington University in St. Louis Master of Science in Biostatistics - Accepted on 2/16, $10k scholarship + health insurance fee covered

Boston University MS in Applied Biostatistics - Waitlisted on 3/7

Florida State University MS in Biostatistics - Pending

[Stat1996]

Undergrad Institution: Small private school

Major(s): Math, Statistics
Minor(s): Economics
GPA: 3.93

Type of Student: Domestic

GRE General Test:
Q: 83%
V: 83%
W: 98%

 

Programs Applying: Statistics/Biostatistics PhD

Research: 2 summers of undergrad research, 1 statistics REU, undergrad thesis

Course Work: A's in Calc 1-3, differential equations, linear algebra, applied statistics 1-2, probability, math stat, advanced calculus, game theory, numerical analysis, Fourier series/boundary value problems, econometrics

Results:

 

Statistics Programs: (PhD)

NCSU - Admitted with funding
Iowa State University - Admitted with funding
Virginia Tech - Admitted with funding

Baylor University - Admitted with funding

University of Rochester - Admitted with funding

University of Kentucky - Waiting

Temple University - Interviewed

 

Biostatistics Programs: (PhD)

Virginia Commonwealth University - Admitted with funding

Ohio State University - Admitted with fellowship

Emory - Rejected to PhD, accepted to Masters (no funding)

Vanderbilt - Not invited to interview weekend, assuming rejection

Brown - Not invited to interview weekend, assuming rejection

Florida State University - Waiting

 

 

Edited March 8, 2018 by Stat1996

[GoPackGo89]

Undergrad Institution: State school out west, not known for any math/stats
Major(s):  Math (applied/stats focused coursework)
Minor(s): Economics
GPA: 3.95

Type of Student: DWM

GRE General Test:
Q: 165 (89%)
V: 156 (73%)
W:  4.0 (60%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: N/A

 

Programs Applying: Biostatistics

 

Research Experience: Two REUs, RA'd for a semester, presented a few posters/small presentations, no publications.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Graduated rank 1 in small math department

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I tutored calculus for two years, graded for two years

Letters of Recommendation: My mentor for undergraduate research (assistant professor), My REU/RA advisor (senior faculty), lecturer who I took many math courses with.

Math/Statistics Grades:  A's in math coursework: Intro analysis1-2, ODE, PDE, Linear Algebra, Numerical Analysis, Math Stats, Prob Theory, Intro regression, proofs
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: I dropped out of college before joining the military. I've met more than a handful of students and faculty who dropped out, got their shit together and came back to find success. For anyone worrying about a somewhat distant past just know it's more common than you think. For what it's worth when I came back to school I started at a community college (people seem to worry about this too much).

Results:

Biostatistics PhD
Harvard University - No Interview, Rejected
UNC Chapel Hill - Accepted 1/23
Pennsylvania  - No Interview, Rejected
Duke - No Interview, Rejected (admitted to MS)
Michigan - Rejected (admitted to MS)
Vanderbilt - No Interview, assuming rejection

Statistics PhD

NC State - Waitlisted
 

Edited March 9, 2018 by GoPackGo89

[raubsaurier]

Undergrad Institution: University of Washington
Major(s): Economics, Mathematics 
Minor(s): International Studies 
GPA: 3.8/4.0

Type of Student: Domestic Female 

GRE General Test:
Q: 167 (92%)
V: 166 (97%)
W: 4 (60%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: n/a 
 

Programs Applying: Biostats/Stats 

 

Research Experience: Undergraduate thesis/senior project research that was related to international health, 1 research project for a math class that ended up being submitted to an undergrad research publication. (Found out yesterday that its going to be published!) 
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Best undergrad thesis by department
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Data Analyst at a global health research institute - don't think this helped my applications one way or the other, but I got asked about it during interviews/school visit. 

Letters of Recommendation: Two from professors who supervised research I did, one from a math professor. 

Math/Statistics Grades:  Calc Series (A- average), Multivariate Calc (A-), Linear Algebra (A), Proofs (A), Real Analysis (A-), Probability I-III (A's in 1st two, A- in third), Mathematical Modeling (A). + several Econometrics/statistical regression/computer programming classes. I switched into the math major at the end of sophomore year (from IS) and picked the math track w/ the fewest credit hours to graduate on time. (I think relative lack of upper-level math classes probably hurt me for Stats applications.)
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 

 

Results: 
University of Michigan - Biostats / Admitted 2/15 (9 months funding for 4 years) 
University of Minnesota - Biostats / Admitted 12/21 (12 months funding for 5 years) 
University of Pennsylvania  - Biostats / Admitted  2/12 (12 months funding until matriculation) 

University of Texas - Houston - Biostats / Admitted 1/8 (said that funding info/positions would be available after enrolling) - declined  

University of Washington - Stats / Rejected

University of California (Berkeley) - Stats/ Rejected (lol) 

University of Wisconsin - Stats (applied to Biostats focus) -Assuming rejection at this point. 

 

 

[Bayesian1701]

Undergrad Institution: R1 Large Public,  no statistics department, 
Major(s):  Mathematics
Minor(s):  Economics
GPA:  for fall deadlines:  3.78 overall, 3.86 Upper-Level Math, For spring deadlines: 3.81 overall, 3.89 Upper-Level Math

Type of Student: Domestic White Female

GRE General Test:
Q: 167 (92%)
V: 160 (85%)
W: 4.0 (60%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: Didn't take

TOEFL Score: N/A
 

Programs Applying: Statistics PhD

 

Research Experience: independent research almost all of undergrad, 2 University conference presentations, 1 presentation at Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics, presentation at graduate seminar, 1 Manuscript submitted anywhere where a writing sample is allowed, and a semi-invited(?) talk a local community college (asked our undergraduate director to pick an undergraduate to talk about undergraduate research and he chose me).  My research was probably as independent as it can get for an undergrad,  I wrote all the code and the manuscript, and made about 95% of the modeling decisions.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:  Paid for research

Letters of Recommendation: One from research advisor  that was definitely amazing and definitely said that my research was highly independent and done almost entirely by me because he told me that,  One from math stats professor,  for UT, Duke, Columbia,  and Kansas State letter from Real Analysis professor,   for others letter from research ethics professor

Math/Statistics Grades:   Calc 2 - A,  Calc 3 - B,  Probability - A+,  Math Stat - A,  Independent study math stat - A+ (grade not seen by fall deadlines),  Real Analysis 1 - A,  Numerical Analysis - B,  Diff Eq - A,  Intro to Proof - A,  Real Analysis 2 - A (grade not seen by fall deadlines),  Econometrics - A+,  programming class - A,  Game Theory - B, 

Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: graduating in three years with honors

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)

UT Austin - Submitted 11/20, Accepted 1/24 (20k stipend), funded visit 2/23, 

 
Duke Submitted 11/26, Video Call Interview Request 1/15, Interview 1/19, Waitlisted 2/14,  withdrew 3/22

Texas A&M - Submitted 11/13, Accepted 1/24 with funding,  received additional fellowship on top of $20k typical stipend for TA work averaging out to about 32k a year in support

 

Columbia - Submitted 12/31,  rejected 3/2

Baylor - Submitted 12/10, Requested Visit 9/15, Visited 10/26 (Department paid for gas, hotel room, and food) ,  waitlisted 3/8,  withdrew 3/22

Virginia Tech - Submitted 11/20, unofficially accepted with funding 2/7, officially accepted with $1826 stipend and offered paid visit 2/22,  declined 2/26

Florida State - Submitted 12/21,  Accepted with funding ~15k for unspecified teaching work

Kansas State - Submitted 12/31, Accepted 1/30,  was not told funding information before I withdrew

University of Missouri - Columbia Submitted 12/21, - Admitted 2/7 (18.6k a year plus one time $2k fellowship), funded visit 3/5

 

Advice:  

I did things a little differently than most applicants.  I have very strong and specialized research interests stemming from my research experience.   Honestly, my main motivation for graduate school is to get a better statistical background so that I can work on the same problem.  I didn't really customize SOPs at all  I said I wanted to do applied Bayesian statistics with a social science focus even if that is not what the program is known for.  I also only name dropped professors at UT and Missouri.   I figured this might backfire and lead to a lot of rejections but it thankfully didn't in most cases.  At Baylor, a lack of research fit was mentioned in why I didn't make the initial cut which is something that I knew might happen.  I didn't think I could get out of the middle and lower tier but I did.  Honestly, I undershot my chances because I was aiming for 3+ acceptances and I underestimated the value of my research experience.   I decided to stop waiting on Baylor and Duke and made my decision which I am not revealing at this time.  This was a crazy process and I am glad it is over.  

[stats552]

Undergrad Institution: Top 5 LAC
Majors: Stats & Math double
GPA: 4.00
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE General Test:
Q: 170 (99%)
V: 169 (99%)
W: 5.5 (98%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 760 (73%)
 
Programs Applying: Stats Ph.D.
 
Research Experience: 2 stats REUs, undergraduate thesis. No publications.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: PBK, Mu Sigma Rho, undergrad gpa award.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Stats department tutor (2-3 years), graded analysis.
Letters of Recommendation: Strong rec from well-known undergrad professor, two others from REU/undergrad advisors.
Math/Statistics Grades:  A+'s in calc, linear algebra, analysis. A's in probability, math stats, machine learning, data structures/algorithms.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: One graduate course in probability, enrolled in measure theory.

 

Statistics Programs (Ph.D.):

Wisconsin - Accepted 3/2 - declined
Harvard - Accepted 2/6 - accepted
UWashington - Accepted 1/23 - declined
Duke - Interview, rejected 2/18
UChicago - Waitlisted 2/16, rejected 4/2
Stanford - Rejected 2/7
Berkeley - Rejected 2/15
CMU - Rejected 2/9
Michigan - Rejected 3/7

Application cycle went a lot better than expected, likely due to recs (though I still probably wouldn't recommend only applying to reaches ).

 

Edited April 12, 2018 by stats552

[cyberwulf]

2 hours ago, stats552 said:

Application cycle went a lot better than expected, likely due to recs (though I still probably wouldn't recommend only applying to reaches ).

Wait, what? You have a 4.0 in math/stat from one of the top schools in the country and great GRE scores, but you didn't get into Michigan and you're saying this was "better than expected"? Something doesn't add up here.

[statcan]

Undergrad Institution: Canadian institution
Major(s): Math and Statistics
Minor(s):
GPA:  ~90%

Type of Student: International (Canadian)

GRE General Test:
Q: 168 (94%)
V: 157 (76%)
W: 4.5 (82%)
 

Programs Applying: (Statistics, Biostatistics MS/PhD)

 

Research Experience: Did two research assistantships at my university and held one research job in industry. 
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

Letters of Recommendation: All from research supervisors 

Math/Statistics Grades:  A's in real analysis, abstract algebra, regression, mathematical statistics, and some other Math/Stat courses. 
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Most research I did was biostat-focused.

Applied: Statistics/Biostatistics PhDs except at the Canadian schools

 

University of Waterloo (MMath Statistics) - Accepted

University of Toronto (MSc Statistics) - Accepted
UW-Madison (Statistics) - Accepted

CMU (Statistics) - Accepted

University of Washington (Biostatistics) - Accepted

UNC Chapel Hill (Biostatistics) - Accepted

University of Washington (Statistics) - Rejected

Harvard (Statistics) - Rejected

University of Chicago (Statistics) - Rejected

University of Pennsylvania - Wharton (Statistics) - Rejected

[jcfcyuokuea]

Undergrad Institution: Large state school, not really well known
Major(s):  Applied Math
Minor(s): Computer Science
GPA: 3.5

Major GPA: 3.7

Type of Student: Domestic Asian Male

GRE General Test:
Q: 164 (87%)
V: 154 (65%)
W:  3.5 (42%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: N/A
 

Programs Applying: Biostatistics PhD

 

Research Experience: One reu, two years as RA, three papers submitted for publication 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Deads list and research awards from home institution

Letters of Recommendation: Advisor from reu (very well known), advisor from my RAship and my professor who I took calc 3 and linear algebra with

Math/Statistics Grades:  B- in linear algebra, B+ in real analysis, Mostly A's and a few B's in applied math classes, A's in  calc I - III and independent study in measure theory

Results:

• Harvard  - No Interview, Rejected
• UNC  - Rejected
• Penn  - No Interview, Rejected
• Brown  - No Interview, Rejected
• UC Berkeley - Rejected
• Boston University - Rejected
• UC Davis - Admitted
• Michigan - Admitted to MS-PhD fast track
• UCSD - Admitted
• UCLA - Rejected for PhD, but offered funded MS with opportunity to move into PhD program if I pass the first year masters exam

 

[DJ3Sigma]

Undergrad Institution:  Large State School
Major(s): Physics, Statistics
Minor(s): Actuarial Science
GPA: 3.30

Type of Student: U.S., Male

GRE General Test:
Q: 161
V:  156
W: 4.0
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: N/A

Grad Institution (M.S.): Large State School

Concentration: Statistics
GPA: 3.74
 

Programs Applied: Statistics PhD

 

Research Experience: As a GA I also did research with a professor throughout the last year of my Master's program but nothing will be published until this Summer. My research was into causality and Bayesian networks.
 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None
 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Worked as a GA for a center that focused on Biostatistics. I was a part of consultations on research projects and I assisted in the analysis of many projects. Unfortunately, all papers baring my name would not be published until this Summer and so I had nothing to really show the departments to which I applied.

 

Letters of Recommendation: One was from my Mathematical Statistics & Quality Control professor. One from the department chair under which I did research. One from another professor which I collaborated with on a few consultations. One from the manager for the center with whom I also collaborated on a few consultations.

 

Math/Statistics Grades (Undergraduate):  Calculus 1,2,3: done as dual enrollment,

  Mathematical Statistics: A, Probability: A,  Linear Algebra: B-, DiffEq: A, C programming: A, Advanced Calculus: A, Design of Experiments: C+, Regression Analysis: A-, Multivariate Statistics: A, Categorical Analysis: C+

 

Math/Statistics Grades (Master's): Fourier Analysis: B+, Quality Control: A, Game Theory: A-, Mathematical Statistics 1 & 2: B+, Regression Analysis: A, Multivariate Statistics: A, Design of Experiments: A, Data Analysis 1 & 2: A 

 

Programming Skills: R, C++

Applying to Where: 
UC Berkeley- PhD / Rejected  / 02/15/2018
U Washington- PhD / Rejected  /  02/09/2018
Carnegie MU- PhD / Rejected  /  02/09/2018

U Toronto- PhD / Probably Rejected 
Duke U- PhD / Rejected  /  02/22/2018
U Michigan- PhD / Rejected  /  02/08/2018

U Florida- PhD / Waitlisted & Rejected (I do not think being waitlisted here means much as I heard they had a large waiting list)  /  04/09/2018

[Farge]

Undergrad Institution: Large State School (Top 200 USNWR)
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Statistics
GPA: 3.94

Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE General Test:
Q: 167 (92%)
V: 165 (96%)
W: 4.0 (60%)

Grad Institution: Same Large State School (Top 200 USNWR) 

Concentration: Mathematical Statistics
GPA: 4.0
 

Programs Applying: Statistics PhD

 

Research Experience: 1 published paper in a low-level journal. Did research every summer as an undergrad. Was a Graduate Research Assistant for multiple projects as a grad student. Presented at local conferences, but nothing major.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Many within my school, but nothing outside.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored as an undergrad and was a teaching assistant as a grad student.

Letters of Recommendation: My department head, one "well known" prof, and my graduate advisor

Math/Statistics Grades:  A's in graduate level analysis courses and graduate level stats courses

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) - Statistics PhD / Rejected on 2/9/18

Iowa State University (ISU) - Statistics PhD / Admitted on 2/27/18

Oregon State University (OSU) - Statistics PhD / Rejected on 2/21/18
University of California, Irvine (UCI) - Statistics PhD / Admitted on 2/8/18

[biostat314]

Schools in chronological order:

State University | GPA: 1.68 | academically dismissed

Community College | GPA: 4.0

Small Liberal Arts College | GPA: 3.96 | degree-granting institution

Cumulative GPA: 3.6

Type of Student: Domestic

GRE General Test:
Q: 168 (94%)
V: 167 (98%)
W: 5.0 (93%)

 

Research Experience: 2 REUs at top schools, non-academic but relevant internship, 2nd author publication, handful of regional/institutional talks and posters
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: departmental awards, honors societies
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for non-math class, tutor for a handful of math classes, currently employed in semi-relevant position

Letters of Recommendation: two from REU professors and two from professors at my SLAC

Math/Statistics Grades: C in MV calculus, F in linear algebra, A's in 11 other undergrad-level math/stat classes including 2 semesters of real analysis

 

Programs Applying: Biostatistics PhD

Applying to:
Harvard | Admitted after interview | Attending
Michigan | Admitted to MS-PhD fast-track after phone interview | Declined
UW | Waitlisted after Skype interview | Withdrew

Hopkins | Rejected without interview

Edited April 14, 2018 by biostat314

[wildUNCfan]

Undergrad Institution: UNC-Chapel Hill
Cum GPA: 3.89
Major(s): Statistics & Psychology

Major GPA: 3.84 & 4.00, respectively

Type of Student: DWM

GRE General Test:
Q: 167 (92%)
V: 164 (94%)
W: 4.5 (84%)
 

Programs Applying: Statistics/Biostatistics PhD & MS

 

Research Experience: Presentation / poster at JSM, in-class research projects (my small group ranked top 3 out of 300+ students)
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Sigma Pi, graduated "with Highest Distinction"
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 1.5 years as statistician at a large international research company (at time of applications)

Letters of Recommendation: Decent to good- statistics professor, psychology professor (research methods class and stats class), and my project manager

Math/Statistics Grades: Probability, Time Series Analysis, Calculus 1-3, Linear Algebra, ODEs, other undergrad stats classes. All at least B, mostly A's.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Spent quite a bit of time on Statement of Purpose and researching program/faculty. A lot of SAS experience from job, with some proficiency in other software and languages such as MATLAB/R/Python/JavaScript.

Applying to Where: 

 

Statistics

• UC Berkeley - M.S. | Admitted on (2/28), Received ~$18k in financial aid on (4/11) | Attending
• UChicago - Ph.D./M.S. | Rejected for PhD on (1/26), Accepted with 25% scholarship for M.S. on (2/07) | Declined
• Stanford - M.S. | Rejected on 2/23

Biostatistics

• UNC-Chapel Hill - Ph.D. | Admitted on 1/25, Received funding on 2/21 | Declined
• Harvard* - Ph.D. | No interview, Rejected on (2/14)

*Applied very late - possibly after the deadline.

 

Essentially 3/3 on schools not named Harvard and Stanford. Overall, I'm happy with these results, especially since I only started considering PhD around November.

Not sure if I want to do PhD, hence why I chose Berkeley's 1 year program. Also, my math and biostat background was less than stellar. I plan on taking Real Analysis and some grad-level biostat courses to pad my PhD resume. 50/50 on applying to Ph.D. for Fall 2019/2020.

[Cal1gula]

Undergrad Institution: India. Not one of the IITs.

Major(s): Bachelors in Pharmacy (+ MBA Pharma. Tech)

GPA: ~3.4 (WES evaluation brought it up to ~3.6)

Type of Student: International

GRE General Test:

Q: 166

V: 166

W: 5.0

GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: N/A

Research Experience: No relevant research experience.

1) Worked one summer in the chemistry lab, worked on synthesis of some compounds and forced degradation studies. No publications.

2) Conducted a study in which I set out to evaluate the influence of personality traits on patient adherence. Unpublished but had an oral presentation in college.

Math/Stat Courses: Calc 1, 2 (A+)(covered in a one-semester course), Applied Math and Pharmaceutical Statistics(diff eq, laplace transformations and biostatistics) (A-) Computer Science (A), Operations Research (A+), Marketing Research Methodology (B+), Calc. Based Stat Course (C) - was suffering from malaria during exams (mentioned it in the SOP), was really worried that this would affect my chances

Letters of Recommendation: One from calc professor, one from professor who taught me OR and MRM, and one from my chemistry lab advisor (not sure about the first 2 letters, but probably got a strong letter from my chem lab advisor)

Work experience: Have interned at pharmaceutical companies (one month in a production plant, and 4 months in the supply chain department).

Programs Applying: MS Biostatistics

Applying to Where:

University of Texas SPH - Accepted

University of Iowa - Accepted

University of Pittsburgh - Accepted

Emory University - Rejected

Ohio State University - Rejected

WUSTL - Accepted + $10k financial aid

Columbia - Accepted

Boston University - Rejected

University of Michigan - Rejected

Vanderbilt - Rejected

University of Minnesota - Accepted (attending)

Overall : 6 Acceptances, 5 Rejections (Went much better than I expected it to!)

 

Some Observations on the Application Process

1. Most of the applicants on the forum are (domestic) PhD applicants, so it was scary seeing their profiles and I knew my profile was nowhere near as good as theirs. However, masters programs are much less competitive--so as long as you have good grades and a good GRE score, you have a decent shot at getting into Top 15 programs.

2. As I was switching fields I really had no idea which universities I would get accepted/rejected from and I just applied to a lot of universities. I got accepted to some where I assumed I had no chance (Minnesota) and got rejected from others where I felt I would surely get accepted (OSU). So, apply far and wide if you're not sure--and remember, there are no "safety" schools!

3. Even though cyberwulf's advice indicates that your SOP doesn't really matter, I spent a lot of time on it because I felt like it was one of the few things in my control. I think I ended up with a really strong SOP but again there's no way to say what impact (if any) it had on my application

4. If given a chance to do it again, I wouldn't have applied to Michigan or Vanderbilt, and probably filled it in with colleges such as Brown, Penn etc.

 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Cal1gula

[yellowfellow]

Undergrad Institution: Large state; Top 50 Math department
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Econ
GPA: Cum: 3.87; Major: 3.8

Type of Student: Domestic male

Relevant coursework: Calc II, Calc III, Discrete, Elements of Prob and Stat, Proofs, Analysis ODE, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Probability Theory, Topology (in progress), Statistics Theory (in progress), Java, Data Organization in C

GRE General Test:
Q: 170 (97%)
V: 151 (52%)
W: 4.0 (60%)
 

Programs Applying:  Applied statistics/data science masters programs

Cornell MPS Applied Statistics:  Accepted

CMU MSP: Rejected

Rice M.Stat: Rejected

Brown Biostatistics: Accepted

Columbia Data Science: Rejected

Brown Data Science: Accepted

 

Research Experience: None
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Just some GPA-based honors and selections
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Data science internship at a startup last summer

Letters of Recommendation: 1 professor, 1 post-doc, 1 from employer.
 

[bayessays]

1 hour ago, yellowfellow said:

Undergrad Institution: Large state; Top 50 Math department
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Econ
GPA: Cum: 3.87; Major: 3.8

Type of Student: Domestic male

Relevant coursework: Calc II, Calc III, Discrete, Elements of Prob and Stat, Proofs, Analysis ODE, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Probability Theory, Topology (in progress), Statistics Theory (in progress), Java, Data Organization in C

GRE General Test:
Q: 170 (97%)
V: 151 (52%)
W: 4.0 (60%)
 

Programs Applying:  Applied statistics/data science masters programs

Cornell MPS Applied Statistics:  Accepted

CMU MSP: Rejected

Rice M.Stat: Rejected

Brown Biostatistics: Accepted

Columbia Data Science: Rejected

Brown Data Science: Accepted

 

Research Experience: None
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Just some GPA-based honors and selections
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Data science internship at a startup last summer

Letters of Recommendation: 1 professor, 1 post-doc, 1 from employer.
 

This is pretty shocking - I feel like if you posted your profile, everyone on this forum would say you're going to get into all of those programs. Perhaps MS programs are getting more competitive. 

[yellowfellow]

3 hours ago, bayessays said:

This is pretty shocking - I feel like if you posted your profile, everyone on this forum would say you're going to get into all of those programs. Perhaps MS programs are getting more competitive. 

The programs do seem very competitive. I was not expecting much from CMU because I have not taken a regression course which is a prerequisite, and I believe I was one of the last admits to Cornell's MPS as I received a message from them beginning of April saying that they are still processing while they had already granted several acceptances and I just got accepted today. A possibility is that I have very little work experience and since these programs are more career-oriented that they prefer those with work experience? Also for my first two years of undergrad I attended a large state university with a lower reputation than the one I am graduating from so that possibly played a factor as well. I like to think my SOP was decent but maybe it didn't rub them the right way either?

Congrats to all admits!

[NumStats]

Undergrad Institution: Top 50 State School (According to US News)
Major(s): Mathematics, Chemical Engineering, Quantitative Economics
Minor(s): Statistics
GPA: 3.57

Type of Student: International

GRE General Test:
Q: 169 (96%)
V: 144 (24%)
W: 3.5 (42%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
Did not take
 

Programs Applying: Statistics

 

Research Experience: 2 years research experience in Big Data Analysis, Panel Data, and Machine Learning 
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Honors in Mathematics and Economics
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: President of an Organization in my school

Letters of Recommendation: 1 from Honors adviser in Economics, 1 research adviser in Statistics, 1 Statistics Professor that I know pretty well

Math/Statistics Grades: 

Calculus I/II/III : A-/B+/A- 

Statistics and Probability : A-/A/A 

Bayesian Statistics : A- 

Statistical Methods (Linear Regression) : A-/A

Numerical Analysis : A/A

Real Analysis : B/A

Linear Algebra : A/B+

Differential Equation : A-

Financial Mathematics : A

Exploratory Data Analysis : A-

Econometrics : A+/A

Risk Analysis : A+

Actuarial Math : B+/B+

Machine Learning : A

Discrete Mathematics : A/A

Applying to Where: 
School - Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) - Rejected

School - University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign (UIUC) - Rejected

School - Pennsylvania State University (PennState) - Rejected

School - University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Rejected

School - University of California, Davis (UCD) - Rejected

School - University of California, Irvine (UCI) - Rejected

School - Columbia University - Rejected, Offered Master

School - University of Michigan - Ann-Arbor - Rejected, Offered Master

School - University of Notre Dame - Accepted

School - Texas A&M University (TAMU) - Rejected

School - Rice University - Rejected

School - Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) - Rejected

School - New York University (NYU) - Rejected

[annuity]

Undergrad Institution: Top 5 school in the UK
Major(s): Actuarial Science

 

Programs Applying: Statistics

 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Have been working as an actuary for the last 8 years (5 in the US). I considered applying for a masters here in the US but didn't want to be out of work for 2 years, so returning to the UK instead (masters there are 1 year programs).

Letters of Recommendation: 2 professors from undergrad, one of them is the head of department; one coworker (we worked on a very stats heavy project together)

Applying to Where: 
School - Oxford, MS in Statistical Science - Rejected
School - Imperial, MS Statistics  - Accepted
School - UCL, MS Statistics -  Accepted

Edited May 10, 2018 by annuity

[dmacfour]

Undergrad Institutions: University of Idaho, Eastern Washington
Major(s): Psychology, Post Bacc
Minor(s): Business Management
GPA: 3.1, 3.75

Type of Student: Domestic

GRE General Test:
Q: 156
V: 158
W: 4

Grad Institution: University of Idaho

Concentration: Human Factors Psychology
GPA: 3.41
 

Programs Applying: Applied Statistics, Statistics, Mathematics with a concentration in Statistics.

 

Research Experience: 1.5 years experience working in a well know sleep research lab, 3 years experience working in labs at my original undergrad/grad institution.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: In my currently lab, I've been the go to guy for anything related to statistics and statistics computation (R, Python). In that capacity, I've worked directly with large government agencies and corporations and gotten authorship on 4 papers.

Letters of Recommendation: One from widely recognized scientist in an unrelated field (sleep science), one from a math prof, and another from my current lab manager (recent PhD graduate).

Math/Statistics Grades: 

Calculus I/II/III/IV : A-/B-/A+/A+

Statistical Methods: A

Linear Algebra : A+

Finite Math: B

 

Applying to Where: 

School - MAS, Applied Statistics (on campus) / Colorado State University / Accepted 6/5/18
School - MS, Mathematics Concentration in Statistics / University of Nevada Reno / Rejected
School - MS, Statistics / Washington State University / Pending (Spring application)

 

Considering my background, I was not expecting to get admitted to UNR. I was missing 3 prereqs at the time, and my GRE Q scores are not up to par for a math program. CSU was waiting for me to finish the linear algebra prereq, so I was pleasantly surprised that space was still available this late in the year. It was my program of choice when I set out on this journey, so I can't complain!

Edited June 6, 2018 by dmacfour

[Taheel]

Undergrad Institution: Large state school
Type of Student: Domestic white male

Major(s): Chemistry, Math
GPA: 3.71

GRE General Test:
Q: 166 (91%)
V: 165 (96%)
W: 5.0 (>90%)

Grad Institution: Large state school
Concentration: A few post-grad courses in statistical programming/applied statistics
GPA: 4.0
 
Research Experience: 2 years of research in chemistry, 1 publication
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Graduated with honors, award for undergraduate research
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (1 yr) Healthcare IT company, (1 yr) Work as an research analyst/data manager for a well-known academic medical center
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from math professor, 2 from research advisors (chemistry professor, biology professor)
Math/Statistics Grades:  A in calculus sequence, A in probability, A- in real analysis I, A in linear algebra, no mathematical statistics, 3.85ish math GPA (all B+ or greater)

Applied to:
Biostatistics
UNC Chapel Hill - PhD / Admitted 
University of Minnesota - PhD / Rejected from PhD, admitted to MS
University of Michigan - PhD / Admitted to fast-track MS/PhD
Brown University – PhD / Rejected
Harvard University – PhD / Rejected
Columbia University – PhD / Rejected

Statistics
UNC Chapel Hill – MS / Never heard back?
University of Wisconsin – PhD (Biostats concentration) / Waitlisted - Admitted
University of Minnesota – MS / Admitted
Duke University – MS / Admitted
Ohio State University – PhD / Waitlisted - Rejected
Penn State University – MS/PhD (joint application) / Rejected
NC State University – PhD / Waitlisted – Rejected
Wake Forest University – MS / Admitted
 

Thoughts:
I came in not really knowing what to expect and not having a clear idea about what schools I should aim for. In hindsight, I shouldn't have applied to Columbia and would have added in UC Berkeley biostatistics (MS) in its place. On the statistics side, I wished I had switched Colorado State in place of Wake Forest. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the list of schools I applied to and I ended up having some great options to choose from. 

Edited June 9, 2018 by Taheel