2019 Statistics PhD Applicant

[MathStat]

Undergrad Institution: Top 10 US Private School 
Major: Mathematics and Statistics
GPA: 3.9

 

Type of Student: International white female

Relevant Courses: Linear Algebra (A), Multivariable Calc. (B+), Numerical Analysis (A), Regression Analysis (A-), Analysis I (A), Analysis II (A+), Probability (A), Mathematical Statistics (A+), Applied Stochastic Processes - grad level (A), Abstract Algebra (A), Measure Theory - grad level (A), Complex Analysis - grad level (A), Intro Bayesian Statistics (A), Statistical Computing (A). Will be taking Functional Analysis in the fall

 

GRE: 

Q: 169 (96%)
V: 161(88%)
W: 4 (60%)

 

Will be taking the Math GRE in September

 

Programs Applying:  Statistics PhD

 

Research Experience: 

- one project (summer + one semester) in mathematical modeling; presented 2 posters at applied math conferences; submitted a manuscript for review;

- year-long research (summer + two semesters) in pure probability; 3 papers submitted for review; 

- one project in mathematical statistics this past summer; planning to obtain more results and write a paper; 

 

Teaching Experience: Tutored and graded for various math courses (linear algebra, multi, probability, analysis) for the past 5 semesters 

 

Recommendation Letters: all three from research supervisors

 

Coding Experience: R, Python and Matlab

 

Research Interests: nonparametric statistics; topological and geometric data analysis; statistical learning from a theoretical/mathematical viewpoint

Applying to: Statistics PhD unless otherwise specified

• Stanford 
• Berkeley 
• UWashington
• CMU
• UChicago
• UPenn
• Duke 
• UNC
• NC State
• UMichigan
• UTAustin
• Cornell
• Johns Hopkins (Applied Math & Statistics)
• Vanderbilt (Biostats)

Concerns:

• lack of advanced statistical science courses/experience; 
• having broad, not so well-defined statistics research interests; 
• relatively low GRE writing score

I would really appreciate any thoughts/advice on my list of schools (am I aiming too high with no safeties?) and on any other places I should consider.

Thank you in advance! 

 

 

 

Edited July 25, 2018 by MathStat

[Bayesian1701]

Your GRE writing score is good, and your statistics coursework is sufficient.  Most undergraduates going into statistics Ph.D. programs don't have defined research interests.  Your profile is great.  Your biggest disadvantage is the fact that you are an international student.  At the top programs you are going to be competing for a very limited number of spots with international (and some US) applicants with masters degrees.  You have the potential to get into a top program,  but adding a few safeties couldn't hurt.  You will probably get a lot of rejections with that list but you should get a funded offer somewhere.

Duke has great admissions statistics that you can use to better understand your chances.  I would suggest adding Texas A&M if their application is free again this year because they are big, a great program, and easier to get into places like CMU and Stanford.  I would do some more research on where to apply.  I think you could remove some of the top programs by looking into the program structure, research fit, and even minor things like location.  

UNC and NC State are pretty realistic.  UT is a small program which makes it a little harder to get into, but is still realistic. The first five programs plus Duke are going to be very hard (but not impossible) to get into.  You might get into 0-2 of those.  I don't know much about the other schools.

[StatsG0d]

7 hours ago, Bayesian1701 said:

Your biggest disadvantage is the fact that you are an international student.  At the top programs you are going to be competing for a very limited number of spots with international (and some US) applicants with masters degrees. 

Although the OP is an international student, she did go to a top-10 school in the US, so I think she definitely has somewhat of an edge over most international students who earned their degrees (including their master's degree) abroad. I think generally the concern among international students is that adcoms don't really know how strong of a school it is unless it has a solid reputation for farming good statistics students (e.g. ISI in India and Peking in China).

[MathStat]

Thank you both for your replies! In case you are curious about my undergraduate institution, I study at the one with the heavily Bayesian department. 

Thank you, Bayesian, for the Texas A&M suggestion - I was thinking of adding this one! How about adding some of the UCs (UCLA, UC Irvine and UC Davis)? I did read on this forum they may still be very competitive due to their location. I will definitely put in more time researching safety options to apply to and revising my list, as my main goal is to get at least one fully funded offer. Of course, I'd greatly appreciate any other suggestions of safer schools to apply to, which are also known for theoretical research. 

[statfan]

You have a very strong profile coming from a well-known school, so you should apply to mostly top shcools. The UC programs you listed are far removed from top ones and are not competitive as you thought.  Your original list seems good and maybe you should apply more aggressively by removing schools like Vanderbilt and JHU since they don't have a very strong department. I am sure you definitely can get into some top 10 programs, if not all. 

[Gauss2017]

Berkeley and Irvine have strong programs. Irvine is up and coming   Some of the schools on your list welcome diversity and women and some appear to discriminate against women.  You are a strong candidate so you dont want to wind up at a place that does support gender diversity 

[MathStat]

Thanks for the insight, Gauss. I was not aware of that. If you are willing, feel free to message me with the specific places you're thinking of that would support/not-support gender-diversity. 

Edited July 26, 2018 by MathStat

[bayessays]

3 hours ago, statfan said:

You have a very strong profile coming from a well-known school, so you should apply to mostly top shcools. The UC programs you listed are far removed from top ones and are not competitive as you thought.  Your original list seems good and maybe you should apply more aggressively by removing schools like Vanderbilt and JHU since they don't have a very strong department. I am sure you definitely can get into some top 10 programs, if not all. 

UCLA, Irvine, and Davis all have very strong programs and are at the level this person should be applying to, although you are probably right that they can do better than Vanderbilt and JHU.

[MathStat]

Hi everyone, 

Thank you again to everyone who posted feedback about my profile. I wanted to make an update with my GRE math score and some publications that have meanwhile been accepted, as well as with my revised list  of schools. At the advice of my professor, I had already sent my (average) math GRE score to all the schools I am applying to and wanted to ask you guys again about how you think this will affect my chances. I am also starting to send out applications and was wondering whether there is anything I could do at this point to help my application. Thank you in advance!

 

Undergrad Institution: Duke University
Major: Mathematics and Statistics
GPA: 3.9

 

Type of Student: International white female

Relevant Courses: Linear Algebra (A), Multivariable Calc. (B+), Numerical Analysis (A), Regression Analysis (A-), Analysis I (A), Analysis II (A+), Probability (A), Mathematical Statistics (A+), Applied Stochastic Processes - grad level (A), Abstract Algebra (A), Measure Theory - grad level (A), Complex Analysis - grad level (A), Intro Bayesian Statistics (A), Statistical Computing (A). Currenty taking: Graduate-level functional analysis (grade may not be an A...), Statistical Science Case Studies, an independent study in probability and two other classes to fulfill my graduation requirements.  

 

GRE: 

Q: 169 (96%)
V: 161(88%)
W: 4 (60%)

 

Math Subject GRE:

760 (72%)

 

Programs Applying:  Statistics PhD

 

Research Experience: 

- one project (summer + one semester) in mathematical modeling; presented 2 posters at applied math conferences; submitted a manuscript for review;

- year-long research (summer + two semesters) in pure probability; 3 papers currently accepted for publication - two of them were written with my probability mentor and a postdoc, yet I am listed as the first author; for the third paper, I am a co-author along with two other undergraduates, 2 professors, a postdoc and a graduate student. 

- one project in mathematical statistics this past summer with a statistics faculty at Duke; held several presentations for my REU program, yet we will likely not have a paper, due to not obtaining strong enough results; this project was also collaborative, with two other undergrads.

 

Teaching Experience: Tutored and graded for various math courses (linear algebra, multi, probability, analysis, abstract algebra) for the past 5 semesters 

 

Recommendation Letters: all three from my research supervisors I worked with in the projects above. 

 

Coding Experience: R, Python and Matlab

 

Research Interests: nonparametric statistics; topological and geometric data analysis; statistical learning from a theoretical/mathematical viewpoint

Applying to: Statistics PhD unless otherwise specified

• Stanford 
• Berkeley 
• UWashington
• CMU
• UChicago
• UPenn
• Harvard
• Columbia
• Yale
• Duke 
• UNC
• NC State
• UMichigan
• UTAustin
• Cornell
• Johns Hopkins (Applied Math & Statistics)
• UCLA
• Texas A&M

Concerns at this point:

• GRE math score;
• (potentially) this fall semester's grades which may include one/several Bs;

 

[Stat Assistant Professor]

With a 3.9 from Duke University, graduate coursework in mathematics including measure theory and complex analysis, and 3 publications accepted (a lot of PhD students don't even have that, never mind undergrads!), I would be quite shocked if you didn't get multiple offers from the top schools on your list. The only "weakness" is the math subject GRE, but I don't think it is that big of a deal. Admissions is holistic, and many Statistics faculty don't seem to care much about the Subject GRE.

Plus, your subject GRE score isn't that bad... as I understand it, a lot of the content of this test is lower division classes (e.g. Calc III and Lin Alg), which a lot of students have forgotten by their junior year and need to spend extensive time reviewing if they are to score well on it. I think the A's in Complex Analysis and Measure Theory from a school like Duke more than demonstrate that you have the math ability that the top schools are looking for.

Edited November 5, 2018 by Stat PhD Now Postdoc

[Gauss2017]

Great advice from Stat PHD now