Ms/PhD Statistics Candidate Profile

[askarnu]

Hey guys, I need some of your help. I was planning to apply for a PhD programs in Statistics, but you will see my major drawback below:

Undergrad: international no-name university but the best in my country

Majors: Math

Minors: Econ

GPA: 3.45, Major GPA: 3.81

Type of Student: International male

GRE General Test: 169 Q (96%), 162 V (88%), 3.5W
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: None

TOEFL: 108

 

Programs Applying: Statistics (Ms/PhD)

 

Research Experience: Currently I am working on my capstone project which is mainly about numerical methods and working on another paper on finite elements (hopefully submit for publishing by the end of the year). In addition, last year I had some research experience in studying matrix factorization in NLP with one of my prof but did not results in paper. 

Research interest: Nothing specific

 

Letters of Recommendation: I am thinking about three professors: one I am doing capstone project with (I think he is pretty well known in some research group), one I have studied NLP with and the last one taught me 3 advanced math classes (got 3 A's). 

 

Math/Statistics Grades: Calc II A-, Linear Algebra A, Intro to Proofs B+, Applied Stat methods A, Diff Eqs B+, Real Analysis I A, Graph Theory A, Numerical Methods A-, Probability A, Regression Analysis B+, Actuarial Math I A-, Stochastic Processes A, Stochastic Calculus A, Nonlinear Diff Eqs A-, Nonlinear Optimization A, Design of Experiments A-, Math Stat B+. 

 
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: this semester taking 2 graduate level classes (one in statistics and one in applied mathematics).

 

As you see my cumulative GPA is a disaster. In a freshman year I had some issues and eventually got 2.7 as my first year GPA, then I changed my major into math and the average GPA for the last two years was something about 3.75. I wonder if you can give an advice on whether should I try directly apply for a PhD or first do Ms in Stats? I will be also grateful if you can help me in composing list of universities: should I aim only top 20-30 or give a try for top 10?

 

 

Thank you guys!

Edited October 3, 2018 by askarnu

[Stat Assistant Professor]

Unfortunately, I do not think your chances of getting admitted to a PhD program in the U.S. are very good, given the competition among international applicants and the fact that your university is not well-known. Many adcoms -- including those in mid-tier programs -- automatically reject applications from foreign universities that they have not heard of (they will consider domestic applications from  lesser-known colleges/universities though, on account of the less fierce competition and the fact that they may have more difficulty recruiting American students). Plus,  your cumulative GPA is on the low side. Your best bet is to do a Masters first.

[askarnu]

16 minutes ago, Stat PhD Now Postdoc said:

Unfortunately, I do not think your chances of getting admitted to a PhD program in the U.S. are very good, given the competition among international applicants and the fact that your university is not well-known. Many adcoms -- including those in mid-tier programs -- automatically reject applications from foreign universities that they have not heard of (they will consider domestic applications from  lesser-known colleges/universities though, on account of the less fierce competition and the fact that they may have more difficulty recruiting American students). Plus,  your cumulative GPA is on the low side. Your best bet is to do a Masters first.

Thank you for your insight, I also think that I need to do a Masters first. Given that I apply for the Masters degree which colleges do you think I have a shot? Will it be a waste of money to apply for top 10-20? What mid-tier programs do you think will give me a solid background for a subsequent application for PhD?

Edited October 3, 2018 by askarnu

[Stat Assistant Professor]

I think you can probably get into many Statistics MS programs with your current profile. There are a few MS programs that are selective, e.g. Yale, Stanford, and Duke. But beyond those, I'm under the impression that admissions are not super competitive. Even with a Masters, I don't think your application will be competitive for the very top PhD programs (just because of the competition). So if you apply to PhD programs in the second year of your Masters, it would be a good idea to focus mainly on mid-tier schools then as well (you can try one or two top 10 schools though to see if you get lucky).

Edited October 4, 2018 by Stat PhD Now Postdoc