Statistics PhD profile evaluation

[rabilstat]

was just wondering what are my chances of getting into a top 20(or top 10) statistics graduate school. I know it's really hard to answer but I'm just looking for some opinions.

Undergrad Institution: Penn State (University Park)

Majors: Math (Graduate option), Physics ( computational option)

GPA: 3.82

GRE: 164(Q)(kind of feel this low 86% percentile), 157 (V)(76% percentile), 4.0 W (59%percentile)

 

Type of Student: domestic white male

Relevant Courses: Graduate Abstract Algebra (B), Undergrad Abstract Algebra (A), Real Analysis I & II (A-/A) ,Intro to Real Analysis (B), Functional Analysis (A), Complex Analysis (A), Linear Algebra (A), Statistical Thermodynamics(A),  Intro to Stat (Honors) (A), 400 level Differential Equations (A), Differential equations (A), Calc II, III (A/A), Game Theory (A), Number Theory (A-), Topology (B+),  Intro to  Probability (A-), Lagrangian Mechanics (B)

 

Currently Taking: Measure Theory, Numerical Analysis I, Electricity and Electrodynamics, Programming, Anthropology.

Honors/Awards: Phi Beta Kappa, Schreyer Honors Program, Dean's List all semesters, Departmental math scholarship, 2 Physics Scholarships, Sigma Pi Sigma

Research: Sophomore year I did research by analyzing single pulse plots  to detect pulsars. 

Junior Year: Working with statistics professor in functional data analysis my project is on Gaussian Regression with MCMC methods ( also my undergrad thesis)

Programming: R, Python, Matlab and Latex(?)

Misc: - playing the piano since I was 4 years old

- Languages: English(Fluent), Arabic(Fluent), German (proficient), French(elementary proficiency)

 

Now I will probably not apply to any of the top 5 schools such as Uchicago, Berkley, Harvard. But I will try to apply to Duke, Upenn, nc state, UNC which are some very competitive programs.

What would a "safety" school be for me? I think Duke, Upenn are reach schools for me. 

 

Edited October 8, 2018 by rabilstat

[rabilstat]

On 10/8/2018 at 1:50 PM, rabilstat said:

someone? pls...

 

[Stat Assistant Professor]

I think you might have a shot at NC State or UNC with your background. UPenn is tough to crack since they aim to have an incoming class of 5-6 students every year, and usually only 1 or 2 domestic students will be in the batch (and the ones I've met were all from schools like Stanford, MIT, and Caltech). I think you have a slightly better chance at Duke or U Washington.

A lot of it depends on recommendation letters. I think some "safe" schools to apply to are Ohio State, FSU, UConn. The best range of schools to target in your case is perhaps TAMU, Minnesota, Purdue.

Edited October 10, 2018 by Stat PhD Now Postdoc

[rabilstat]

@Stat PhD Now Postdoc Thank you for your response! I didn't know Upenn was that competitive, should I even bother applying there? Also how competitive are Cornell and Columbia? Also will it be better for my chances if I apply to programs in Bio statistics?  Also, by slightly better chance at Duke and U Washington I'm under the assumption that I have a very little chance of getting into Upenn should I still bother applying there?

[Stat Assistant Professor]

Cornell is also a relatively small department (not quite as small as UPenn Wharton which has <30 PhD students total, but still on the small side, with about 8 new students entering every year), so I would think that this is also quite competitive. Columbia is a bit larger, with over 50 PhD students total, but I imagine it's fairly competitive there too. According to their admissions page, Columbia receives about 300 applications a year for their Statistics PhD program.

I think your chances for top Biostatistics programs are pretty good, based on what I know about admissions for Biostat. But I also think you have a very good shot at a top 20 Statistics PhD program. Given your theoretical math background, would you prefer to conduct research in theoretical statistics? There are opportunities to do this in Biostatistics programs, but it seems as though Statistics depts would be a better fit overall if your interests are mostly/purely theoretical. However, it may be worth applying to Washington, JHU, and UNC Biostatistics, which place heavier emphasis on theory than your "typical" biostat programs.

Edited October 10, 2018 by Stat PhD Now Postdoc

[rabilstat]

Im pretty flexible but id rather do research in more applied statistics which is why I'm interested in biostatistics. Ideally id want to someday work in industry and then maybe transition into academia or do both. I like pure math but id rather apply this abstract and theoretical knowledge to real world scenarios because i honestly find pure math pretty dry and boring. Also if i apply to a school say UNC in biostatistics can I not also apply for statistics?

[Stat Assistant Professor]

In that case, I would apply to a mix of biostatistics and statistics departments, but it may be a good idea to research the departments more thoroughly to make sure they have enough faculty working on areas that interest you. From what I gather, UNC Statistics is very theoretical and its main strength is in probability theory/stochastic processes. UPenn Wharton is also more on the theoretical side. NCSU and TAMU seem to have more faculty working in applied areas (TAMU in particular has research groups in Spatial Statistics and Astrostatistics). I would recommend you shoot for NCSU, TAMU, and schools like that in statistics.

For Biostatistics, you seem to have an excellent shot of getting into a top 10 program... your mathematics background seems to be much more vast than most (I doubt very much that the adcoms will have seen many domestic applicants who have taken measure theory or functional analysis!)