Chance me for MS/MPH Biostatistics programs?

[salamiboyz]

What are my chances of getting into a decent Biostats program based on my stats? 

Undergrad Institution: state school in california
Major(s): biology w/ emphasis on zoology
Minor(s): 
GPA: 2.5

Type of Student: Citizen, URM, female
GRE General Test: Writing 6/Quant 166/Verbal 168
 

Programs Applying: MS/MPH Biostatistics...hopefully MS in biostats

 

Research Experience: 2 years of research in Epidemiology lab

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2 year research experience in Epidemiology/Biostats funded by NIH fellowship. 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: President of Health club on campus, secretary of two other clubs, student senator, heavily involved on campus with advocacy groups as well as encouraging women and other people of color in the sciences.

 

Letters of Recommendation: I have three-four strong letters of rec being written for me by post docs/professors that are mentors. I meet with them every so often and we talk about my career trajectory, my work, and the like. 

[Geococcyx]

Have you taken any math classes (e.g. Calc 1, 2, 3, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Intro to Proofs, etc)?  If so, what were your grades?  Also, was your GPA consistent across the years, or did it rise or fall a lot, and if it did change a lot, were there any reasons for it? 

That's a tough GPA to work with, but it would help to know this info.  I'm just another student, but I suspect you'll get better advice from other people if you answer some of what I asked.

[salamiboyz]

5 minutes ago, Geococcyx said:

Have you taken any math classes (e.g. Calc 1, 2, 3, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Intro to Proofs, etc)?  If so, what were your grades?  Also, was your GPA consistent across the years, or did it rise or fall a lot, and if it did change a lot, were there any reasons for it? 

That's a tough GPA to work with, but it would help to know this info.  I'm just another student, but I suspect you'll get better advice from other people if you answer some of what I asked.

I have taken Calc I (B), II (B), III (C), differentials (C), linear algebra(C), all the way up to statistics w. computing. i failed basic level stats once, upper level stats once, and retook the class and got an A. 

Edited March 26, 2019 by salamiboyz

[omicrontrabb]

Maybe you could start by retaking some of those math classes and doing well, then write your personal statement about your academic growth. It’s going to be very tough to get in with those grades as is unless you have an extremely compelling personal story.

[Bayequentist]

This is a tough one. Your low math grades are not consistent with your high quant GRE score. Do you have a professor that can explain the bad grades for you in his/her letter of recommendation? You are a URM and a female so you may still have a chance for a biostats program ranked 30~50, given your extensive research background, high GRE scores, and good LoRs.

[salamiboyz]

48 minutes ago, omicrontrabb said:

Maybe you could start by retaking some of those math classes and doing well, then write your personal statement about your academic growth. It’s going to be very tough to get in with those grades as is unless you have an extremely compelling personal story.

Should I give up then? Should I continue on taking the courses or taking upper level math classes? I am very set on this career path.

28 minutes ago, Bayequentist said:

This is a tough one. Your low math grades are not consistent with your high quant GRE score. Do you have a professor that can explain the bad grades for you in his/her letter of recommendation? You are a URM and a female so you may still have a chance for a biostats program ranked 30~50, given your extensive research background, high GRE scores, and good LoRs.

Not really. I am afraid and ashamed to show my GPA to people--it's a point of embarrassment for me so I seldom talk about it with advisors or my peers. I thought having my recommenders speak to my character and my ability to work hard would help make up for that in that aspect. 

Could you list off some 30~50 biostats programs? What is the difference between these programs and, say, a program at Berkley or UCLA? 

Edited March 26, 2019 by salamiboyz

[omicrontrabb]

No, I don’t think you should give up. Besides your grades, you have a very strong application. I was admitted into two top 10 biostat PhD programs this cycle and I had less research experience than you and almost the same GRE scores. You’re also an URM. I would take some math courses and get As, then write your personal statement talking about your academic journey, i.e. “I didn’t understand the value of education in undergrad, but I’ve grown and learned how important it is” or something like that. I think should be able to get in somewhere decent with that record.

There aren’t rankings of biostat programs that go all the way to 30-50 that I’ve seen, but I would recommend applying to biostat masters at research universities that aren’t big names in biostats. For example the big state schools in California that aren’t Berkeley, UCLA or Davis. I would also apply to some of the higher ranked ones and see if someone would take a chance on you, since you do have a unique application.

[salamiboyz]

12 minutes ago, omicrontrabb said:

No, I don’t think you should give up. Besides your grades, you have a very strong application. I was admitted into two top 10 biostat PhD programs this cycle and I had less research experience than you and almost the same GRE scores. You’re also an URM. I would take some math courses and get As, then write your personal statement talking about your academic journey, i.e. “I didn’t understand the value of education in undergrad, but I’ve grown and learned how important it is” or something like that. I think should be able to get in somewhere decent with that record.

There aren’t rankings of biostat programs that go all the way to 30-50 that I’ve seen, but I would recommend applying to biostat masters at research universities that aren’t big names in biostats. For example the big state schools in California that aren’t Berkeley, UCLA or Davis. I would also apply to some of the higher ranked ones and see if someone would take a chance on you, since you do have a unique application.

Thank you for taking the time to evaluate me and give me advice/options. I know feelings are hard to convey online but I really mean it when I say that I appreciate the help you've given me tonight. Have a nice evening, and also I wish you the best in your endeavors. 

[bayessays]

This is such an extreme and unique case that it will be extremely difficult to give an answer, especially considering I don't think anyone on this forum really knows a lot about MS admissions (the factors at play are totally different than for a PhD, because of the commitment/funding differences).  I also think people tend to exaggerate how easy it is to get into the programs. But in terms of an actionable plan, your biggest issue is going to be that most graduate schools have a minimum GPA (usually 3.0). So forget about top 10 programs.  Even a school like Iowa (top 20ish, not top 10) has the 3.0 requirement.  There is some flexibility in most these policies that requires an administrative process, though. 

 

Do you have an upward trend in grades at all? For instance, UIC offers an MS in biostatistics and their graduate school only requires a 2.75 in the last 60 hours.  UIC has a ranked PhD biostatistics program. Beyond this bureaucratic reason, an upward trend would obviously help anyways. 

There are also programs not associated with PhD programs. Cal State East Bay has a MS biostatistics program - they say the minimum GPA is 3.0 but that if you submit a GRE score, they can make exceptions.

Don't get an MPH, get the MS. An MPH in biostatistics is not a good investment.

[Bayequentist]

2 hours ago, salamiboyz said:

Should I give up then? Should I continue on taking the courses or taking upper level math classes? I am very set on this career path.

Not really. I am afraid and ashamed to show my GPA to people--it's a point of embarrassment for me so I seldom talk about it with advisors or my peers. I thought having my recommenders speak to my character and my ability to work hard would help make up for that in that aspect. 

Could you list off some 30~50 biostats programs? What is the difference between these programs and, say, a program at Berkley or UCLA? 

These are the rankings that most people look at: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/statistics-rankings?name=biostatistics.

[Stat Assistant Professor]

I am not sure it will help being URM and female. Just to clarify to everyone, this only really helps in admissions if the applicant has a strong profile irrespective of race/gender (high GPA, good grades in math classes, reasonable GRE Q score). *Then* the underrepresented status is a plus.

And C's in Calc III and Linear Algebra are a red flag. If feasible, I second the suggestion of retaking Calc III and Linear Algebra -- and possibly DiffEQ as well -- to demonstrate you can handle the math in a Biostatistics MS program. Have one of those professors write you a letter of recommendation. Finally, aim for lower ranked schools like bayessays suggested (not unranked regional schools but ones that have a lower minimum GPA requirement). You may need to go through some administrative hurdles though if your GPA doesn't meet the minimum threshold. But I have heard of people being accepted to PhD programs with sub-3.0 GPAs (caveat: they had to have something *very* outstanding in their profile, like a publication and years of research experience, and these were labs where the PI decided to take a chance on them).

Edited March 26, 2019 by Stat PhD Now Postdoc

[cyberwulf]

Wow, you have a very distinctive profile. The key question that MS admissions committees are looking to answer is: "Can this person pass the required courses (and if applicable, the Masters exam)?" Unfortunately, your performance in pre-req courses provides some fairly strong evidence saying "no". However, other aspects of your record (GRE scores, letters) are more consistent with a "yes" answer. So programs are going to have to figure out how to balance those when considering your application. 

Interestingly, you might be one of the only cases I've seen where you have a better chance of admission to a PhD program than a Masters program. That's because "upside" (read: research potential) is a bigger factor in PhD than Masters admissions. Your case rests almost entirely on an "upside" argument, i.e., that it is worth overlooking a weak academic record because you bring other, harder to quantify skills to the table. In addition, there are generally more funding streams available to support URM students in doctoral programs than Masters programs.

Before you apply, I would urge you to carefully consider and articulate why you think you're now a good bet to succeed in coursework similar to (and likely more challenging than) stuff you've struggled with in the past. While it may be uncomfortable to revisit your past performance, making that case strongly is going to be vital to your success.