Tips for prospective stat PhD applicant

[krulil]

Hi I'm just entering fourth year of my undergraduate institution. And planning to apply PhD programs after finishing. 

I've read almost every thread in this topic, and quite surprised that all I could see are applicants with math major. Is there any tips or comments for my profile? I will kindly appreciate every comments you make. 

Undergraduate Institution: Top 3 school in my region (Yonsei or Korea)

Majors: Industrial engineering / Statistics

Cumulative GPA: 3.86/ 4.00 (currently, If i assume A+ to be 4.0 on 4.0 scale i guess?) - expecting 3.89/4.00 by the end of the year. 

Type of Student: East Asian Male (International)

Relevant Courses:

* Math/Statistics

• Calculus 1, 2, 3 (A-, A- , A0) 
• Linear Algebra (A0)
• Real Analysis I (Undergraduate Level, will be in progress)
• Mathematical Statistics I (A+) 
• Mathematical Statistics II (A+) 
• Statistical Methods (A+)
• Sampling Theory (A+)
• Data Analysis (A+)
• Datamining Theory and Application (A0)
• Regression Analysis (A+)
• Stochastic Process (A+)
• Intro to Stat (A+)
• Stat for engineers (A+)
• ..and Bunch of applied stat classes for a year (will be in progress)

* Computer Science:

• Intro to Python Programming (A+)
• Java Programming  (A0)
• R and Python Programming (A+)
• Database for information processing (A+)

* Other Courses that might help

• few finance/business related classes, including finance engineering/ investment engineering / marketing. all A+
• Deterministic Model for Operation Researches(A+). 
• Probabilistic Model for Operation Researches(A+). 

GRE General Test: I have not yet taken

Research Experience:  7 months in Industrial engineering lab. I studied Database engineering and NLP related researches.  

Other Relevant Items: My grade was much worse at the first year of my school. I got almost straight A's after the first year. 

Letters of Recommendation:

• Currently None. But I'm keeping in touch with my professors. 

Coding Experience : 

Python (Good at it. Almost every class in IE major used Python. ) , R (Proficient)

SQL, SAS, SPSS, JAVA (several classes used them)

 

Schools:

 Aiming Top <30 schools. Especially school in California since my family is living in Silicon Valley.  

Berkley would be my dream school. But I am not aiming too high. 

 

Additional Comments : 

1) I am quite worried with my low intensive Math. I've seen many threads that are highlighting needs for extra math classes. But my professors advised me that those are for theory based researches. Does my classes in Statistics compensate for my lack of math?

 Also, I am taking Real Analysis I to show that i am quite aware of proof - based Math. I have few choices to take extra Math class at 2nd Semester which starts in Fall. Is there any recommending classes?  

Thank you for reading. 

[krulil]

Sorry for inconvenience. I think you guys might have misunderstood the meaning. I noticed my mistake later. It is more like profile evaluation request.

[Stat Assistant Professor]

Students from the top universities in South Korea, including Yonsei, tend to do pretty well in Statistics PhD admissions. If you get A's in Real Analysis I & II (I would take two semesters of it if you're worried about the lack of proof-intensive classes), that will help your profile a lot. 

That said, it is extremely competitive to be admitted to UC Berkeley, Stanford, etc., especially for international students, and you will be competing with a lot of international students (including from Yonsei, SNU, KAIST, etc.) who have a lot more advanced math than you. In fact, if I recall correctly, when you submit your PhD application for the Statistics program at Berkeley, you need to submit a list of ALL the math classes you have taken, the grade you earned, the material that was covered, and the textbook(s) used. So yeah... these schools will tend to favor students with heavy math backgrounds, much moreso than those who have taken a lot of applied statistics classes. 

As far as top 30 schools, I think you would have a very good shot at being accepted at a large state school like Texas A&M, Purdue, or Penn State. I think this may be the target range for your profile, but you can also apply to several ranked higher than that for good measure.

[krulil]

On 1/23/2020 at 11:37 PM, Stat PhD Now Postdoc said:

Students from the top universities in South Korea, including Yonsei, tend to do pretty well in Statistics PhD admissions. If you get A's in Real Analysis I & II (I would take two semesters of it if you're worried about the lack of proof-intensive classes), that will help your profile a lot. 

That said, it is extremely competitive to be admitted to UC Berkeley, Stanford, etc., especially for international students, and you will be competing with a lot of international students (including from Yonsei, SNU, KAIST, etc.) who have a lot more advanced math than you. In fact, if I recall correctly, when you submit your PhD application for the Statistics program at Berkeley, you need to submit a list of ALL the math classes you have taken, the grade you earned, the material that was covered, and the textbook(s) used. So yeah... these schools will tend to favor students with heavy math backgrounds, much moreso than those who have taken a lot of applied statistics classes. 

As far as top 30 schools, I think you would have a very good shot at being accepted at a large state school like Texas A&M, Purdue, or Penn State. I think this may be the target range for your profile, but you can also apply to several ranked higher than that for good measure.

@Stat PhD Now Postdoc Thanks for the reply ! It really encourages me a lot. I just got couple of consulting from  "Korean Consultant", and were heavily depressed because they've said i've got no chance at all. It broke my heart a lot, which made me acknowledge the comment I wrote on the Forum. I am very confused to receive opposing view from you (buy yes, it helped me a lot though--). 

Well I know it is an awkward question to ask, but do I really have a chance ?  Will undergraduate level of real analysis (covers up to PMA 10) do have effect? 

[Stat Assistant Professor]

2 hours ago, krulil said:

@Stat PhD Now Postdoc Thanks for the reply ! It really encourages me a lot. I just got couple of consulting from  "Korean Consultant", and were heavily depressed because they've said i've got no chance at all. It broke my heart a lot, which made me acknowledge the comment I wrote on the Forum. I am very confused to receive opposing view from you (buy yes, it helped me a lot though--). 

Well I know it is an awkward question to ask, but do I really have a chance ?  Will undergraduate level of real analysis (covers up to PMA 10) do have effect? 

You have an excellent GPA in Statistics/IE from one of the best schools in South Korea. I hardly think you have "no chance at all." However, you may need to calibrate your expectations a bit (e.g. Berkeley) since admissions is extremely competitive for international students. But being a strong student from Yonsei certainly gives you a great chance at schools like NCSU, TAMU, Purdue, Penn State, etc. I would target larger programs at big public universities and apply to a few "reaches."

I would just apply and see what happens. I mean... you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Try to get very strong letters of recommendation. 

Edited February 7, 2020 by Stat PhD Now Postdoc