2020/2021 Application Evaluation

[iwantadog]

Hi everyone,

I applied to a few PhD programs in Statistics last fall after much consideration but I'm having doubts about whether I'd get into any of these programs. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on my chances for these programs and if it's looking pretty bleak, what I should do to better prepare for Fall 2021, i.e. apply for a job/research assistant position, apply to a master instead, etc. 

Undergrad institution: Top 40 National Universities

Major: Statistics and Finance. I also did my MS in Finance, focusing on Big Data Analytics simultaneously

GPA: 3.75/4.0 (for all the degrees above)

Background: International Asian Female

Relevant courses: 

Math: 

• Calc I/II/III: A/B/A
• Diff Eq: Pending
• Discrete Math: A
• Linear Algebra: A

Statistics:

• Mathematical Stat I and II: A and A
• Theoretical Stat I and II: A and B (both double listed as Grad)
• Data Analysis and Linear Models: C (I had the worst professor I've ever met in my entire life, please let me know how this could have affected my application and what I can do to compensate for this) (also listed as grad course)
• Multivariate Analysis and Data Mining: Pending
• Stat for Engineering and Science using R: A
• Actuarial Science I and II : A and A
• Senior Research Project: A

Computer science:

• Elementary Computer Programming: A

GRE general: 

• Quant: 162 (79%) - Something happened so I was short on money for a while and didn't have enough time to retake the GRE :(
• Verbal: 164 (94%)
• Writing: 4.5 (81%)

GRE math: I didn't take it

Research experience: 

• Did research for a professor in the med school on survival analysis for brain cancer, submitted to journal pending review. I was told the chances of getting it was high but I haven't heard back. I had hopes that this would redeem my sad grade in Data Analysis and Linear Model. Professor has also done a lot research with good reputation, and is editor of some journal. 

LOR: 

• My PI, whom I had a great relationship with, wrote me a letter which I had no doubt is great given her success with recommending people to anything from biostatistics to med school and what she told me she was going to say in my letter.
• My stat prof for Theoretical Stat told me that she would make sure to include that we did Casella and Berger for both classes in the sequence and was fond of me. 
• My finance prof for both my u-grad and master class in Application in Financial Big Data (we did Python, MCMC and Principal Component Analysis in this class) knew me throughout u-grad and remembered me even though I hadn't seen her in a year. 

Research interest: I said I wanted to do research in stochastic modeling/high-dim statistics/big data analytics. In schools where there's a prof with the same interests, I said quant finance as well. 

Schools I applied to (All PhDs in Statistics):

Harvard/Rejected

Duke/Rejected

Columbia/Pending

Cornell/Pending

John Hopkins/Pending

New York University/Pending

Ohio State/Pending

Rice/Pending

Rutgers/Pending

UCLA/Pending

UPenn/Pending

Yale/Rejected 

 

It would be great if you can tell me what the weaknesses in my profile are and how I can improve on them. I don't know if I should be applying to MS programs/jobs right now if it's really the case that my chances are not that great. I don't know if I should do a master first. 

Thank you so much for your help. I just want to get into grad school and get a dog :(

[Stat Assistant Professor]

I do not see that you have taken Real Analysis, which is basically a requirement for PhD programs in both Statistics and Biostatistics. And your math background is rather light, especially for an international applicant. Finally, your list was way too top-heavy. For a lot of the schools you listed, you would be competing against a lot of very strong candidates from ISI, Peking, Tsinghua, etc. who have much more math than you.

 I think you could improve your chances if you enroll in a Statistics or Mathematics Masters program and take two semesters of real analysis and maybe one or two other advanced math classes. Then I would consider applying to schools ranked outside the top 30. I unfortunately do not think that even with a Masters that you would be as competitive as say, a math major who is fresh out of college from a top school in China and who finished near the top of their class.

[iwantadog]

Thank you so much for your reply. I think I should clarify that I did my undergraduate in the US if that changes anything. I also didn't know that stat programs require that much math. I've read their undergraduate requirements and only saw Multivariate Calculus and Linear Algebra as the requirements. I also know people in my school who have gotten into top programs who mostly focused on statistics in their undergraduate. 

I was also wondering if coming from a top school, getting the top grades are the main areas graduate schools look for. I know that my grades are not perfect nor did I graduate from an Ivy League, but wouldn't the research I did/my recommendation matters more than where I graduated from?

Edited February 29, 2020 by iwantadog

[ENE1]

On 3/1/2020 at 4:22 AM, iwantadog said:

Thank you so much for your reply. I think I should clarify that I did my undergraduate in the US if that changes anything. I also didn't know that stat programs require that much math. I've read their undergraduate requirements and only saw Multivariate Calculus and Linear Algebra as the requirements. I also know people in my school who have gotten into top programs who mostly focused on statistics in their undergraduate. 

I was also wondering if coming from a top school, getting the top grades are the main areas graduate schools look for. I know that my grades are not perfect nor did I graduate from an Ivy League, but wouldn't the research I did/my recommendation matters more than where I graduated from?

Hi iwantadog,

I preface this by saying that this is my understanding gleaned mostly by reading this forum. You should read some of the other application evaluations, since it will answer your questions. Stat PhD Now PostDoc could have essentially copy+pasted one of his replies to another application evaluation; he's basically answered this before.

While stat PhD programs might *require* minimal maths requirements, they value a strong maths background above (maybe) anything else. They are looking for a strong track record showing that you can handle the theoretical requirements of the PhD. Of course, in the absence of applicants with this background, they may admit someone with the bare minimum maths requirements. But a lack of more-than-suitable applicants is rare for good schools.

Here is where your school's reputation comes in: the admission committee likely don't have the personal experience to accurately assess whether your maths courses were rigorous or not. Instead, they use the reputation of your institution is an okay proxy.

The general opinion in this forum is that most research done by applicants before their PhD bear little similarity to the research required by a stats PhD. So schools generally do not weighted this research very heavily.  So your research will help your admission chances, but usually not by much.

[Stat Assistant Professor]

On 2/29/2020 at 12:22 PM, iwantadog said:

Thank you so much for your reply. I think I should clarify that I did my undergraduate in the US if that changes anything. I also didn't know that stat programs require that much math. I've read their undergraduate requirements and only saw Multivariate Calculus and Linear Algebra as the requirements. I also know people in my school who have gotten into top programs who mostly focused on statistics in their undergraduate. 

I was also wondering if coming from a top school, getting the top grades are the main areas graduate schools look for. I know that my grades are not perfect nor did I graduate from an Ivy League, but wouldn't the research I did/my recommendation matters more than where I graduated from?

Even if you completed your studies in the U.S., you're not an American citizen or PR, so your application would be compared to that of other international applicants. Pedigree matters a lot in PhD admissions -- especially for international applicants, in the sense that the less prestigious your school is, the more "perfect" your grades need to be and the more you need to demonstrate mathematical ability. Finally, for the top programs in Statistics and the Ivies, those with heavier math backgrounds will typically be favored. You can find a few exceptions for sure, but in general, those with more math will be viewed as stronger applicants who are more likely to succeed in the program and pass qualifying exams.

If you are insistent about wanting to get a PhD in Statistics, I would recommend first enrolling in a Mathematics or Statistics Masters program and taking Real Analysis I-II in your first year to demonstrate facility with mathematical proofs. Then I would reapply -- but forget about applying to the Ivies, Stanford, Chicago, Duke, etc., and apply to a wider range of schools. You could also target large state schools like Texas A&M or Purdue, but I would consider these a reach for your profile.

[shuggie]

I just want to tag on this thread and say don't be discouraged. This is my 2nd application cycle, and I felt the pain of getting rejected across the board last year. I'm happy to have some good offers this year. Whether you decide to get a masters or take additional math classes to boost your profile. I think you have a good shot at getting where you want to be eventually.

The advice to apply to a broader range of schools is the best advice here. There are excellent programs that ranked 40-70 on US News, and some MS programs that aren't ranked at all. I also suggest considering applying to biostatistics programs. In the meantime, employment and passion projects are great way to pass the time, and a the money you make can go a long way when you're on a conservative TA stipend. Best of luck.

 

[Stat Assistant Professor]

OP: Another reason why getting the Masters might be necessary is to compensate for the B earned in Theoretical Stats II and the C in Linear Models. If you can get A's in graduate stats theory and linear models, you can highlight in your PhD application that while you didn't do as well the first time, you aced the classes the second time you took them. You may need to explain this discrepancy in your statement of purpose (but without making excuses or blaming the teacher -- how you frame it is very important). Agreed with the above that you may want to look primarily at lower ranked programs -- but I would actually widen the range from 40-70 even more and consider the entire USNWR list.