Please assess my profile (from Investment Banking to Stats)

[aspiringmonkey]

Hello guys ~~

Quick intro: I am international Asian female who just graduated from undergrad. I was supposed to head for my investment banking full-time job in NYC (after receiving their return offer from my junior year's internship). Due to COVID-19 complications, I headed back home (another country) and reflected on my journey. Realizing IB is (affirmatively) not what I saw myself enjoy doing, I decided to quit the offer and planned to go back to school for a Master's in Applied Stats/Data Science (I have always wanted to pursue this route to later on work on social problems back in my country). People still call me crazy but I was finally able to take the steps I wanted and I am proud of myself for letting go at the right time. 

Undergrad: Top 15 National University in the US

Majors: Applied Math / Minor in Econ 

GPA: 3.9 / 4.0 for both major and overall

Relevant courses: Calc I, II, Multivariable Calc, Linear Algebra, Methods of Ord Diff Equs, Number Theory, Abstract Algebra, Discrete Math, Intro to Data Science, Econ Stats, Optimization. All A's except Abstract Algebra (B+). Taking online course in Time Series Analysis. 

GRE: Taking soon, not sure what to expect ?

Research: 

Sophomore summer: Research Assistant for Dept of Aeronautics (involved in the math portions only) at local university in home country

Since March 2020 (After going back home): Project Assistant for Space team for a national project funded by Foundation for Science and Tech Development. I am mostly involved with the optimization algorithms.

TA for a data mining course and methods of diff equs

Publication: One paper I co-authored is accepted and pending for publication

Work Experiences: 

- Currently interning for local tech company on AI, Big data

- Investment banking summer analyst in Mergers & Acquisitions in New York City

- Interned for the State to solve a social issue, in charge of data analysis using Excel, but later took the initiative to use R to enhance my findings 

Recommendation Letters: Tbh I am afraid of reaching out because I havent kept them updated after taking their classes, but I did build really good rapport with some of them. So 2 from my undergrad (a data science prof and a math prof) and 1 from my current research supervisor at the local university back in my home country'

Goal: I am looking into applying for Top 20 Masters of Applied Stats/Data Science at UPenn, JHU, UChi, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford. 

I know I am reaching here but I really want to see what I am capable of after so many self-agonizing doubts about my decision to quit the job. 

I am concerned about my lack of Stats background (during undergrad I never thought I would do applied stats; thats why I only took econ stats). 

I don't know if my profile is competitive for these top 20 masters programs? If not, is there anything I could do to improve my chances of getting in? I also lack research experiences in the States (I was preoccupied with finding a job in IB; hence, only one summer research assistantship back home)

Any comments/advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you so so much in advance!

 

[aspiringmonkey]

Thank you for your comment!! I will definitely try and apply. Any other feedbacks/comments would be hugely appreciated!

[player-tracking-data]

Just to add on here,  when applying to Masters of Applied Stats/Data Science, I imagine that you don't need to be concerned about a lack of research experience because you won't be doing any research during your Masters! The Applied Masters programs are for people who want to enter industry and thus aren't required to do any research. Also, I think you will get into a few top programs given your high GPA from a respectable school and work experience. Keep in mind that Masters of Applied X programs don't offer funding and will accept many who can fund themselves. 

On a side note, I'd recommend you look at Masters of Statistics programs too. The field of data science is rapidly evolving and what you learn in an Applied program, like learning to use R packages, Python packages, etc will definitely change in 5-10 years time. This is to say your education from an Applied DS program could become outdated in 10 years, whereas when you enroll in Statistics Masters programs, you are learning the theory, which is many years old and will always be valuable throughout your lifetime! 

[aspiringmonkey]

Yes I am thinking about applying to Masters of Statistics too! I think your advice is really valid and I will consider it.

I have a quick question: If I apply for Masters of Statistics in order to prepare for a phD track later, what kinds of programs should I look into? Will Masters of Statistics be a good one to pursue?

I am thinking of a program that will prepare me well for a phD later on, so I am interested in programs with some research components. Please feel free to give me some suggestions! 

[player-tracking-data]

From what I've read on this forum, you definitely should go for a Masters of Statistics if you want to do a Masters before a PhD. The applied classes you take in DS / Applied Statistics programs aren't really considered by admission committees for MS in Statistics. I've also heard that in industry, those with a Masters degree get stuck in the role of a "code monkey" where you just use R packages on datasets, whereas PhD graduates get the label of "statistician/data scientist".