ND2troll Posted September 9, 2020 Posted September 9, 2020 (edited) Hello everyone! I am looking to apply for mostly Applied Statistics or Statistics with data science concentration. My bachelor's is in Computer Science and I have a minor in Economics, but my math background isn't very strong. I have taken Calc I, II, and III, Discrete Mathematics, Linear Algebra, and Operations Research in college, but my last Statistics course was AP Stats from sophomore of high school. It seems like I can still apply to some programs, but a lot of desirable programs seem to have at least one year of probability and statistics as prerequisites. In order to bring my chances up and to be able to apply to the programs I want, I have been thinking that I should take online courses to fulfill the prerequisites. My main question is which online courses are deemed to be "legit" enough for grad schools' prereq? Do I need to take them from actual colleges as they would be accredited and definitely be recognized as fulfilling prerequisites? Some of the courses on Edx seem pretty good to me (I am considering the 4 probability and statistics courses by GTx), but I was not sure if they would count even if I pay for the verified certificates. Another question I have is whether it would still feasible to apply to programs that are firm on their Stats prerequisites when I don't have them on my official transcript? I will most likely be taking probability when I am applying and will be taking statistics in the spring, so I should have them fulfilled by the time I start my Master's. In that case, how should I emphasize that I am working to fill my gaps? I could try and cram online classes so that I would have probability done and enrolled in statistics by the time of I am submitting applications, but I don't want to spread myself too thin as I am still preparing for the GRE. I think I would take probability and stats before starting a Master's program regardless to better prepare myself, but I just wanted to know what would be the best way to do it to make my application stronger. Edited September 9, 2020 by ND2troll
Stat Assistant Professor Posted September 9, 2020 Posted September 9, 2020 (edited) I didn't know that undergrad probability and statistics were hard requirements for MS programs in Statistics. Since you have a Bachelor's in a STEM field, I would think you would have a decent shot at most Statistics MS programs provided you have a decent GPA and general GRE Q score, and grades of B- or higher in Calc I-III and Linear Algebra. Nevertheless, if an MS program has those classes as prerequisites for admissions, then if you want to attend that program, you'll need to take those classes for a letter grade from a college/university. Given the current pandemic, it would be fully understandable for you to take these classes remotely, but they should be offered by a university for a letter grade and for which you can obtain an official transcript (not through an MOOC). If the programs that interest you don't explicitly list probability and statistics as prerequisites, then it might be worthwhile to take the MOOC to prepare for these classes when you take them at the Masters level. Edited September 9, 2020 by Stat Assistant Professor ND2troll 1
ND2troll Posted September 9, 2020 Author Posted September 9, 2020 Most programs only have Calc I-III and Linear Algebra as hard prerequisites. However, UC Riverside, UCSB, and UCI expect you to have majored in Statistics or Math, or to have calculus-based probability and statistics as well. It makes sense that they expect you to take those classes for a letter grade from a college/university. For now I think I am leaning towards not applying to those programs that have probability and statistics as hard requirements since I already have about 5 schools that I can and plan to apply. I'll just have to find a few more that fits me well. It is great to hear that I would have a decent shot at most Statistics MS programs, as I was a bit worried about not having taken probability and my last statistics class being AP Stats. I think that I'll start taking the MOOC as soon as I am done with the application process so that I can handle Stats at the Master's level. Thank you very much for your response! : )
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