2021 Stat PhD Profile Evaluation

[MidwestMath]

Hi everyone! I'm currently working in industry in a consulting role and plan to apply to PhD programs in Statistics this Fall. Here are my stats.

Undergraduate Institution: Top 150 private university

Majors: Math, Economics

Minor: Psychology

GPA: 3.91

Courses Taken:

     Math: Calc II (A), Calc III (A-), Discrete Math (A-), Diff EQ (A), Linear Algebra (A), Intermediate                        Analysis (B+), Probability I (A), Abstract Algebra (A), Probability II (A-), Real Analysis (A-)

 

MS Institution: Top 10, Applied Statistics

MS GPA: 4.0

 

 

GRE General Test:

Q: 166

V: 159

W: 5.5

 

Research Experience: None really. We had a capstone program for my Master's but it was more industry focused. 

Work Experience: Currently 15 months working as a data science consultant for a boutique consulting firm. Promoted twice in first 12 months.

Type of Student: Domestic White Male.

Letters of Recommendation: Planning on one from an undergraduate math professor, two from graduate statistics professors.

 

I'm having a pretty hard time determining what schools I'll actually be competitive for and which are big reaches. My current list is CMU, Washington, UChicago, Michigan, Wisconsin, Duke, Ohio State, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Texas. Any idea on which of these I'm competitive for (if any)? Also, my GRE Q is a little lower than I would like it to be, am I better off just not submitting my scores at programs where the GRE is optional?

 

[Stat Assistant Professor]

What was the curriculum in your "Applied Statistics" MS program? Depending on the rigor of the program, the Masters may not help your chances much (it wouldn't hurt them though). 

That said, I think CMU, Washington, UChicago, Michigan, and Duke are reaches, with the first four on this list being "high reaches." There is also a somewhat large gap in your range of schools -- you go from Duke to OSU. I think schools in the range Ohio State through Pittsburgh are reasonable to apply to for your profile, and you might also have a shot at some schools ranked between Duke and Ohio State. I would recommend applying to fewer of the first 6 schools you listed and adding more schools in between Duke and OSU.