Statistics/Biostatistics PhD profile evaluation Fall'21

[Hideo Kojima]

Hey guys,

I am a master student and I plan to apply for statistics/biostatistics PhD in Fall 2021. Below is my profile and I will be appreciated that if you can help me evaluate it.

Type of Student: International student, Asian Male

Undergraduate University: In Hong Kong (Top 100 QS) (Statistics)

Master University:  Harvard, Yale, Princeton level  

Undergraduate GPA: 3.80/4.00 (First class honor) 

Master GPA: Different grading system. Crude estimate is 3.8/4.0 till now

GREs:

• General GRE (170 Quantitative / 159 Verbal / 3.5 Analytical Writing)

Research Experience:

• Currently doing Bayesian statistics research. Plan to carry on to master thesis. Seems impossible to publish before PhD application
• Functional data analysis, paper submitted (second-author) but not published
• Machine Learining research in Japan, paper published (second-author)
• Undergraduate thesis: survival analysis

Statistics/Math Related Coursework

•  
  • Advanced Probability (measure theory based) (A)
  • Statistical Inference (High level, lncluding minimaxity) (A)
  • Deep Learning (A)
  • Survival Analysis (A)
  • Linear Models (A)
  • Machine Learning and Data mining (A)
  • Stochastic Calculus (A)
  • Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (A)

Recommendation Letters: My master research advisor, associate prof teaching advanced probability (Got A, and did a term paper). I am not confident to say that these letters are strong.  

Target Schools:  University of Virginia ,Georgetown University , University of Maryland College Park, UNC, Emory, Penn State, Duke

Is this a reasonable list?  I am not sure whether a master program in a top famous university will give me an edge since I didn't publish any new papers during the master period.

Are there any recommendation for the choice of other PhD programs? (My GF is in UVa, so I want to apply for PhD in nearby area).

Appreciated!

 

                           

 

                         

Edited October 24, 2020 by Hideo Kojima

[Stat Assistant Professor]

If your undergrad was from an elite school like HKUST, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, or University of Hong Kong (these three schools in Hong Kong enjoy very strong international reputation, and they've sent their graduates to top Stat PhD programs like Columbia, University of Washington, etc.), then I think you shuld be in very good shape to get into top Statistics PhD programs. That, plus your Masters degree at an elite school, should make you competitive.

You can certainly afford to aim a lot higher than UVA, Georgetown (which is an excellent school but less well-known for stat/math), or UMBC. I think your chances at Duke and UNC are above average, and you should be able to safely get into Penn State. If you are more geographically flexible, you could apply to more top stat top 20 stat PhD programs. But if you really are geographically constrained to the mid-Atlantic region, I think you should also apply to:

• North Carolina State University Department of Statistics (I think you would get in there)
• Johns Hopkins Department of Applied Math and Statistics
• JHU Biostatistics 
• University of Maryland AMSC (they're not ranked in Statistics because statistics is part of their math department, rather than its standalone department -- but UMD has a very strong math department, ranked #22 by USNWR).

Edited October 24, 2020 by Stat Assistant Professor

[Hideo Kojima]

Thank you for your suggestions!