Domestic Students Disadvantage?

[patient512]

I have seen that many statistics masters programs are not funded, and therefore seen as "cash cows".

Does this put domestic students at a disadvantage in the application process? (assuming their fees are less than their international counterparts)

Many alumni/student listings on department websites seem to corroborate this, as the vast majority of matriculated masters students are international.

[Stat Assistant Professor]

I don't think domestic students are at any disadvantage for Masters programs in Statistics (and for *PhD* programs in Stat/Biostat, being domestic is actually an advantage if anything, because it's a little bit less competitive vs. for international students, NIH trainee grants can only go to U.S. citizens/permanent residents, etc.). MS programs in Stat aren't typically funded so they will tend to admit most people -- international OR domestic -- who meet the minimum program requirements for GPA, GRE Q score, and coursework (usually just Calculus I-III and Linear Algebra).

I think it's just that more international students are interested in pursuing advanced degrees in Statistics (similarly with other fields like Computer Science). For that reason, you'll see more international students in most Statistics grad programs. 

Edited February 1, 2021 by Stat Assistant Professor

[PhysicsKid]

 

3 hours ago, Stat Assistant Professor said:

 MS programs in Stat aren't typically funded so they will tend to admit most people -- international OR domestic -- who meet the minimum program requirements for GPA, GRE Q score, and coursework (usually just Calculus I-III and Linear Algebra).

Hi @Stat Assistant Professor, is it still true that most MS programs in Stat admit most people at minimum program requirements? I heard that Yale's program, for example, got over 1000 applications and only admitted something like 40 people. And Yale's department isn't that highly ranked. Is there something different about their masters program vs others? 

Edited February 1, 2021 by PhysicsKid

[Stat Assistant Professor]

3 hours ago, PhysicsKid said:

 

Hi @Stat Assistant Professor, is it still true that most MS programs in Stat admit most people at minimum program requirements? I heard that Yale's program, for example, got over 1000 applications and only admitted something like 40 people. And Yale's department isn't that highly ranked. Is there something different about their masters program vs others? 

I think there are a few MS programs in Statistics that are truly competitive (in the U.S.A.)... Stanford, Yale, and Duke seem to have small Masters cohorts and are fairly selective. I would say that this is the exception rather than the rule. Even at some very elite institutions like University of Chicago and Columbia, it is not hard to get admitted to their Statistics MS program. 

Now, with the pandemic leading to so much virtual learning, I anticipate that schools will expand offerings for completely online Statistics MS programs, so there is even less need to be very selective about cohort size for Masters students.  

[supremum]

On 2/1/2021 at 5:23 PM, PhysicsKid said:

 

Hi @Stat Assistant Professor, is it still true that most MS programs in Stat admit most people at minimum program requirements? I heard that Yale's program, for example, got over 1000 applications and only admitted something like 40 people. And Yale's department isn't that highly ranked. Is there something different about their masters program vs others? 

Historically, our department has been a small, theoretically-heavy, niche department, with a tiny cohort (~3 phd, ~10 masters per year). In recent years, we've started expanding both faculty and student numbers, boosted by our successful marketing plot to turn into Data Science (~6 phd, ~20 masters per year). That being said, it's not like we've sold out (looking at you, Columbia) – we still take pride in our small-ish cohort sizes, and phd and masters students take the same classes.

However, the increase in applicants has been disproportionate in size (hello, Data Science), and as a result our acceptance rates are way out of whack. Like with anything that gets deluged, the result of this is that we are much more selective (and go with easy, obvious signals for an initial cull).

~

Oops, I forgot to respond to the OP: we definitely spent relatively more time considering each domestic student. Fewer in numbers, oftentimes more interesting backgrounds. Of course, we're talking about the top schools here. We also have *other* considerations that make domestic students sometimes more compelling.

Edited February 8, 2021 by supremum