Biostat Profile Eval for MS/PhD Fall 2022

[coffee_7]

Hi all! I am interested in biostatistics but know very few people who can give me an honest assessment of whether I have a shot. I would sincerely appreciate if any of you could please offer your two cents -- is it even worth applying to PhD programs, or if I should just stick with master's?

 

Undergrad Institution: top 20 liberal arts school
Major(s): Statistics
Minor(s): Psychology
GPA: 4.0

Type of Student: domestic white female

Haven't taken the GRE but on the official PowerPrep:

Q: 167

V: 168
 

Coursework (completed)

Linear algebra, calc II, research design (a stats course), research methods (in psychology dept), intro data science, intro computer science, intro statistics in psychology

 

Future coursework

Spring 2021: Calc III, intro proofs course, data vis course on Tableu

Fall 2021: real analysis, probability, data structures

Spring 2022: mathematical statistics, advanced calculus, advanced statistics course

 

Research experience

Will have had 3 years of research experience with public health group doing quantitative research; I have one first-author publication in a non-undergraduate journal (maybe will have a second non-first author pub, but it would be in qualitative work, and it's still in writing), two first author conference poster/presentations; one REU doing qualitative research sponsored by NIH-affiliated entity; unsure about this summer

 

Skills

R, Python; will be working with MATLAB this semester

Awards/Honors/Recognitions

Dean's list (all semesters), award for high first year GPA, merit scholarship with research included at school

Work experience

Data science job in this spring collaborating with a local public health organization, TA-ed intro statistics in psychology for a year

 

Letters of recommendation

Still TBD, but probably would have two really excellent ones from research advisors and one solid LOR from a stats professor

Schools

• Masters: Harvard, UNC, Penn, Yale (maybe more from list below); also considering Columbia, Michigan
• PhD: Hopkins (I know), Minnesota, Emory, Brown, BU, Pitt, University of Colorado, UMass, Rutgers; also considering Duke, Vanderbilt 

Thank you!!

Edited February 2, 2021 by coffee_7

[bayessays]

Assuming you do well in probability and real analysis, try to get those grades in so that schools will be able to see them, even if it means sending them an email after the deadline with an updated transcript.  If you do well, you're competitive for any biostat program.  Colorado and UMass are definitely below the level of schools you should be applying to.  I'd add a few more schools like Michigan/Penn to your PhD list. If you want a PhD, there is no reason to get a master's degree first so I would focus on just applying to PhD programs assuming you do well in your math classes from now on.