Fall 2023 statistics/biostat PhD profile evaluation

[rogarr]

Hi all!

I want to apply for PhD in statistics next fall and would like to have some advice. Thanks a lot in advance!

Undergrad: Top 25 undergrad (US News) 

Major(s): Statistics & Mathematics
GPA: 3.93 (for now, probably will be 3.9ish when applying.

Background: International Male Asian

 

Courses taken (A unless stated otherwise): 

Undergrad class: Calculus III, Linear Algebra(A+), ODE, Stochastic Process, Probability, Regression Analysis, Basic Real Analysis(this might be a B or B+, just having hard time to understand analysis and I know it might be a great deal at admission), Stat Machine Learning, Independent Study: Causal Inference, a R programming class, Game Theory, Intro to Math Stat

Grad class: Applied Linear Model, Intro to Math Stat

 

Courses planned:

Undergrad class: Survey of algebra, Advanced Probability (still thinking about it), Advanced Linear Algebra (still thinking about it), Nonparametric stat, Experimental Design

Grad class: Longitudinal Data Analysis, Applied Time Series, Experimental Design, Applied Multivariate Stat, Linear Model, Stat Machine Learning, Survival Analysis(if provided)

GRE: Haven't started yet but aiming for a 330 combined.

 

Programs Applying: Statistics and biostat

Research Experience: 

One summer REU at CMU on stochastic method in sport analytics

Two financial statistics/machine learning (with a professor from penn finance)

One project on bayesian propensity score (with faculty from psyc)

 

Other Experience:

TA for the R programming class
 

Letters of Recommendation:  2 stat professor, 1 from a research advisor from penn

 

Intended Schools(just some I'm thinking about right now):

Wharton stat(my top choice), CMU stat, Yale Stat, Columbia stat, penn biostat, UW stat and biostat, Chicago stat

 

I think this list is probably all reach for me, so I'd like to have some advice on what other school I should be considering applying to. Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

Thanks again!

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by rogarr

[trynagetby]

Those schools are probably going to be VERY difficult. Still recommend applying to them if your rec writers are okay with them and you have the money. Additionally the jump from the Chicago/CMU/Wharton/UWashington/Columbia competitiveness tier to penn biostat tier is pretty dramatic. I'd add in schools like NCSU, UCLA, Winsconsin, UNC Biostat, Mich Biostat. IMO you have a much better shot at top Biostat programs than Stat programs given your good performance in stat classes.

Also important note is if the graduate classes you mention are PhD or Masters. Masters graduate statistics classes are fairly meaningless in stat PhD admissions (as in they will not alleviate at all lack of advanced math). PhD graduate classes are a big value add (in that they can alleviate lack of advanced math).

You should check out my profile to get an upperbound of what would be realistic. I was dinged at CMU and Waitlisted at UT Austin despite having more math.

Unfortunately as an International Asian Male you're in the most competitive possible demographic category. If you don't get at least an A- in real analysis Wharton, CMU, Yale, Columbia, and Chicago are likely out of reach. If you're feeling good about your calculus a 80%+ on the Math subject test GRE would be extremely helpful.

[rogarr]

On 12/10/2021 at 10:42 PM, trynagetby said:

Those schools are probably going to be VERY difficult. Still recommend applying to them if your rec writers are okay with them and you have the money. Additionally the jump from the Chicago/CMU/Wharton/UWashington/Columbia competitiveness tier to penn biostat tier is pretty dramatic. I'd add in schools like NCSU, UCLA, Winsconsin, UNC Biostat, Mich Biostat. IMO you have a much better shot at top Biostat programs than Stat programs given your good performance in stat classes.

Also important note is if the graduate classes you mention are PhD or Masters. Masters graduate statistics classes are fairly meaningless in stat PhD admissions (as in they will not alleviate at all lack of advanced math). PhD graduate classes are a big value add (in that they can alleviate lack of advanced math).

You should check out my profile to get an upperbound of what would be realistic. I was dinged at CMU and Waitlisted at UT Austin despite having more math.

Unfortunately as an International Asian Male you're in the most competitive possible demographic category. If you don't get at least an A- in real analysis Wharton, CMU, Yale, Columbia, and Chicago are likely out of reach. If you're feeling good about your calculus a 80%+ on the Math subject test GRE would be extremely helpful.

Thanks a lot!

 

The grad classes are a combination of both phd and master classes. Biostat is definitely one of my interest and I'll consider to apply more biostat rather than stat. I have pretty good relationship with two of my recommenders (the one from penn finance and another one who also recently graduated from penn and was on cmu admission couple years ago and he doesn't think my real analysis grade would be a great problem but i'm not sure) and both should be strong recommendations (part of the reason I'm having penn as my top choice). I'll thinking about taking the GRE math but I always feel like my math ability is not that strong so I'm pretty worried about stat phd programs in general. Also what biostat programs should I aim for? I'd like to stay in the east coast preferably northeast and in somewhat bigger city (given i have spent four years in a small town for undergrad). Anyway really appreciate your advice!

[trynagetby]

If the recommender writer was on the admission committee for Wharton Stat I'd listen to him. But if he was on the admission committee for Penn finance I'd stick with the prevailing wisdom that Analysis I is probably the first grade that Stat AdCom look for on the transcript. I've seen people with diversity demographics or nontraditional/funky profiles get by with an eh grade with Real Analysis (or if they're EE or Physics Undergrad) but you definitely don't fall into that category.

Good recommendations will go very far tho. I'd definitely encourage you to apply all the schools you'd want to go to if you can afford them, you never know what could happen. I definitely slightly regret not applying to enough *reach schools during my cycle.

If you're legitimately interested in Biostat, I'd apply to like all the top ones where you think you'd be happy because I think you have a chance at all of them. Harvard, JHU, UW will be hard ofc but it wouldn't be impossible. The other good schools would be like Columbia, UNC, Umich, Penn, Duke etc...

 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by trynagetby

[rogarr]

8 hours ago, trynagetby said:

If the recommender writer was on the admission committee for Wharton Stat I'd listen to him. But if he was on the admission committee for Penn finance I'd stick with the prevailing wisdom that Analysis I is probably the first grade that Stat AdCom look for on the transcript. I've seen people with diversity demographics or nontraditional/funky profiles get by with an eh grade with Real Analysis (or if they're EE or Physics Undergrad) but you definitely don't fall into that category.

Good recommendations will go very far tho. I'd definitely encourage you to apply all the schools you'd want to go to if you can afford them, you never know what could happen. I definitely slightly regret not applying to enough *reach schools during my cycle.

If you're legitimately interested in Biostat, I'd apply to like all the top ones where you think you'd be happy because I think you have a chance at all of them. Harvard, JHU, UW will be hard ofc but it wouldn't be impossible. The other good schools would be like Columbia, UNC, Umich, Penn, Duke etc...

 

 

 

Thanks a lot! 

 

Biostat is a legit option for me since I'm very interested in causal inference as of right now and I think there are more focus on them in biostat departments. I noticed that many biostat program prefer taking bio classes, do you think thats a necessity? Also, I'd like to ask how hard would it be if I go to a biostat program and want to go to industries other than bio related, finance for example. I'd be happy to focus on biostat for PhD but I don't know if that what I want to do for life.

[trynagetby]

I think biology courses for biostat is borderline completely irrelevant.

With regards to going into non-bio-related fields I don't think it matters that much if you plan it right.

To be a finance quant at like a prop shot (Jane Street/Optiver/SIG)  they literally only care about how well you ace the hard probability quant interviews. For other finance positions the name brand of the institution matters more. But I think doing research in related field (time series, stochastic procceses, applied probability) does help a lot, which could be slightly more difficult at a biostat department. 

For tech/institutional research it depends on what you research. If you're interested in causal inference and want to do that in industry biostat programs should be great to get top industry research jobs. But if you end up resarching very niche methods for flow cytometry or phylogentics or something it'll be difficult to get anything beyond your generic data science job at a tech company (which still pays lucratively ofc). Ofc if you're researching niche methods for flow cytometry or phylogentics you'd likely be working at an actual pharma/biotech company lol

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by trynagetby