Change of Heart about Statistics PhD?

[ebahumc]

I applied to graduate programs this year as an undergrad and until recently thought I was all set to decide between master's programs, but I received an email from NC State stating that they were planning on taking a few students off their waitlist for their PhD program and asking about my status. Initially, I applied to mostly coursework master's programs because I don't have a set research area of interest and don't plan on entering academia, but I knew a lot less about graduate studies in statistics than I do now when I applied and it seems like this is a less common path for undergraduates. Since then, I've opened up more to the idea of continuing to a PhD but I still am not sure whether I'm prepared for the time commitment and whether I have the right mindset to pursue it.

Is it worth expressing interest to stay on the waitlist and potentially forgoing a MS to do a PhD or is this just something they typically send to all waitlisted students? If it changes anything, I have the choice of going to basically any of the top master's programs in statistics if I choose that route.

[BL4CKxP3NGU1N]

I don't know about NC State's program, but many Stats PhD programs allow you to leave with a Master's if you choose not to continue after two years or so. If you're open to the idea of a PhD but aren't 100% sure, I think going to a PhD program that offers this option would be the way to go. That way, if you decide after a couple years that you really like research and want to continue your PhD route, you can just continue what you're doing. If you decide to leave with a Master's, you could do that too. This would also allow you to be guaranteed full tuition + stipend instead of having to pay tens of thousands of $$$ for a Master's.

Obviously, I wouldn't suggest that anyone should go into a PhD program solely with the idea of leaving with a Master's. However, if you think that a PhD might be for you, there's nothing wrong with trying it out and seeing how you like it.