Am I dreaming too big?

[SlipperyTongue]

Hello,

I wanted you guys to take a look at my list of schools that I am thinking of applying this fall for a biostats/stats phd (entry to fall 2027).

But first my profile:

Background:

• International brown male
• Undergrad: one of the California State schools (R2)
• Started with computer science but switched to statistics after sophomore.

 

Stats:

• GPA: 3.83
• Major GPA: 4.0
• Been on Dean's and President's list since the beginning.

 

GRE: Not taking general or math gre

 

Coursework (in progress means taking this fall):

• Calc 1,2,3 (A)
• Differential Equations (A) 
• Intro to stats (A), Mathematical stats 1 (A), 2(A)
• Basic proofs and logic (A)
• Linear Algebra (in progress)
• Real Analysis 1 (in progress), 2 (planned for spring)
• Topology independent study (started studying)
• Abstract algebra( planned for Spring)
• Auditing - Number theory and abstract algebra

 

Brag worthy (?):

• I have 2 paid REUs(one ongoing), both from my home institution. Both are in stats.
• Last year's REU which was on financial volatility forecasting led to a paper submitted to an undergrad journal in economics.
• Realised wanted to do biostats. Begged a public health professor. Did a public health (pollution) project. One technical report submitted
• Wanted some experience in bio, specifically genomics. Begged a bio professor. Did some genomic data analyzing on fungi data and an alzheimers dataset. Nothing publishable.
• Second REU (Ongoing) - Will use VAR, VMA, VARMA, etc. models to analyse pollution datasets. Hopefully publish something.
• Presented at 2 national STEM conferences (non math), 4 research symposiums

 

Weakness:

• Most of pure math courses, specifically linear algebra and real analysis, wont be finished before the deadline.
• Don't have any big journal publications.
• Not from a big name school. We have only 2 stats professor. Nearly no stats research at all. 

Now here is my incomplete list (Safeties included):

Biostatistics PhDs: 
Upenn
UNC Chapel Hill
USC
CU Bolder
Georgetown 
Florida State 
University of Minnesota 
Tulane
Rochester

Stats PhDs:
NCSU
UIUC
UConn
Colorado State
University of New Mexico
University of Kentucky
Western Michigan State University
Montana State University
University of Cincinnati 

I know full well that I am just dreaming with Upenn, UNC, NCSU and and UIUC but I wanna try atleast once in my life. Feel free to push back with suggestions.
 

P.S. - Thanks for taking your time to read all this. Appreciate any advice at all.