Are my chances good?

[blobblobblob]

I'm a bit late posting this, but I didn't find this site unti recently after I've sent in all my applications.

I'm just wondering how my chances are, and if I should start applying to master's programs now in case I don't get in anywhere. I guess I'm just ultra nervous now that acceptances are being sent out according to the results list.

Undergraduate: UC Berkeley 3.6 GPA in Statistics (2012)
GRE: Math 800 Verbal 710 AWA 4.5
Math courses: Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, Probability, Statistics, Stochastic Processes, Time Series , Game Theory, Numerical Analysis, Machine Learning
Econ courses: Microeconomic theory, Macroeconomic theory, Financial Economics, Econometrics
Computer languages: R, C, Matlab
Research/Work experience: implementing machine learning algorithms on bioinformatics research project, modeling/machine learning on financial derivatives (fixed income)
Recommendations letters: one from my boss whom I'm doing financial modeling for, 2 from statistics professors

Research Interests: Machine Learning, Survival Analysis

 

I'm also pretty worried that it will hurt me a lot that I haven't take Real Analysis.

 

Schools I have applied to (all PhD in Statistics):

 

Wisconsin, Duke, Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, University of Washington, UPenn, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, Rutgers, University of Michigan, Columbia , Purdue, Yale

[OhioStateStudent]

I think you have a good profile, especially with an undergrad from Berkeley and research experience.

 

However, given what I've seen on the site, I do not think you have enough for admission into a lot of the big name programs you applied to (pretty much all of them except for Rutgers, maybe Purdue). This should not be taken as gospel though, and I would wait to see what others say.

 

I think you should count on getting into Rutgers. I applied there with a 3.56 GPA from Ohio State, Economics Research experience, and average math grades (A's in Lin Alg and Diffy Q, but I got a C+ in Real Analysis 1, and a B- in probability. Professor issues in Real analysis, and life issues in probability, but c'est la vie.) and I think I am likely to get an admit from Rutgers, given what I've seen.

 

 

I think you should have applied to a lot of 15-30 schools, and maybe 1 or 2 top-tens, and 1 or 2 30+ schools for safeties.

[creed_the_third]

I don't think MIT has a stat PHD..though they have op research, did you apply to that?

[sisyphus1]

are you domestic? if so i can't see you not getting in at least one of Washington, Rutgers,Michigan,Wisconsin.

 

seems like this year will be brutal though. we are overlapping a lot in our schools (but I'm international) and our profiles are similar.

[blobblobblob]

Yes I am domestic. And yeah, I mean ORC for MIT and ORFE for Princeton. 
 

From the results search it looks like University of Washington already sent out its acceptances? I would be really happy if I got into Wisconsin though, I really like their program.

[cyberwulf]

Your best shots on academic record alone are probably Columbia, Yale, Rutgers, and Purdue. Given your research interests and experience, you might have a chance at Carnegie Mellon.

Edited January 23, 2013 by cyberwulf

[blobblobblob]

Are Columbia, Yale, Rutgers, and Purdue, Washington ,Michigan, Wisconsin the lower ranked ones or is there any reason it would be more likely I would be accepted into those? Rankings or the fact that with the exception of Columbia and Yale, they are all public and public is easier on domestics? I'm just curious because I just applied to ones that were suggested as good choices by my professors for my research interests and am not really familiar with the rankings system. Is there some link to a site where they are ranked? Also I'm not sure if this makes a difference like being domestic does, but I'm also female.

[OhioStateStudent]

I haven't really been able to find a reliable ranking.

 

The one I used for my selections was this: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/statistics-rankings

 

 

The issue with Columbia and Yale is that they are Ivy Leagues, and top applicants will apply to them just because they are Ivies, despite the fact they are in the low 30's.

 

Washington, Michigan, Wisconsin are almost top 10 (top 15)

 

Purdue is 22

 

Rutgers is 37.

 

 

I think you have a very top heavy selection of schools. To put it into perspective for you, our profiles are fairly similar but the highest ranked school I applied to was 27, while most of them were in the 30-40's, and I'm worried I'm not going to get an admit from anywhere (with funding). But perhaps I'm just a pessimist.

 

Being female doesn't help much. A lot of international applicants end up being female, so there is no sort of "preference" given to female applicants, especially at large schools.

[blobblobblob]

On the U.S. News rankings site why do a lot of schools show up twice or more times in different rankings?

[sisyphus1]

On the U.S. News rankings site why do a lot of schools show up twice or more times in different rankings?

biostat vs stat (e.g. harvard has biostat and stat departments, they are ranked separately).

you can find out by clicking on the link to the school website--it will either link to the biostat or a stat department

[Shostakovich]

Those US News rankings were a bit confusing, didn't seem to do a good job of distinguishing between the Stats and Biostats departments (you have to dig into each school page to actually find out which dept the ranking refers to).

[Guest dot.matrix]

I agree with you that it is confusing and I would go so far as to say stupid to put the statistics and biostatistics rankings together into one list.  However I found that it is not too hard to distinguish them if you hover over the links with your mouse and read the url in the lower left corner of the browser which will usually have "statistics" or "biostatistics" specified in the address. (I mean, jeez, don't you know how to internet? ; ))