Biostats PhD Programs: profile eval

[biostatapplicant]

Hi all,

 

Now that this year's round of admissions are over, on to thinking about admissions for Fall 2014...

 

I just finished my 1st year of a tier 2 biostatistics MS program and am looking for some perspective outside of my department regarding doctoral programs: my chances of admission and where to apply.

 

My profile is:

 

(Edited to add: domestic female)

 

Undergrad: Big 10 institution, biology and philosophy double major, did directed research in the biomedical sciences, 3.49 GPA.

 

Grad: same school as undergrad, wrote an R package for a class project (now on CRAN), 3.93 GPA (still waiting on one grade to come in, so my first year MS GPA may be as low as 3.82 or as high as 3.94 depending on how the class final went).

 

Work: 3 years as an undergrad lab tech in biomedical sciences, 3 years as a scientist in the biomedical sciences that included data analysis, 0.5 years working on disease surveillance at the state health department. I will be TAing an introductory graduate biostatistics course for public health students this summer.

 

GRE: need to take, my scores are over 5 years old.

 

LOR: not sure yet.

 

Publications: 2 as a second author, 1 as a third author, 1 as a fourth author; all in mid-ranked biomedical journals (for contributions performing experiments and analyzing data).

 

I'm a bit worried about my math grades in undergrad. I had health issues during my first few years of school, so those semesters have a lot of withdrawals and bad grades, including in math:

Calc I: C (this was 10 years ago!)

Calc II: B

 

I did better in relavent courses later on in undergrad as well as prereqs for the MS program I took after graduating:

Linear Algebra & Differential Equations: A-

Multivariable Calc: A

Into Logic: A-

Symbolic Logic (graduate level): B+

Computing for Biology: A

Intro to Stat Analysis: A

 

So what do you think: do I have a chance at any tier 3 or above Biostats PhD programs? I'm really interested in statistical computing. I think I may be interested in Bayesian methods and spacial models as well, but I don't know enough at this point to conclude so. I want to earn a PhD because the MS program and stat theory coursework has been fun; I don't want it to be over next year.

Edited May 26, 2013 by pangaea

[cyberwulf]

Interesting case. The answer depends on what you mean by "Tier 2" or "Tier 3" biostat program. If you're getting an MS at Michigan or Minnesota, then a ~3.9 GPA will open a lot of doors, and should put you in decent shape for admission to programs at their level or below. If you're at, say, Ohio State or Iowa, then it might get a bit dicier (though certainly not out of the question) for places in the top 10.

[Biostat_HU]

Your profile looks good to me.  I think that if you explain in your statement about the reason for the lower grades in undergrad, most admissions committees will accept that given your later grades in Math/Stats.  Make sure that you get strong letters of reference.  They can make or break your application.

[biostatapplicant]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

To update, I received an 'A' in my stat theory course, so my MS biostat GPA is 3.94. By tier 2, I mean one of the U of M schools.

 

My GRE scores are 161V, 164Q (writing TBD, assume 4 or 4.5). Should I retake? I didn't study for it....

 

Does anyone have opinions on what would be a reasonable list of stat/biostat PhD programs to apply to? I was thinking the following:

     Biostat PhD - U Minnesota, U Washington (total reach), U MIchigan, U North Carolina, Emory, Tulane (safety).

     Stat PhD - Oregon State (close to family), Colorado State, U Texas - Austin (Bayesian!), Iowa State.  My advisor recommended Penn State, but I think that'd be a crazy reach.

 

My first 3 weeks of real analysis have been challenging... how strong of a performance in real analysis is considered strong enough to adcoms?

[cyberwulf]

- You don't need to retake the GRE; those scores are fine.

- That list seems reasonable, although if I was to make one suggestion it would be to add a couple more biostat programs with similar admissions standards to Emory (e.g., Penn, Columbia, Berkeley, UCLA, Pittsburgh, Brown, Boston U, etc.) As a group, I would treat these as your "safeties"; you're not guaranteed admission to any of them, but between them you're extremely likely to get one or more offers. And on a side note, I wouldn't write off UW Biostat entirely; because the program's so big, their "lower bar" for PhD admission isn't that much different than schools like Michigan, Minnesota, and UNC. 

- The importance of real analysis varies by department; stat programs are likely to be more discerning about an RA grade than biostat programs. Also, if you're taking RA now, then programs with December deadlines won't even see your grade unless they ask for an updated transcript in the spring.

[aridneptune]

It's interesting how perspectives differ on this stuff. I have to say, I read your profile and I'm really impressed. It looks great and, frankly, if I were on an admissions committee I'd admit you no questions asked. Meanwhile, I look at my own profile (on this forum) and I'm much less impressed. For what it's worth (read: very little), I think your profile is great.

[biostatapplicant]

Thanks again for the input.

 

I see so many profiles on here of people with stellar undergraduate records in math, which seems to be the main priority for admissions committees. 

[Funkoverload]

Yale(Biostat), USC(Biostat), UCI(Stat, Bayesian), Duke(Stat, Bayesian), Columbia(Biostat), UPenn(Biostat), Harvard(Biostat)