Penn State Masters Applied Statistics Online--Competitive?

[Vas_Deferens]

Hi, everybody, sorry if this is an excessively narrow question. I just graduated from podiatry school (DPM) and would like to now study stats since (1) I was always interested in it, (2) next to nobody in medicine--let alone podiatry--knows much beyond p values, (3) and because of this I think the credential could open up a lot of doors for me in medical research.

 

There are a few online programs, but I think Penn State's is the most flexible and least expensive. (Or I could take biostatistics at my alma mater for 4x the tuition.  ) I'm not trying to get into a "top program," just trying to broaden my knowledge base to market myself within the medical field. Plus I have good credentials--math major, econ masters, all A's in my stats classes, including econometrics. Quantitative GRE was 163. Besides, since it's an online degree and I'm not seeking funding, I really was not expecting the adcoms to give me much trouble. My only real negative is that I haven't really done much in stats since beginning medical school.

 

But then I was curious so I checked this: http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=penn+state+applied+statistics

 

Apparently there were a few rejections, though the one American was successful (I'm American too). Maybe there were TOEFL issues? Maybe their undergrads weren't up to snuff? Maybe they didn't want to do it online? Maybe the guy who got in wasn't looking for funding?

 

So to start off, I applied for the online "Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics." It doesn't require LORs, SoP, official transcripts, or test scores so I'm pretty sure I can get in. I figure if I do really well in those classes I can then bump myself up to the Masters with transferable credit. (And If I get rejected for the certificate then that would be quite the statement.  )

 

So do you think this going to be hard to do or am I just psyching myself out? Any thoughts/advice/comments are welcome.