I want to pursue a Masters, but how do I start looking?

[kevy]

Hi GradCafe,

I am a recent graduate and finally decided to pursue a masters in statistics for two reasons that everyone else probably has: 1) To learn more,and 2) To get a job. The problem is that I don't even know how to begin researching this topic aside from awkwardly phrased Google searches. After searching for applied statistics program, I was completely overwhelmed by the different types of programs. Some are geared towards business, others are categorized as a vague "data analytic". I also noticed some programs that focuses solely on big data/machine learning. I am actually very interested in this topic because of a multivariate analysis class I have taken before(it covered a small part of machine learning only because we went beyond the curriculum). Yet, I feel that I am under-qualified due to not having a CS background aside from the statistical programs and 1 or 2 languages I learned from previous required classes. So I ask of you guys, so given my profile below what are some schools/programs I should look into? Since I could always just look up ranked schools, what would be some safety schools that you would suggest for me? What are some universities with a diverse statistics department, since I feel like I should explore a bit)

School: University of California, Davis 3.66/4.00

Major: Applied Statistics/ Psychology

(Note: Just took the GRE again, and so these are the projected scores I got at the end of the test...Hopefully not too much changes)

GRE: Q: 164 V: 157 W:???Maybe 4.0? I got a 4.0 last time?

(Note: I know my math is a bit lacking hence why I am looking into more practical rather than theoretical programs. Though, I did picked up some mathematical concepts along the way. )

Courses Taken:

Multivariate Data Analysis

Causual Model Correlation Data

SAS Programming

Introduction to Probability Theory

Introduction to Mathematical Statistics

Applied Time Series Analysis

Introduction To Programming and Problem Solving ( Where I learned C)

Analysis of Categorical Data

Linear Algebra

Analysis of Variance

Statistical Programming

Statistical Analysis of Psychological Data

Regression Analysis

Agent-Based Modeling(Where I learned Java)

Research: It's my weakest point... No published works. I do have experience in research for multiple fields, due to my psychology background. Nothing really statistically relevant except for side projects.

Letters of Recs: Again, none of these really relevant to statistics. BUT these people are definitely credible in their own fields. They were past professors I had worked with.

Much thanks for getting through this wall of text if you do. I am just really scared right now after taking the GRE and comparing my profile to the gradcafe's accepted candidates for Fall 2013. Everyone here seems to have like a way higher GPA and a way higher GRE score with published works.

[finalrez]

The first thing I would say is don't be deterred by the profiles that you see on gradcafe.  Many schools publish data about GRE scores, GPAs, etc., and if you look at the average admitted candidates, you'll quicky realized that there's definitely some self-selection bias going on in the profiles you see on the forums.  I do think that statistics has gotten more competitive as a discipline in recent years, but certainly not so much so that you won't have any chances of admission. 

 

It sounds like you have a reasonable academic background.  Have you taken multivariate calc?  It sounds like you probably did, but if not that's one that's required by most programs.  Your CS experience might be a little light for programs that are heavy in machine learning, but I think you probably have considerably more programming experience than most recent grads.  Your GPA/GRE might be a little low for top 10 programs, but your grades and scores are absolutely good enough to keep you out of the auto-reject pile for many good stats schools.  Not having any published work isn't really that big of a deal.  Having published work is actually more of the exception than the norm.

 

OK, so now that I've convinced you (hopefully) that you are a viable candidate, I'll get on my soapbox.  It sounds like you may be a bit unsure of exactly why you want to go to graduate school.  Rather than look for diverse departments, my advice is figure out exactly why you want to go to graduate school in the first place.  Once you do that, your school selection will become much easier. 

 

Wanting to learn more is a great reason to go to graduate school, but what do you want to learn about?  What questions do you want to tackle?  Problems in biology?  Astronomy?  Time series financial data?  It looks like you have an interest in psych -- you might like doing classification/cluster analysis kinds of problems (since you mentioned machine learning) in biostatistics or computational bio programs, or maybe working with clinical trial or survey data.

 

I know others will disagree, but I honestly don't really think that wanting to get a job (in the general sense of "getting a job") is a great reason to go to graduate school.  Definitely don't go to graduate school if you're just trying to put off choosing an occupation.  IMO it's smarter to choose an occupation that you think you might like, and if you hate it, you can go back to graduate school as a career change kind of move.  It's a lot harder to do it the other way around. Also, if you're smart about what job you choose, your graduate application will be stronger.  Plus, you will likely be paying quite a bit of money to explore your interests in graduate school, whereas on the job some sucker will pay you. 

 

If none of that convinced you, then my final advice is try to find large programs.  This serves three purposes.  First, it will enhance your chances of admission.  Second, it will be easier to expose yourself to more ideas as you explore your interests, and you will be more likely to find an advisor with interests close to yours.  Third, it will make it easier for you to network and get a job once you graduate.  Sometimes programs will tell you directly the number of current masters and PhD students, and other times you will have to infer by the number of faculty members.

Edited November 6, 2013 by finalrez