What are my chances? MS/PhD in Statistics/Data Science

[BlueRobin]

What are my chances for acceptance into a top-ranked MS or PhD program in statistics or data science? I'd like to stay in the Northeast, so here are the schools I am considering: John Hopkins, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, Columbia, Cornell, Yale, NYU, and Rutgers.

Here is my profile:

 

DWF at small private college. Math major, finance minor. 3.95 GPA. haven't taken the GRE yet (only applying next year). president of my university's math club. relevant industry experience (summer internships). some research experience (senior thesis).

 

I have taken (or will take) the following math classes: Calculus x 3 (through multi-variable calculus), Probability x 2, Linear algebra, Econometrics, Operations research, Differential equations, Biostatistics, Financial mathematics, Finite mathematics, Life contingencies x 2, and a senior thesis.

 

I'm primarily worried about three things:

 

1-almost no one has heard of my college

 

2-the math major at my college is quite small and offers a limited selection of classes which does not include real analysis

 

3-not much research experience (all I'll have is my senior thesis which is ~25 pages long)

So how would you rate my chances at getting accepted into a statistics/data science MS/PhD program at John Hopkins, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, Columbia, Cornell, Yale, NYU, and Rutgers? Do you think I have a shot at a top program or should I lower my expectations? If I have a shot for a MS program, but not for a PhD, that information is valuable to me as well, so please rate my chances for both the PhD and the MS programs separately (where applicable). Thank you in advance!
 

[DMX]

Stats will be more competitive than Data Science. I would say you have a good shot at the Data Science programs (which schools have PhD's in data science?).

For stats, I would look a little lower down the list as well (though you should have good shots at Penn/Rutgers).

 

Difference in threshold for PhD/MS is also HUGE. My evaluation is for PhD programs. For MS, I think you will be competitive at most places.

Edited December 13, 2013 by DMX

[BlueRobin]

Thank you DMX! I agree, I think I have a better chance at acceptance into a top-ranked MS program than into a top-ranked PhD program. Thank you for confirming what I was thinking! I'd just prefer not drop so much money on an MS....

 

I do have lower-ranked "safety" schools on my list as well, but since I am confident that I will be accepted to those, I didn't bother to list them. I am more interested in finding out which top-ranked programs I should put on my "reach" list and which ones I should put onto my "impossible to get into so don't even bother to apply" list.

 

In reference to the MS programs, you said "competitive at most places." Does this mean that I should apply to all the schools I listed and let the chips fall where they will, or do you think that there are a couple of schools that I should put onto my "impossible to get into so don't even bother to apply" list? If so, which ones?

 

And there aren't any PhD programs in Data Science yet that I am aware of, but I think that there will be by the time I actually apply to graduate school. A lot of universities just opened up new Data Science programs. And while I personally prefer a degree in statistics over a degree in data science, the two are so closely related that it will likely come down to where I get accepted.

 

Thank you for all of your help!

Edited December 13, 2013 by BlueRobin