Unranked, low ranked programs and decisions

[literaryreference]

As acceptances and rejections for Pure Stat PhD programs start to roll in and I am getting a better picture of what my options will be, I am wondering if anyone has any input on unranked programs.  Programs like George Mason, University of Arizona, UVA, Virginia Tech, UCSB, UCR, Temple, GWU, and Pitt are all on places I have applied and which are on my radar.  I am unlikely to pursue academia outright, and would prefer to work in industry or government.

 

Is there a major difference in access to opportunity or earnings potential in industry and/or government between attending an unranked/low ranked school vs. attending a top 20-30 school?  Among this list, are their any schools that should be avoided outright?  I am finding that I am getting more generous funding offers from unranked schools.  I would appreciate any input anyone has into the process as I am tying my brain into knots trying to figure out what to do.

[Stat Assistant Professor]

I would look at the job placement data (or if it's unavailable online, ask the DGS for it). It doesn't give a complete picture, but that should at least give you some sense of what job prospects are like after graduation. Looking at the Pittsburgh site of "Recent graduates," for example, it seems like they have done decently in the past (even for academic placements), though there isn't any listing for alumni after 2008, so you would want to get that information from the DGS.

 

For industry and government, pedigree and adviser seem to matter far less. I would think that summer internships, software/computing knowledge and experience, and a dissertation topic that is somewhat relevant to the jobs would be of much greater interest to employers. Of course connections and internal referrals also help a lot as far as getting your resume noticed.

[statshopeful2014]

As I have mentioned in other threads a quick LinkedIn search will show that, at least in biotech, that many people have degrees in Statistics from unprestigious schools.  I think Applied Math to Stat is right...just make sure you have internships/programming experience/relevant dissertation and you should be good.  

 

What a relief to know that Statistics is not a zero-sum game like most other academic fields today....

Edited March 21, 2014 by statshopeful2014

[Stat Assistant Professor]

Knowing "the right" software will also give you a leg up. For instance, if you are proficient-to-expert with Hadoop, you should be in good shape to get a data science job.

[StatPhD2014]

I would look at the job placement data (or if it's unavailable online, ask the DGS for it). It doesn't give a complete picture, but that should at least give you some sense of what job prospects are like after graduation. Looking at the Pittsburgh site of "Recent graduates," for example, it seems like they have done decently in the past (even for academic placements), though there isn't any listing for alumni after 2008, so you would want to get that information from the DGS.

 

For industry and government, pedigree and adviser seem to matter far less. I would think that summer internships, software/computing knowledge and experience, and a dissertation topic that is somewhat relevant to the jobs would be of much greater interest to employers. Of course connections and internal referrals also help a lot as far as getting your resume noticed.

well for some industries the name of the school does matter. Examples include hedge funds, top tier investment banks/ consulting shops/ trading firms, and tech companies.

[Stat Assistant Professor]

well for some industries the name of the school does matter. Examples include hedge funds, top tier investment banks/ consulting shops/ trading firms, and tech companies.

Sure, going to a more brand-name school might be helpful in getting your foot in the door, but not having a degree from a prestigious school won't completely preclude you from careers in those fields either. Outside of some very selective investment banks and management consulting firms, prestige isn't as important as having connections and the right skillset. Again, this is completely anecdotal, but I know several folks with PhDs from low-ranked schools in math/stat who work in algorithmic trading and quantitative finance. I can't speak outside of my own connections though, so that is why it's important for the OP to find job placement data (if unavailable, maybe searching on LinkedIn or Google for people have PhDs in statistics from those schools) -- that could give them a better sense of their job prospects after graduating.

[ashramsoji]

If it helps, it seems like there are so many jobs right now wanting people with Stats backgrounds that i can't imagine they are all competing for high-tier school candidates.

 

It does seem like they all want you to know R and some programming language. I'm planning learning R, Python, and Javascript when I get into the school, and anything with big data like Hadoop that may be offered. I imagine those things combined should help me get pretty much any job.

[wine in coffee cups]

First of all, you should be looking at what kind of research takes place in these departments. Any program that is small and not well-known probably specializes in just a few areas, or even is mostly a service department to the university (teaching stats courses and assisting researchers from other departments, little methodological research). Your fit within the program is very important for making sure you can actually get a dissertation out of it. Look over the faculty who still publish and make sure there are at least a couple you would plausibly be happy with as your advisor.

 

With smaller lesser-known programs, my suspicion is that graduates tend to go into a couple of industries that are concentrated in the region of the school. Completely guessing here, but I would not be surprised if UVA/George Washington/George Mason/Virginia Tech have most of their alumni in government-related positions in the DC area. Pitt and Temple might have a tendency towards pharma. UCSB or UCR might have more of a tech presence. Not sure how geographically dispersed the alumni are from any of these. It would be a good idea to think a little more about what kind of a non-academic job you want and where you might want to live post-PhD when looking at your funded offers, as some of these programs might be better at placing graduates in a broad array of industries and locations than others.