Which Statistics Program is Right For Me?

[StatsG0d]

Hello everyone!

 

I know these posts can get pretty annoying, and I'm sorry for that in advance. I have been thinking of doing a PhD for some time. However, it was only recently that I became interested in doing it in statistics instead of economics. This is due to two main areas that I am interested in (not necessarily combining them together, although that would be cool): big data and financial time series.

 

Here's my profile

 

Undergrad: A top 100 institution, no PhD program in statistics

GPA: 3.8 

Math Courses/Grades:

Calc I (B+)

Calc II (A)

Calc III (B+)

Number Theory (A)

Linear Algebra (A-)

Differential Equations (A)

Real Analysis I (A)

Statistics (single variable calculus based) (A)

Econometrics (A) (maybe counts as a stats course for regression analysis?)

 

GRE: 163Q / 155V / 4.5 AW.

I am retaking it in a few weeks, and on my last practice test I received a 169Q / 160V, so let's hope I can keep up the pace!

 

Work Experience: Currently serving as an RA for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)--will be here 2 years by the time of enrollment.

 

Research Experience: Besides two undergraduate projects (one in Econometrics and one as an independent study / thesis), I co-wrote a working paper that will be published by the IMF (but not a journal). I also am listed a main contributor in one of what we call a "flagship publication" of the IMF. Finally, I was a research assistant for a year in college.

 

Recommendations: I could maybe use some advice here. I am tempted to pick at least one of my bosses at the IMF, since I have written some working papers and they know my work well. But they are economists and not statisticians (not sure if that makes a difference). I could also get a letter from a famous economist for whom I was an RA for back at my institution. Finally, my Statistics professor knows me well and encouraged me to do a statistics PhD from the get-go, but her field is Biostatistics.

 

I wouldn't say that I have any "goal schools," I am more excited about the thought of doing research. However, I do not think that I would want to go to an institution below the top-35. I think my biggest deficiency is not having taken Probability and Statistics I or II. I was considering enrolling in an online course or at George Washington University, which I think might boost my profile a lot. Do any of you have any suggestions for me? I would prefer not to go the MS route prior to a PhD as I am already in pretty crippling debt and I am more interested in research. I would may consider Purdue, as I am in in-state resident and I believe it is quite feasible to go from their MS to their PhD program.

 

One final question I have is whether this course would be suitable for preparation in a PhD.

https://netmath.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/syllabi/NetMath%20461%20Syllabus4-2012_2_0.pdf

 

Thank you in advance for any advice you might have!

[StatsG0d]

I should probably also mention that I have a solid foundation in computer science (two courses). I am particularly proficient in Stata and also know SAS, C#, Python, and started teaching myself R.

[Caesar]

I would say that you have an excellent shot at most of the schools in the "Top 35".  Believe it or not, a super strong statistics background isn't as necessary as most people think.  With the courses you've listed you should have no problem with a Casella & Berger or similar type of Distribution Theory/Inference course sequence. In addition, everything else in the range of graduate level methodology and computational stats should come to you pretty quickly if you already know SAS and another object oriented language.  All of that stuff just says that you meet the academic requirements for a stats program though; what sets you apart are letters of recommendation and research experience which, based on your description, should make you very competitive for most of the "Top 35".  Your GRE scores are fine by the way; I suspect that most of the people posting scores on GradCafe aren't really representative of the accepted population, but by all means if you think you can do better it won't hurt.

 

I'll go ahead and shamelessly plug Texas A&M.  A lot of people come to the Ph.D. program here with only an undergraduate degree and take the Master's courses on their way to the Ph.D. level stuff.  The great thing is that they are classified as Ph.D. students, get a tuition waiver, and a monthly stipend (which as of Fall 2014 will be ridiculously generous, especially considering the cost of living in College Station). If you decide later that you want to leave with a Master's Degree you are free to do so with no penalty.  I can't speak generally for all institutions, but I'm sure many programs operate in a similar manner. FYI, I left another Master's Program where I paid over $20,000 for one semester to come here where essentially the only thing I pay for is parking and a sports pass (which is absolutely necessary at TAMU). 

 

Speaking of sports, with a name like "footballman" you may already know that we now have the #2 football recruiting class (#1 Alabama doesn't have a stats grad program). 

Edited June 4, 2014 by Caesar

[StatsG0d]

Sorry for the late response, Caesar. For some reason, I never received a notification that someone responded to this. I did retake the GRE and got only a single point higher on the quant (lol). Definitely could see myself being an Aggies fan!

 

What excites me about TAMU is the opportunities to take machine learning courses. Is Texas A&M renowned for machine learning research?