Another Biostatistics PhD profile evaluation- please!

[biostats2015]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm interested in applying for biostatistics PhDs in the USA, starting fall 2015. I'd be an international student, and so have relatively little idea of what my chances of getting into a good school would be. I'm very keen on biostat and have been thinking about this for a while. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

As a note: I'm not entirely sure how my grades stack up in terms of GPAs, as most universities don't use that scoring system here in Australia. I've tried to calculate my GPA using the Australian system, which is out of 7 (on a very coarse scale, only 4 or 5 levels), and then scaled it down to the usual 4.0 system. However, I'm unsure if this gives an accurate representation of my GPA relative to the US system- I suspect it might be lower than it appears. If anyone has an opinion on this, let me know! I did the last year of my undergrad on exchange at an excellent US public university, where unfortunately my grades were lower than usual- GPA 3.2 during that year, I'm worried this is going to hurt me.

 

Degree history

Undergraduate: Bachelor of Science with major in pure math, minor in biology

Post-graduate Diploma of Public Health

Master of Mathematics & Statistics (currently in my final semester)

 

GPA

3.8 for everything excluding first two years of undergrad

3.97 for current masters in maths & stats

 

GRE

167 verbal

161 quant

6.0 analytical writing

Wasn't happy with my quant scores so taking it again soon.

 

Experience

I did two substantial research projects in my undergrad, both in mathematical biology type areas. I've had several research assistant positions since, three in schools of public health doing math biology or applied stats type stuff. I'm currently doing an internship with a biostatistics group in a research institution attached to a hospital.

I've got three first author papers to my name, not exactly published in top tier journals, but of a relevant nature (applied stats/ math bio).

I'm doing a research project for my masters (25% of total degree work), which is in a statistics-related area.

I've tutored one applied statistics subject (aimed at 3rd and 4th year students without a strong math background) and one math biology subject (for first year pre-med students).

 

Letters of Rec

Masters research supervisor: professor of stat

Past and current research supervisors: one professor, one associate professor (a public health expert, not a math or stat guy), one dr

Lecturers: associate professor who's taught me three times

 

Schools that I'm interested in

I'm aiming high at the moment but unsure if I'm being realistic (especially with my gre quant score, although like I said, hoping to improve that). I'd love to apply to:

Harvard, University of Washington, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Columbia, Emory, UNC, University of Michigan

It's very hard for me to judge the next tier down. Any tips?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Applemiu]

I think that you profile is strong, you just need to push the quant score up a little. Aim for 165/166. It's not hard stuff, just a lot of practice to get up to speed (I am in same boat, I got a 159 and I need to push it up).

[cyberwulf]

Your GRE quant score isn't a huge problem; with a Masters in Math/Stats, nobody's going to doubt your ability to do basic math. I do think that the "translation" of your grades to the U.S. context could be difficult, and that 3.2 during a semester in the U.S. isn't going to help your case. Has your school/department sent any recent graduates to U.S. biostat or stat programs? If so, you will definitely want your letter writers to compare your record/ability to theirs (favorably, one would hope). 

 

There's no getting around the fact that the competition among international students for spots in U.S. biostat programs is intense, though you are helped a bit by being (I assume) a native English speaker. Your list of schools is a bit top-heavy; you'll definitely want to add some lower-ranked places. The U.S. News combined stats/biostats rankings are a good starting point for this. 

[biostats2015]

I do think that the "translation" of your grades to the U.S. context could be difficult, and that 3.2 during a semester in the U.S. isn't going to help your case.

 

Do you have any experience with interpreting the grades of overseas students? The university I'm at here in Australia has a good reputation so I hope that will help somewhat with the translation issue. I'll definitely address the lower grades during my exchange year in my personal history statement and the reasons I think that happened; I don't believe they're a true reflection of my ability but obviously I'll have to convince others of that!

 

There's no getting around the fact that the competition among international students for spots in U.S. biostat programs is intense, though you are helped a bit by being (I assume) a native English speaker. Your list of schools is a bit top-heavy; you'll definitely want to add some lower-ranked places.

 

I realise I'm being ambitious- but am I being completely unrealistic in applying to those schools? I would have hoped that my research experience would help me. The thing is that, if I have no chance of getting into a reasonably well-ranked school in the US, I have opportunities at good universities here in Australia and so would probably be better off staying put. I guess what I'm asking is, am I wasting my time trying?

 

Many thanks for your advice. It's hard to get a feel for my chances from way over here!

[cyberwulf]

Yes, we see a lot of foreign transcripts in the admissions process. Of course, the vast majority are from China and India, but there are usually a handful from Canada, South America, Australia, etc. When I say that the translation of your grades will be "difficult", I don't mean that adcoms will have no idea whether you're a terrible or great student, but rather that it may be hard (or harder than for an American student) to figure out where you belong among the applicants who are "in the discussion". If you are at a well-regarded Australian university, that will work in your favor.

 

It's probably not a waste of time to apply to a handful of top 10 biostat departments. I think that Harvard, Hopkins, and Washington are likely out of reach, but you could (depending on the details of your application; by the way, why are you reporting a GPA excluding your first two years? Those matter as well) be competitive for schools in the 5-15 range. Again, though, it's really hard to assess your chances without knowing the nitty-gritty details; with really strong letters from a well-known Australian university, you could be in great shape for admission to some highly-ranked departments. But with a somewhat weaker record, you might find it tough to score a spot at the places on your list.

[biostats2015]

by the way, why are you reporting a GPA excluding your first two years?

 

Because I read on some application page somewhere or other that the first two years of undergraduate study are sometimes not considered. It doesn't make any difference though; my GPA is still 3.8 if I include the first two years of undergrad.

 

Partly out of curiosity, why do you suggest applying to only a `handful' of top 10 departments? If I have some chance (however small) of getting in, would I not be best advised to apply for as many as possible?

[cyberwulf]

Partly out of curiosity, why do you suggest applying to only a `handful' of top 10 departments? If I have some chance (however small) of getting in, would I not be best advised to apply for as many as possible?

 

Sure, it wouldn't be a waste of time to apply to a lot of good departments; it's just that most people choose 5-10 places to apply which would preclude them from applying to all the top places. But if money/time aren't a barrier, by all means go ahead.