2017 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results for Statistics/Biostatistics

[StatsG0d]

Well, I promised in the other forum that if no one else did this I would. Follow the template below, and post your profiles / results. These posts have been indispensable for future applicants and are extremely helpful for prospective students that have no idea where they should apply / have a shot. Also note that TGC limits the time in which you can edit your post, so you may wish to post your results in your signatures so you can change it (if you haven't already heard back from everywhere / almost everywhere).

Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school (such as Big state/Lib Arts/Ivy/Technical/Foreign (Country?))
Major(s):
Minor(s):
GPA:

Type of Student: (Domestic/International (Country?), Male/Female?, Minority?)

GRE General Test:
Q: xxx (xx%)
V: xxx (xx%)
W: x.x (xx%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: xxx (xx%)

TOEFL Score: (xx = Rxx/Lxx/Sxx/Wxx) (if applicable)

Grad Institution: (school or type of school?) (if applicable)

Concentration: 
GPA:
 

Programs Applying: (Statistics/Operation Research/Biostatistics/Financial Math/etc.)

 

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications or conference talks etc...)
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, etc...)

Letters of Recommendation: (what kinds of professors? "well-known" in field? etc.)
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: (Such as connections, grad classes, etc...)

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
School - Program / Admitted/Rejected/Waitlisted/Pending on (date) / Accepted/Declined
School - Program / Admitted/Rejected/Waitlisted/Pending on (date) / Accepted/Declined
School - Program / Admitted/Rejected/Waitlisted/Pending on (date) / Accepted/Declined

[StatsG0d]

Undergrad Institution: Top 100 USNWR Private

Major(s): Economics
Minor(s): Mathematics
GPA: 3.81

Type of Student: DWM

GRE General Test:
Q: 164 (87%)
V: 159 (73%)
W: 5.0 (93%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
N/A

TOEFL Score: N/A

Grad Institution: Top 20 Stats.
I took more than a few PhD classes here, which might have actually hurt me in the end (what's the point of applying to programs if you've already taken all the courses)?

Concentration: Statistics
GPA: 3.67

Programs Applying: Biostatistics (PhD)

 

Research Experience: 1 year RA at undergrad with economics professor; 2 year RA at international organization in applied econometrics.

 

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Fellowship at grad institution
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for one year. Instructor for one semester

Letters of Recommendation: 1 from very well-known economist for whom I was an RA; one from a wel-cited biostatistician whose class I took; one from current program’s professor who’s a “rising star”.


Applying to Where:
UNC - Accepted
Michigan - Rejected
Minnesota - Rejected
Berkeley – Rejected
Emory - Rejected
UCLA – Waitlisted
Pitt - ???

[bookworm45]

Undergrad Institution: Public Ivy – USNWR Top 50

Major(s): Biology & Sociology

Minor(s): N/A

GPA: 3.60

Type of Student: Domestic Woman

 

GRE General Test:

Q: 161 (79%)

V: 163 (92%)

W: 5.5 (98%)

GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:

M: N/A

 

TOEFL Score: N/A

 

Grad Institution: Public Ivy – USNWR Top 50

Concentration: Certificate in Public Health

GPA: In Progress

 

Programs Applying: Biostatistics (6 Master’s, 1 PhD)

 

Research Experience: RA for PhD dissertation on sociological methods

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Multiple university and departmental leadership awards

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for several courses, Volunteer in hospital and medical clinic, Intern with federal entity in Washington, DC (research & exposure to biotechnology, environmental health, and health policy issues)

 

Letters of Recommendation:

(1) Multivariate Calculus professor

(2) Intro to Biostatistical Methods (CPH course in SAS) professor

(3) Research PI

(4) Supervisor from federal internship – only submitted to schools which specifically asked for a professional reference

All letters were very strong.

 

Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: I applied to all programs with Multivariate Calculus (Fall 2016) and Linear Algebra (Spring 2017) in progress. I had not taken these courses during undergrad and so I took them concurrently with my CPH classes in order to be eligible to apply to Biostats programs. Most programs were able to make a decision without any information on my Linear Algebra course. A couple waited until I took the midterm exam; my professor sent them information regarding my performance on the exam and in the class overall.

 

Applying to Where: 

University of Michigan – Admitted on 2/6 (MS)

University of North Carolina – Admitted on 3/2 (MS)

University of California, Berkeley – Admitted on 2/1 (MA)

Minnesota – Admitted on 2/7 (MS)

University of Carolina, Los Angeles – Admitted on 2/23 (MS)

Emory University – Admitted on 2/2 (MSPH)

University of Pittsburgh – Waitlisted on 3/3, Rejected on 3/14 (PhD)

Edited March 14, 2017 by bookworm45
Formatting

[shill]

Undergrad Institution: Large public
Major(s): Applied mathematics
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.8

Type of Student: (Domestic/International (Country?), Male/Female?, Minority?) Domestic

GRE General Test:
Q: 97%
V: 99%
W: 99%
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: N/A

TOEFL Score: N/A

Grad Institution: N/A

Concentration: 
GPA:
 

Programs Applying: Biostatistics PhD

 

Research Experience: Was involved in research at my school pretty much every year of undergrad. Mostly statistics-related, no publications.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Did an honors thesis
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab assistant

Letters of Recommendation: All 3 letters from professors I did research with, two in statistics.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
Harvard - Admitted

Washington - Admitted

Johns Hopkins - Probably waitlisted/rejected

Berkeley - Rejected

UNC - Admitted

Michigan - Admitted

Edited March 14, 2017 by shill

[GoPackGo89]

3 hours ago, shill said:

Undergrad Institution: Large public
Major(s): Applied mathematics
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.8

Type of Student: (Domestic/International (Country?), Male/Female?, Minority?) Domestic

GRE General Test:
Q: 97%
V: 99%
W: 99%
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: N/A

TOEFL Score: N/A

Grad Institution: N/A

Concentration: 
GPA:
 

Programs Applying: Biostatistics PhD

 

Research Experience: Was involved in research at my school pretty much every year of undergrad. Mostly statistics-related, no publications.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Did an honors thesis
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Lab assistant

Letters of Recommendation: All 3 letters from professors I did research with, two in statistics.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
Harvard - Admitted

Washington - Admitted

Johns Hopkins - Probably waitlisted/rejected

Berkeley - Rejected

UNC - Admitted

Michigan - Admitted

Really surprised Berkeley rejected you. Congrats on your admits!

[bookworm45]

16 minutes ago, statbiostat2017 said:

Really surprised Berkeley rejected you. Congrats on your admits!

I got admitted to Berkeley's Master's program and a professor from the department told me that most of their PhD students are taken internally-- Meaning MA students go through a petition process to continue on for a PhD. According to the prof, this is so that students are sure that they want to do a PhD and that Berkeley is the right fit for them. Very few students are accepted into the PhD program through the external application process.

[GoPackGo89]

4 minutes ago, bookworm45 said:

I got admitted to Berkeley's Master's program and a professor from the department told me that most of their PhD students are taken internally-- Meaning MA students go through a petition process to continue on for a PhD. According to the prof, this is so that students are sure that they want to do a PhD and that Berkeley is the right fit for them. Very few students are accepted into the PhD program through the external application process.

Ah thanks, makes sense. I heard that but assumed Shill was flat out rejected vs given acceptance to MA instead

[biost]

Undergrad Institution: Big State (top Honors College)
Major(s): Statistics
Minor(s): 
GPA: ~ 3.85

Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE General Test:
Q: 167
V: 161
W: 5.0 
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: N/A

TOEFL Score: N/A

Grad Institution: N/A

Concentration: N/A
GPA: N/A
 

Programs Applying: Biostatistics PhD

 

Research Experience: 2 years statistics research with well know prof. 1 year biology lab research (not relevant).
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Honors College, Internal Research Grant
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 

Letters of Recommendation: 2 well known, 1 less well known.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:

Applying to Where: 
Medical University of South Carolina - Admitted, attending.

 

One and done 

Edited March 15, 2017 by biost

[poopyhead]

Already shared in the other thread, but oh well.

Undergrad Institution: Private top-tier research university in the US. Often ranked #1 in applied mathematics. Also known for not having a statistics department.

Major(s): Mathematics, Physics.

Minor(s): None!

GPA: 3.2
Type of Student: Domestic male

 

GRE General Test:

Q: 170

V: 164

W: 5.0

GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:

M: 670 (did not send anywhere)

 

TOEFL Score: N/A

 

Grad Institution (MS): Tiny state school, doesn't provide a PhD in mathematics or statistics

Concentration:Mathematics

GPA: 4.0

 

Programs Applying: Statistics, Machine Learning, Data Science

 

Research Experience: Tiny research project over the summer as an undergrad, no publication, involved stochastic modeling of problems derived from physics. 15 month research assistantship at a data science research center that's contracted by the USDA, paid for tuition and living expenses while doing my MS, no publication.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: $25,000 stipend + $2000 scholarship that got me through my MS. 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Taught at a public high school for a year after finishing undergrad. Worked at DEKA as a QA software engineer/developer for a bit before starting grad school. Worked as a data mining research assistant while at grad school. Currently employed as a data scientist at a San Francisco data science startup that was bought out a couple years back. Current job is research-oriented (as far as industry work goes, anyway).

Letters of Recommendation: One from my current boss, two from professors from my MS program, one of whom I keep in touch with regularly (we're Facebook friends).

 

Applying to Where (Stats and related only):

New York University, Data Science Waiting (but definitely a rejection since I wasn't invited to the campus visit event)

Stanford University, ICME Rejected

Indiana University, Statistical Science Rejected (but accepted to the MS program)

UNC INSTORE Waiting (but notified that they already sent out their first round of acceptances)

 

Also applied to Computer Science and Information Science programs

Edited March 15, 2017 by poopyhead

[fiboniz]

Undergrad Institution: Small Unknown University
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Statistics
GPA: 3.16

Type of Student: DWM

GRE General Test:
Q: 156 (63%)
V: 145 (26%)
W: 3.5 (42%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
Did not take

TOEFL Score: (xx = Rxx/Lxx/Sxx/Wxx) (if applicable)

Grad Institution: Larger New York School (Online while working full time still)

Concentration: Applied Statistics
GPA: 3.33
 

Programs Applying: Statistics/Applied Mathematics

 

Research Experience: None
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 3 Years in Banking and Manufacturing Industries - Various Analyst Positions

Letters of Recommendation: Hopefully good ones
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Nothing Special - I am a somewhat non-traditional student. Graduated with a BS in Mathematics in 2 years while having 3 children and working full time.

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
School - Indiana University Bloomington - Statistical Science - Submitted/Pending
School - University of Louisville - Applied Mathematics - Submitted/Pending
School - University of Memphis - Statistics - Submitted/Pendin

School - University of Missouri - St. Louis - Computational Mathematics - Submitted/Pending

School - University of Kentucky - Statistics - Submitted/Pending

 

Edited March 20, 2017 by fiboniz

[bleusneeze]

Undergrad Institution: Top 115 USNWR, Public
Major(s): Mathematical Statistics
Minor(s): Biology
GPA: 3.63

Type of Student: DWM

GRE General Test:
Q: 166 (91%)
V: 156 (72%)
W: 5.0 (93%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
N/A

TOEFL Score: N/A

Grad Institution: N/A

Concentration: N/A
GPA: N/A
 

Programs Applying: Variety, see below.

 

Research Experience: Nearly two years of research in physics/physical chemistry, with multiple conferences (including American Physical Society March Meeting) and multiple publications in excellent journals(impact factors above 4).
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Handful of honor societies and scholarships.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: N/A

Letters of Recommendation: 

(1) Research professor who more than likely praised the research; decent name in physics

(2) Statistics professor and adviser, spoke more to aspirations and character I assume

(3) Biostatistics professor who probably wrote a basic letter, but is a pretty big name
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 

Biggest thing that helps my application are my publications, plus I was able to finish my undergrad in 2 years.

Applying to Where: I think its clear I wanted to be back in the South :-)
Vanderbilt University -- Biostatistics, PhD -- Accepted [Will Attend]

University of Kentucky -- Statistics, MS -- Accepted

University of Louisville -- Industrial and Applied Mathematics, PhD -- Accepted

University of Alabama -- Applied Statistics, PhD -- Accepted

University of Tennessee -- Mathematics, PhD -- Withdrew

University of Memphis -- Applied Statistics, PhD -- Withdrew

[summer0617]

Undergrad Institution: University of California
Major(s): Psychology
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.35 

Type of Student:  Domestic Woman

GRE General Test: excuse: no time for study because of crazy work schedule..
Q: 158 (70%)
V: 156 (72%)
W: 3.5 (42%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
NA

TOEFL Score: NA

Grad Institution: NA

Concentration: 
GPA:
 

Programs Applying:  MS Statistics

Research Experience: 1 Year RA with undergrad professor
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Not really
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Environment Consultant (3 years)

Letters of Recommendation: 1 from Undergrad professor, 2 from current supervisors
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: (Such as connections, grad classes, etc...)I did not take any prerequisite classes in undergrad. So I took classes (Integral, Multivariable, Linear Algebra) online.

Applying to Where:

Iowa State University - Admitted on 3/17 with TA offer 
American University (Statistics) - Admitted on 2/10
American University (Biostatistics)  - Admitted on 2/10
Loyola University - Admitted on 2/10
Depaul - Admitted on 3/1

George Washington University  - Rejected on 3/3
Oregon State University - Rejected on 2/22
University of Pittsburgh - Probably waitlisted/rejected
U Mass Amherst (Statistics) - Pending

 

I feel absolutely terrific/shocked/surreal after getting accepted from ISU.

Edited March 21, 2017 by summer0617

[RogMexico]

Undergrad Institution: Mid/low-tier midwest state flagship (Big 12)
Major(s): B.S. Econ and B.S. Math
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.94

Type of Student: (Domestic/International (Country?), Male/Female?, Minority?) DWM

GRE General Test:
Q: 170
V: 163
W: 5.0
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: nope

 

Programs Applying: M.S. Statistics. Limited to schools where I had a good chance at being accepted w/ possible funding in order to cut down on application fees/time.

 

Research Experience: nope
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: a few scholarships and minor departmental academic awards in undergrad
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: currently working in an analytical/semi-quantitative role at an internationally renowned consumer goods company

Letters of Recommendation: 1 department chair and a couple of other professors, I assume they were pretty favorable
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: not much, my undergrad institution didn't have a stats department so most of my experience was with upper/grad-level math and econometrics. Work experience may have helped since I tried to make it reasonably clear I'm not using Masters as a bridge to a PhD.

Applying to Where:
Iowa State - M.S. Statistics / Admitted + TA / Likely to Accept
Ohio State - M.S. Statistics / Admitted + ??funding / Likely to Decline
Kansas State - M.S. Statistics / Admitted + TA/ Likely to Decline

[summer0617]

58 minutes ago, RogMexico said:

Undergrad Institution: Mid/low-tier midwest state flagship (Big 12)
Major(s): B.S. Econ and B.S. Math
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.94

Type of Student: (Domestic/International (Country?), Male/Female?, Minority?) DWM

GRE General Test:
Q: 170
V: 163
W: 5.0
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: nope

 

Programs Applying: M.S. Statistics. Limited to schools where I had a good chance at being accepted w/ possible funding in order to cut down on application fees/time.

 

Research Experience: nope
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: a few scholarships and minor departmental academic awards in undergrad
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: currently working in an analytical/semi-quantitative role at an internationally renowned consumer goods company

Letters of Recommendation: 1 department chair and a couple of other professors, I assume they were pretty favorable
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: not much, my undergrad institution didn't have a stats department so most of my experience was with upper/grad-level math and econometrics. Work experience may have helped since I tried to make it reasonably clear I'm not using Masters as a bridge to a PhD.

Applying to Where:
Iowa State - M.S. Statistics / Admitted + TA / Likely to Accept
Ohio State - M.S. Statistics / Admitted + ??funding / Likely to Decline
Kansas State - M.S. Statistics / Admitted + TA/ Likely to Decline

Hi!!

[milka49]

Undergrad Institution: top 10 national liberal arts college
Major(s): Pure math
Minor(s): technically environmental studies
GPA: 3.48 (and actually a school that accepted me commented on how they liked my undergraduate school's grading policy, because we actively fight grade inflation)

Type of Student:  Domestic White Woman

GRE General Test:
Q: 167
V: 165
W: 6.0
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
nope

TOEFL Score: NA

Grad Institution: NA

Concentration: 
GPA:
 

Programs Applying:  Statistics PhD

Research Experience: REU, paper to be published, talk at JMM
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: not much
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: worked in healthcare with some minor focus on reporting/stats for two years post-college

Letters of Recommendation: 3 undergrad professors, 2 whom I taught for, and my REU advisor
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 

Applying to Where:

University of Minnesota - Admitted first round with TA offer and first year scholarship
University of Wisconsin Madison - Rejected first round
Ohio State University  - Admitted probably second round or so
University of Michigan - waitlisted
Rutgers University - pretty sure they just lost my application

 

To be honest, I was expecting to get into 0 or 1 places. I know my letter writers wrote phenomenal statements because I picked people I did really good work with, but my GPA is just meh and my test scores are good but not anything that I think matters much. And I didn't even take the subject test. Professors whom I've had the chance to talk with noted that I might need some catch up with Math, but they also said they really liked my application. I am still wondering what specifics they liked, because I would love to pass that information along to potentially ease some fears. I guess it all comes down to fit and potential.

[phieza]

I'm not worried about and don't mind being identified, so I'll include some details from my CV. I've also posted this to the corresponding thread at http://www.mathematicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3695

Undergrad Institution: Private research university, 30th–40th national university in US News.
Major(s): Mathematics.
Minor(s): None.
GPA: 3.64 (3.89 freshman and sophomore years, 3.07 junior and senior years).

Type of Student: Domestic Asian male.

GRE General Test:
Q: 170 (97%).
V: 170 (99%).
W: 5.0 (93%).
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 750 (71%). Chose not to submit because I took this after a 2.5-year break (details below), so I felt it was not representative. Submitted only to UC San Diego, who required it and ended up being the only school that admitted me.

TOEFL Score: N/A.

Grad Institution: N/A.
 

Programs Applying: Ph.D. in statistics.

 

Research Experience:

  – Astronomy research during and between two REU summers at home institution; one of 10+ coauthors in ApJ paper.

  – One summer of computing-based research between HS junior and senior years; regional finalist in Siemens Competition.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Selected sample:

  – Goldwater Scholarship, both eligible years.

  – $10,000/year external scholarship awarded each year at home institution to one STEM major with research aspirations, both eligible years.

  – $3000 external scholarship for one semester of study at Oxford.

  – Four-year full-tuition merit scholarship from home institution.

  – 90th–95th percentiles on Putnam Competition in freshman and sophomore years.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Research assistant during the aforementioned period. Competitive-application research talk and award at home institution, research talk at undergraduate physics research symposium, invited lecture for NSF-funded high-school math circle, research talk/poster/paper for Siemens Competition, two misc. academic talks.

Letters of Recommendation: Astronomy professor (research adviser), math professor (instructor), and physics professor (other). First two submitted recommendations for the first three awards listed above.
Any Miscellaneous Points that M̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶H̶e̶l̶p̶ Hurt: Due to illness from my junior year onward, my academic performance deteriorated rapidly and I stopped working on research. In my junior year, I failed a course during study abroad, and received a D in 'Monte Carlo methods' in my second semester, where I had a GPA of 2.95. In my senior year, I completed a total of three courses and withdrew from all others. After my senior year (may 2014), I took a 2.5-year gap for treatment, during which I achieved nothing and was not employed, and in fact I had not yet graduated at the time of application because I still had to submit an essay to satisfy a writing requirement. I have fully recovered, but schools have little more than my word for it.

Applying to Where: (results as of 2017-03-31)
U of Washington - Stat PhD / Rejected on 2017-01-19.
UC San Diego - Math PhD with specialization in stat / Admitted in first round on 2017-03-01, $35k 1st year ($10k from 25% TAship), then $20k 2nd–5th year (all from 50% TAship).
UC Berkeley - Stat PhD / Rejected on 2017-03-07.
Penn State - Stat PhD / Waitlisted on 2017-03-10.
U of Michigan - Stat PhD / Rejected on 2017-03-14.
UNC Chapel Hill - Stat PhD / 'Waitlisted' by inquiry on 2017-03-07, I expect rejection.
UMass Amherst - Math PhD with specialization in stat / 'Waitlisted' by inquiry on 2017-03-07, I expect rejection.
UCLA - Stat PhD / No response to inquiry on 2017-03-07.

 

One admission out of eight applications is unimpressive, but evidently it's possible to be admitted even with abysmal junior and senior years. I hope this information helps, and good luck to you!

Everyone, please consider adding the funding offers from all your admissions to http://www.phdstipends.com/results regardless of whether you accept them or not. This will help applicants and students, like us, gauge departments, schools, and offers. Thanks!

Edited March 31, 2017 by phieza

[Robbentheking]

10 hours ago, phieza said:

 

  – 90th–95th percentiles on Putnam Competition in freshman and sophomore years.

 

Holy shit dude. 

I feel so bad for you. I'm pretty surprised that even with your past health problems more schools didn't take a chance on you given this fact alone. 

[milka49]

10 hours ago, phieza said:

GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 750 (71%). Chose not to submit because I took this after a 2.5-year break (details below), so I felt it was not representative. Submitted only to UC San Diego, who required it and ended up being the only school that admitted me.

This is pretty interesting and might be one of the more helpful pieces of information we've gotten here. It's hard to compare person to person without having a lot of information, a decent amount of which is kind of fuzzy and subjective. The professor who mentioned liking my application despite my need for more mathematical maturity said "You seem like a person who has her shit together. We think you'd do really well here." What the heck does that mean? How is that something that comes across in an application, and how do I help others highlight that? So yeah, fuzzy.

Meanwhile, you likely submitted pretty much the same application to all of your schools. Your Subject GRE score is higher than I could have ever hoped for, because you are, as far as I can tell, one of the best mathematicians here, and I barely remember what it means for a set to be open anymore. Yet the score is still kind of a boundary case, I think. The one letter writer I had who knew a lot about Stats grad schools (the rest were mathematicians) mentioned that the subject test is only worth taking if you can study and get at least a 90th percentile, and I always questioned that. And indeed, here you are, thus far only getting into the school you submitted the score to. All other factors are likely equal, unless you somehow nailed that personal statement more than others. Obviously, there's a ton that goes into choosing students, especially at programs that take few, but is this some support for the idea that a 71% is worth submitting, generally? I'm on the fence, but it's nice to see a comparison of results for one person. It could be that it was worth submitting for you. Your situation is unique, as you mentioned, and your performance took a hit over time in undergrad for reasons out of your control. However, you did take that test after graduating (well I guess not technically) and still did reasonably well. Perhaps that was more support for your story, because it was a display of not completely falling apart over time. You struggled towards the end of college, but you picked yourself up and did well enough on this test after struggling. Meanwhile, the other schools may think you're making excuses.

 

I don't know what the thought processes are, but for what it's worth, I'm surprised they didn't give you a shot at those other schools, though it looks like UCSD is a really solid choice. Especially since they did give you the shot so quickly. I'd feel pretty loyal to them for that. And that money!

[Innominate]

3 hours ago, milka49 said:

... The one letter writer I had who knew a lot about Stats grad schools (the rest were mathematicians) mentioned that the subject test is only worth taking if you can study and get at least a 90th percentile

This person did you no favors with that advice, since the scant evidence that exists completely contradicts it.  Stanford lists the average of admitted students at 82nd percentile.  They're the only school willing to give a number, but I think there's little doubt it's the most mathematically competitive program to get into.  70th percentile will probably only hurt you at U Chicago, Berkeley and Stanford, while lots of schools outside of that range would look kindly on a score >= 50th, especially if you have a lack of mathematics courses.

You can also sanity-check this by considering that there are top 30 math programs with medians around 70th percentile (see OSU for one example of school that provides their data, median 67).  Obviously they're going to care more about the subject test score than stats programs.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Innominate

[ugouqb]

Undergrad Institution: Top 40 private
Major(s): Statistics
GPA: ~3.9

GRE General Test:
Q: ~85%
V: ~85%
W: ~95%
 

Programs Applying: Statistics MA/MS

 

Research Experience: Couple of summers of research at another university, couple of semesters at home institution
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Couple of years of TAing for statistics courses

Letters of Recommendation: Good, from faculty members I did research with and/or taught for

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
Harvard - A.M Statistics / Admitted
UChicago - M.S. Statistics / Admitted
UC Berkeley - M.A Statistics / Admitted

[pvacek]

Undergrad Institution: U.C. Davis
Major(s): Statistics, Economics
GPA: ~3.5

Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE General Test:
Q: 165 (89%)
V: 160 (85%)
W: 4.5 (82%)
 

Programs Applying: Statistics MS

 

Research Experience: Started doing an REU type of deal in Winter Quarter.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Nothing of real significance
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Grade for stats classes since last summer, 

Letters of Recommendation: Not my strong suit, but at least one of them has connections apparently.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Spent first two years in community college, started the stats major in 4th year, currently a 5th year.

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
KU Leuven - Statistics MS / Admitted on 1/30 (Declined)
Iowa - Statistics MS / Rejected on 1/31
Purdue - Statistics MS / Admitted with no funding(?) on 2/14 / (99% sure will decline)

Oregon State - Statistics MS / Admitted with waitlisted funding on 2/20 / (Declined)

Florida State - Statistics MS / Admitted with funding on 3/2. Offer is $14K/yr TAship + full tuition remission / (TBD)

Michigan - Applied Statistics MS / Rejected on 3/6

UC Davis - Statistics MS / Pending 

UCLA - Statistics MS / Pending

Edited March 31, 2017 by pvacek

[milka49]

On ‎3‎/‎31‎/‎2017 at 1:44 PM, Innominate said:

This person did you no favors with that advice, since the scant evidence that exists completely contradicts it.  Stanford lists the average of admitted students at 82nd percentile.  They're the only school willing to give a number, but I think there's little doubt it's the most mathematically competitive program to get into.  70th percentile will probably only hurt you at U Chicago, Berkeley and Stanford, while lots of schools outside of that range would look kindly on a score >= 50th, especially if you have a lack of mathematics courses.

You can also sanity-check this by considering that there are top 30 math programs with medians around 70th percentile (see OSU for one example of school that provides their data, median 67).  Obviously they're going to care more about the subject test score than stats programs.

You may be right, but you still may not be. This evidence does not contradict the advice I was given, claiming that the subject test is "only worth taking" if you get the 90th percentile. It does, a bit admittedly, in combination with the fact that some programs require the test. Certainly a 70th on the test for those schools give you better odds than no score at all, since it's a requirement.

However, just because a 90th percentile is higher than even the best school's (or one of, Harvard may disagree) average, this does not mean the test is "worth taking." The test is worth taking only if it can increase my chances of getting into a school moreso than some other activity I could be doing with that time. Given the amount of time it would have taken me to study for the test, it wouldn't have been worth it for me, I can almost guarantee it. Instead, I self-taught some classes and got involved with statsy things at work. These are things I wouldn't have been able to do to the extent I did had I been studying.

 

I suppose I should have been clearer when portraying my letter writer's advice. Certainly, if all things are equal and one person has an 80th percentile on the test and another has no score, committees will probably go for the former person. However, when does that break down? If all things are the same except the latter person now has an A in a key class whereas the former has a B, who do they take? Certainly, doing every ounce of preparation is ideal, but with limited hours, what do we prioritize? What score will make your chances of acceptance noticeably better, given the time and money costs of taking the test? I think the driving force of my advice giver's logic was aiming to answer these questions, and this is likely what inspired the "90." This is likely what makes you "stick out." If you have an 80, you may be lost in a sea of other 80s.

But yes, I did mention that I questioned that advice when I got it, in a general sense. I fail to see her reasoning or your numbers as wholly convincing. Certainly, if someone has exhausted all other preparation steps, or if someone can guarantee a 95th percentile, then that person should sign right up. What about the rest of us, though?

[cyberwulf]

The math GRE is most likely to benefit a student with an otherwise excellent record but who has taken relatively little math (for a top program, say "only" up to undergraduate real analysis and abstract algebra). Then, a good score in the math GRE (which I would qualify as about 75-80th percentile) would be helpful. Another student profile that could benefit is someone who has a very good but not outstanding record in math classes, but absolutely crushes the math GRE (say 90-95th percentile).

In both cases, the math GRE score adds useful additional information to the profile which could elevate them enough get into a place they might otherwise not.

[abstract_art]

Undergrad Institution: Top 35 US Undergrad
Major(s): Math, Computer Science
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.94

Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 167 (93%)
V: 163 (92%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: Didn't take
 

Programs Applying: Statistics/Biostatistics PhD

 

Research Experience: One summer of SIBS, one REU in biostatistics
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Pi Mu Epsilon, Awards for being in top 5% of class
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Math Grader, Computer Science TA since sophomore year

Letters of Recommendation: Should've been good
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Nothing that really sticks out

Applying to Where:
Berkeley - Statistics Reject 3/7
Chicago - Statistics Accepted 1/24
Washington - Statistics Waitlisted 1/18
CMU - Statistics, Joint Statistics+ML Reject 2/23
Duke - Statistics Reject 2/3
Wisconsin - Statistics Accepted 2/24
Michigan - Statistics Reject 3/14
Columbia - Statistics Reject 3/8
Cornell - Statistics Reject 4/13
Yale - Statistics Interview request 1/27, Reject 2/21
UT-Austin - Statistics Reject 3/21
Washington - Biostatistics Accepted 1/6
Harvard - Biostatistics Interview invitation 1/6, Waitlisted 2/3
UNC-Chapel Hill - Biostatistics Accepted 1/3
Penn - Biostatistics Interview invitation 12/20, Accepted 2/15
Princeton - Operations Research Reject 2/10
Chicago - Computer Science Accepted 2/23

 

If anyone wants to see more details about my background, look back through my posts. Overall very happy with my acceptances. Also it's of note that I didn't take the math gre and got into one program that recommends it (Chicago) and got waitlisted at another that recommends it (Washington), so the advice on this forum from the past that you don't need to submit a math gre to get into programs that recommend it seems to be true.

Edited April 17, 2017 by marmle

[poopyhead]

On 3/14/2017 at 9:39 PM, poopyhead said:

Already shared in the other thread, but oh well.

Undergrad Institution: Private top-tier research university in the US. Often ranked #1 in applied mathematics. Also known for not having a statistics department.

Major(s): Mathematics, Physics.

Minor(s): None!

GPA: 3.2
Type of Student: Domestic male

 

GRE General Test:

Q: 170

V: 164

W: 5.0

GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:

M: 670 (did not send anywhere)

 

TOEFL Score: N/A

 

Grad Institution (MS): Tiny state school, doesn't provide a PhD in mathematics or statistics

Concentration:Mathematics

GPA: 4.0

 

Programs Applying: Statistics, Machine Learning, Data Science

 

Research Experience: Tiny research project over the summer as an undergrad, no publication, involved stochastic modeling of problems derived from physics. 15 month research assistantship at a data science research center that's contracted by the USDA, paid for tuition and living expenses while doing my MS, no publication.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: $25,000 stipend + $2000 scholarship that got me through my MS. 

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Taught at a public high school for a year after finishing undergrad. Worked at DEKA as a QA software engineer/developer for a bit before starting grad school. Worked as a data mining research assistant while at grad school. Currently employed as a data scientist at a San Francisco data science startup that was bought out a couple years back. Current job is research-oriented (as far as industry work goes, anyway).

Letters of Recommendation: One from my current boss, two from professors from my MS program, one of whom I keep in touch with regularly (we're Facebook friends).

 

Applying to Where (Stats and related only):

New York University, Data Science Waiting (but definitely a rejection since I wasn't invited to the campus visit event)

Stanford University, ICME Rejected

Indiana University, Statistical Science Rejected (but accepted to the MS program)

UNC INSTORE Waiting (but notified that they already sent out their first round of acceptances)

 

Also applied to Computer Science and Information Science programs

Slight update to my results: I decided to take the MS offer at IU Bloomington with the hope that I'll be able to transfer to the PhD program. Tuition and fees will be covered by the school/department and I'll be TAing to cover for living expenses. This isn't the best move for me career-wise or financially, especially since I have a MS already and I'd be leaving my comfortable data science job, but I do really like the program there, and I think it would be worth it if I get the opportunity to do academic research (and since I won't have to go into debt). Hopefully that "if" turns into a "when" very soon.

Also, I was officially rejected by UNC INSTORE.

Other programs (non-stats but somewhat related): 

New York University (Tandon), Computer Science (data analysis and visualization): Rejected (kinda bummed about this one--had an interview with Dr. Bertini whose podcast and blog I follow).

Cornell University, Information Science: Rejected. Generic email about how there were a lot of qualified applicants, blah blah blah.

University of Maryland, Information Science: Rejected. For the longest time I didn't hear back from them, and they responded to an email in early February but not to the following emails. When I finally called, they said that since I hadn't heard back I was probably on the waitlist, but after checking my application they informed me that I was rejected (apparently they just forgot to notify me). There was also something about how they thought I had good technical qualifications but none of the professors really thought I was a good fit for their research programs, so maybe it was for the best. Still kinda peeved that they didn't send me the rejection notice when they decided that, though.

Edited April 18, 2017 by poopyhead