Fall 2018 Statistics Applicant Thread

[DJ3Sigma]

On 2/28/2018 at 10:50 PM, Bayesian1701 said:

@DJ3SigmaIt seems like very few of the active people are getting multiple offers and applications seem to be up across the board.  Sure this is a biased sample,  and it's not universal (I have done better than expected) but I would have expected people do better than they are.  I don't think the funding problem is a big deal since not much on the federal funding level has changed but public institutions rely on state funding that can be fickle. For example, funding may be a problem in Iowa, but not Texas.  Maybe the international student disadvantage has increased at certain public institutions.  If funding was cut I think it would be tougher to justify spending more money on international students tuition (if they have to and they may not) especially with the America first mentality that is popular right now in some places.    If you could afford 5 domestic students but only 4 international students you might go for 5 domestic students even if the international students were more qualified.  Maybe people did overshoot their chances and it's not as bad as I think it is.  This could all be selection bias and it could be typical but just not seen in past threads on gradcafe.  

Let us be honest the people on here are not the best people they bring drugs, they bring crime, ... and some, I assume are good people haha

[Alexg]

10 hours ago, statscan9 said:

Rejected from Columbia. Went from a strong start to a disappointing finish, maybe being an international was more of a detriment than I expected. Also seems like not taking the subject GRE was a mistake. Oh well, ultimately happy with my outcome, and glad I never have to go through this process again lol.

I think there is no role for being international but I also think GRE subject has a role cause I didn't take too and no admission after applying 23 universities. not even single admission!

[AndrewYao]

I applied to some MS programs with the March 1st deadline, but I feel like I still need some more safety MS programs. Could anyone recommend a few more programs whose deadline haven't arrived? 

 

 

[fancynick101]

Has anyone heard from Florida State's Biostats Ph.D. program? 

[BStat]

Got rejected this week by phd statistics program at Columbia and TAMU. Extremely disappointed with so many rejections. I am waitlisted at UW Seattle. I am also awaiting results from phd program in statistics UMich, UCI and UT Austin. Is anybody else waiting for Umich and UCI, because I have seen acceptances from UCI and now started to see masters results of UMich coming out while I still await results for it's PhD. Program. I am getting extremely nervous since I was expecting much better results than this, but clearly my profile is weak leading to such results.

 

It's a request to people who are accepted at UW / UT Austin to please reject the offer asap if they have got better offers. I really really wish to be a part of these schools in particular. 

Edited March 3, 2018 by BStat

[statscan9]

@SheldonCopper I just posted in the profile thread that Bayesian1701 started.

[DJ3Sigma]

@statscan9 congratulations! I am surprised you did not get in everywhere.

[Statsfan15]

@BStat I am still waiting on Michigan phd results as well...

[SheldonCopper]

@statscan9 Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your admissions results! I am just wondering do canadian programs send out admissions to domestics first? Cause I haven’t heard anything from McGill and Waterloo yet.

[statscan9]

5 minutes ago, SheldonCopper said:

@statscan9 Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your admissions results! I am just wondering do canadian programs send out admissions to domestics first? Cause I haven’t heard anything from McGill and Waterloo yet.

Thanks! I'm not positive but I would guess yes, since I know that Canadian grad programs definitely prefer to choose domestic students.

[NumStats]

7 hours ago, BStat said:

Got rejected this week by phd statistics program at Columbia and TAMU. Extremely disappointed with so many rejections. I am waitlisted at UW Seattle. I am also awaiting results from phd program in statistics UMich, UCI and UT Austin. Is anybody else waiting for Umich and UCI, because I have seen acceptances from UCI and now started to see masters results of UMich coming out while I still await results for it's PhD. Program. I am getting extremely nervous since I was expecting much better results than this, but clearly my profile is weak leading to such results.

 

It's a request to people who are accepted at UW / UT Austin to please reject the offer asap if they have got better offers. I really really wish to be a part of these schools in particular. 

I am also waiting for UCI. I know someone in their department, I also tried emailing the email they give at the tracker, but no reply so far. Their department is small and acceptance rate has been declining over years. Last year was 12.4% out of 113 applicants. I don't think we should put high hope on it.

[Farge]

@BStat @NumStats UCI visit day is this Friday (March 9). I expect many admitted students are waiting until after the visit to make their decision, as I am. Maybe you are on an unofficial waitlist and some sports will open up in the next few weeks!

[NumStats]

2 hours ago, Farge said:

@BStat @NumStats UCI visit day is this Friday (March 9). I expect many admitted students are waiting until after the visit to make their decision, as I am. Maybe you are on an unofficial waitlist and some sports will open up in the next few weeks!

Hope you enjoy the campus visit! Irvine is a nice place.

[DJ3Sigma]

For all of you preparing for another week of possible rejections don't worry. If we don't get in anywhere we will just create a new institution where acceptance is just a click away. It will be called South Hampton Institute of Technology.

[StuartLittle]

5 minutes ago, DJ3Sigma said:

For all of you preparing for another week of possible rejections don't worry. If we don't get in anywhere we will just create a new institution where acceptance is just a click away. It will be called South Hampton Institute of Technology.

 

https://www.southharmoninstituteoftechnology.org/

[Radon-Nikodym]

Anyone else haven't heard anything from UChicago yet? I'm a student here, and I haven't heard a word from the department... No acceptance, rejection, waitlist, or any indication of decision whatsoever. I'd go see them in person, but I'm afraid they'll tell me that I've been rejected and just haven't updated my application portal yet. The PhD program here is my top choice by far since I really want to stay in Chicago. 

[SheldonCopper]

@Radon-Nikodym I think you should ask your department. It is weird that you haven’t received anything till now based on the gradcafe result. Rejection, acceptance, waitlist all came out couple weeks ago. Or maybe is it because you are from Uchicago? I believe many programs encourage their promising students to go different places. Maybe in your case they hold the admission just in case you get rejected from everywhere? At the meantime, may I ask your other preferences? Cause I have rarely seen one declining Berkeley over other school when it comes down to statistics.

[cannonwalker]

Hi! I've been lurking in this forum for a while, either as a way to cope with my anxiety or feed it more fuel. 

As offers start to come in, I'm facing a dilemma that I hope some of you might have insight into. 

The gist is: what are the consequences of choosing a M.S. program vs. a Ph.D. program? 

The details: I'm accepted into Iowa State's Ph.D. program with funding (1/2 time $2000/month TA position, 5 years) and also the UW-Madison's M.S. program with funding (1/2 time unspecified appointment, 2 years). Both departments seem to be well-regarded, but the UW is perhaps more prestigious. Both departments have multiple faculty members doing research that matches my interest. I ultimately want to do research, so  likely that I will need a doctorate eventually. 

Some questions I have:

1) Is doing the M.S. almost equivalent to doing the first two years of a Ph.D. program? Looking at the course requirements for the two degrees at the UW, they are very similar. 

2) Would having the M.S. from the UW substantially improve the quality of Ph.D. programs I can get into? 

3) Are there hidden benefits to being a Ph.D. student? 

4) How highly should I value 5 years of guaranteed funding vs. 2? 

Of course, I'll contact faculty and grad students in both departments with questions.

I appreciate any thoughts y'all might have. It's helpful just to transfer my nervous energy into writing as well. 

 

[abc11]

@cannonwalker I am in the same situation, trying to decide with MA at Berkeley (likely funded) and PhD at UMN (guaranteed funding for 5 years). So thank you for asking this question. It would be very helpful to me too. 

[bayessays]

I'd suggest taking the PhD offers in your two cases. You both got into top 25 departments. The only way the MS is going to help is if you get to do substantial research your first year and improve your LORs greatly, or if you are the most amazing master's student and impress the department enough to let you into their PhD program. The coursework likely won't help that much, as grades are pretty inflated in graduate programs and you likely already have good GPAs to get into those programs. 

In the best case scenario, your MS will save you one year of coursework in your PhD program at another school, so you'll be spending longer in graduate school.  You already got into great departments, and I think there's very little upside to taking a bet that you'll somehow improve your profile enough before the next application cycle to be a candidate for top 10 schools. Unless you have strong geographical objections, take the PhD offers. 

Edited March 5, 2018 by bayessays

[Bayesian1701]

Agreed with @bayessays turning down a PhD offer a top 25 for a chance at getting into another program is a bad idea.  Plus you could be burning bridges if you left your  masters program halfaway to go to another program if that is what your plan is.  Top 10 admissions are random and you may end up not doing better or possibly doing worse next cycle.  I could see you not getting readmitted because they would know that they were your safety program. 

[DJ3Sigma]

I concur with @bayessays and @Bayesian1701. There is always the possibility of doing worse the next time around and since you both seem to have done pretty great this time, why risk it? Plus consider that the competition may even be greater next time around.

[235voltage]

My applciation for MS in stats for UCI had been "under review" on the website until recently, when they finally sent me an acceptance letter. I'm pretty shocked, because my application seemed average at best and their department doesn't seem to take in many people. For people who have been waiting for  their masters at UCI, try checking your portals right now. best of luck!

Edited March 6, 2018 by 235voltage

[MartinJung]

43 minutes ago, 235voltage said:

My applciation for MS in stats for UCI had been "under review" on the website until recently, when they finally sent me an acceptance letter. I'm pretty shocked, because my application seemed average at best and their department doesn't seem to take in many people. For people who have been waiting for  their masters at UCI, try checking your portals right now. best of luck!

Congrats! Mine is still under review haha.. when did you submit your application and where else did you apply?

[ileeminati]

15 hours ago, Radon-Nikodym said:

Anyone else haven't heard anything from UChicago yet? I'm a student here, and I haven't heard a word from the department... No acceptance, rejection, waitlist, or any indication of decision whatsoever. I'd go see them in person, but I'm afraid they'll tell me that I've been rejected and just haven't updated my application portal yet. The PhD program here is my top choice by far since I really want to stay in Chicago. 

I am in the same shoes as you. I got accepted to UChicago, but I am kept in the dark by my own department (Michigan).