Profile Evaluation: For MS Stats/Biostats (or Data Science)

[ch242]

Undergrad Institution: Small Private Liberal Arts College

Major(s): BS in Biostatistics

 

GPA: 3.514 overall (Biostats major (math,bio,chem): 3.29, math classes only: 3.63)

Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE General Test:

Q: 156 (63%)

V: 167 (98%)

W: 4.0 (59%)

GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: N/A

Research Experience:

1) Summer doing research with Mathematics Department, focusing on developing a model of migratory species. Used Matlab.

2) Summer REU in Pittsburgh doing data analysis of enhancer sequences. Used R.

 

Courses: Calc I,II, III (B, A, A), Linear Algebra (B+),  Applied Statistics (B), Advanced Statistics (A-), Probability (A-), Discrete Methods (A), Mathematical Modeling in SCI (A), Bio 1105 Intro to Molecular Bio (B+), Bio 1106 Evolutionary Bio (A-), Genetics (B+), Chem 1101 (B), Chem 1102 (C+)

Letters of Recommendation: PI at REU (good), Undergrad math/biostats advisor (good), 2 math professors I took classes with (good, but only one class with each)

Work experience: ~3 years working on campus in customer service position, ~1 year at Dana Farber Cancer Institute doing data entry

Awards: Deans list, nothing significant

Applying to:  

MS Biostats/Stats/Data Science (realize that last might be better considered in the CS forum, feel free to focus on the other two)

MS:

Northeastern (goal, stats or data science)

Boston University (stats)

Umass Amherst (stats or CS w/ conc in data science)

University of Pittsburgh (biostats)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (data science)

Concerns:

1. Low GRE Quant score

2. Lower score in biostats courses

3. Low Bio/Chem scores

 

I recognize I have a weird situation here and would really appreciate any advice/insights.

 

I'm applying to MS programs in Stats/Data Science/Biostats (all three!), please feel free to only focus on those your familiar with!

 

Order of preference is Data Science > Stats > Biostats but wouldn't mind any of the three ...so I thought I'd apply to all three types of programs and see what I get accepted to. I'd love Northeastern: its local, offers data science as an ms, and is in walking distance from an internship I plan to apply to. 

 

Biostats MS programs I'm a bit iffy about applying to, I just am not that good at Bio/Chem (see my overall biostats gpa...) and math interests me more. More a question of whether it is realistically worth applying to though, since I don't mind context I work in so long as I'm doing math! 

 

Thanks a ton in advance to anyone who responds

*edited for clarity

Edited November 1, 2017 by ch242