Going to Grad school is a big investment in you, both time and money. I strongly recommend you do your research, holding out for another year. Each program has its unique personality that may or may not fit you or your needs. Here are some points to concern from my experience:
1) I would not pay for a grad degree in statistics. Many of the top universities have Graduate Research Positions, in return for teaching undergrad courses, where they waive tuition and provide a stipend, which may included health insurance coverage. I actually did not teach while in grad school, I worked at a local company, through the university, that waived my tuition and provided a stipend. This might be another thing to look into.
2) While you might learn the same information in all the schools, there are other aspects that can add to your development and career perspectives. Many programs have joint degrees to deepen the domain knowledge around statistics. Also, see if the schools have capstone projects or have internship programs to get applied experience. As you mentioned belonging to a program that has a strong alumni association for networking is a plus. Look at the hiring statistics for that school as well: Many of the most competitive companies only target the strong schools or those that they are familiar with. These can make you stand out vs your peers.
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Sarah Kalicin
Intel Corporation
Original Message:
Sent: 08-04-2016 19:03
From: Daniel Blickstein
Subject: Graduate School Decision Help
I graduated Binghamton University with a B.A in math. After graduation, I pursued the actuarial field. During my pursuit, I realized that I am interested in the statistical elements of actuary science rather than the insurance/ actuarial elements. I am now looking to go to graduate school for statisticswithin a year and am currently studying for GREs. I am unsure when I should pursue a degree.
I have a few options.
1-Binghamton accepted me for this fall despite applying in August. The program costs only 20k for both years. The problem is that Binghamton has no reputation for statistics as it is a brand new program. Furthermore, they told me that they have no job network or connections.
2-I can apply for this Spring. In the interim I can take additional relevant coursework and maybe pursue SAS certification. However, only a fraction of the schools have Spring programs. I found 11 programs 8 of which are ranked by U.S News. I can probably find a few more.
3-I can apply for data analyst and other entry jobs for this year and apply for the following fall. However I would only want to pursue this, if I can efficiently obtain a job since it would be for a potentially short duration.
Also note Binghamton is a 2 year program. Many of the graduate directors told me their program is 1.5 years.
What are your thoughts? How important is the network of the graduate program?
Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.
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Daniel Blickstein
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