Hello all,
I guess I'll begin with my goal: to obtain an MS in stat/biostats in order to change careers. I do not intend to pursue education beyond the MS level. Also the schools I intend to apply to are not top tier, just solid regional schools where I'd like to settle.
I have a unique situation in that my undergraduate background was not formally in mathematics. In fact I have a BA in English. After graduation, when the urge to change careers crept in, I began taking mathematics courses to satisfy the min prereqs for stats degrees, calc I,II,III, diff eq, and linear algebra, receiving an A in each.
That left me with just one more prereq, a calc based stats course. Thinking I'd be slick and complete a prereq and get a degree requirement out of the way in one shot, I enrolled in a grad level mathematical statistics course at my states second largest public university. I then found out the differences between undergrad and grad level....THe hours of study, the level of expectation, and quality of teaching, totally different... but overall I learned more than any class I've ever taken--I liked it. Unfortunately I only cleared a B in the course, and therein lies my predicament. What does this grad level B say about me as a student?
It seems grad level Bs are vary a lot from institution to institution...some claim a B is a borderline failure others say that a B is not bad at all, even the norm. The course grade was a product of only two things, homework and single, five question final. I did great on homework, really enjoying working our the difficult problems, but the test posed an issue. I needed more time...and just didn't have it. I only mention this because I feel the test (thus the grade) did not completely reflect my abilities throughout the semester, but that is just the way it is...
So given your knowledge of grad school admissions (since you and your peers have gone through it) how would such a situation rank? Do I have a shot at getting accepted? I will note that I have no issue retaking the course once matriculated in a program.
Thanks for the help!
I guess I'll begin with my goal: to obtain an MS in stat/biostats in order to change careers. I do not intend to pursue education beyond the MS level. Also the schools I intend to apply to are not top tier, just solid regional schools where I'd like to settle.
I have a unique situation in that my undergraduate background was not formally in mathematics. In fact I have a BA in English. After graduation, when the urge to change careers crept in, I began taking mathematics courses to satisfy the min prereqs for stats degrees, calc I,II,III, diff eq, and linear algebra, receiving an A in each.
That left me with just one more prereq, a calc based stats course. Thinking I'd be slick and complete a prereq and get a degree requirement out of the way in one shot, I enrolled in a grad level mathematical statistics course at my states second largest public university. I then found out the differences between undergrad and grad level....THe hours of study, the level of expectation, and quality of teaching, totally different... but overall I learned more than any class I've ever taken--I liked it. Unfortunately I only cleared a B in the course, and therein lies my predicament. What does this grad level B say about me as a student?
It seems grad level Bs are vary a lot from institution to institution...some claim a B is a borderline failure others say that a B is not bad at all, even the norm. The course grade was a product of only two things, homework and single, five question final. I did great on homework, really enjoying working our the difficult problems, but the test posed an issue. I needed more time...and just didn't have it. I only mention this because I feel the test (thus the grade) did not completely reflect my abilities throughout the semester, but that is just the way it is...
So given your knowledge of grad school admissions (since you and your peers have gone through it) how would such a situation rank? Do I have a shot at getting accepted? I will note that I have no issue retaking the course once matriculated in a program.
Thanks for the help!