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Statistics or Mathematics Department for Probability

Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 2:37 pm
by Pupil
I am a Mathematics major and I am sure I wish to pursue research training in Probability Theory and Mathematical Physics. In universities where both departments (such as Berkeley or Stanford) are very strong, some people with the same interests as me choose to apply to the Department of Mathematics and others to the Department of Statistics. Besides the coursework that is different in both PhD programs, what should I take into account while making this choice?

I have heard that Statistics programs are less competitive to get in, but is there any evidence that corroborates that claim in the case of the schools mentioned above?

Thank you all in advance

Re: Statistics or Mathematics Department for Probability

Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 6:23 pm
by hopium
I don't think statistics programs are easier than math, I've heard quite the contrary. I don't have the data for UCB or Stanford, but UCLA's admission data is posted online. For PHD programs, the math acceptance rate is 14%, statistics acceptance rate is 11% for fall 2020 (https://grad.ucla.edu/graduate-program- ... Statistics).