STATISTICIAN'S VIEW

摘要

My name is Stephanie and I am currently a first-year graduate student studying toward a degree in biostatistics. I was very intrigued by your article in February's edition of Amstat News and so felt compelled to write a response to you. At my undergraduate institution, Lawrence University (Appleton, Wisconsin), I was a math and English major. To be honest, I considered math my "second" major and didn't necessarily have any plans to pursue a math-related career. I was simply interested in the subject and wanted to continue learning about it while studying to become a journalist. And now, here I am, pursuing a degree in biostatistics. I agree with you that master's programs are instrumental to recruiting students, but I also feel as though undergraduate institutions are equally as important. I would never have considered statistics as a career choice if I hadn't worked with a particular statistics professor at Lawrence who wholeheartedly loves what she does and believes in the importance of what she teaches. My undergraduate experience was certainly the first step in my decisionmaking process. So, I believe that's where it starts and perhaps where more focus needs to be placed in recruiting future statisticians. From this point, though, it all becomes murky.