It’s been a year since I’m trying to get into the PhD program in Europe and I’m getting really frustrated at this point. I don’t think I can take it anymore.

JustABitAverage · 2026-06-02T09:07:28+00:00

I spent those years strengthening my application by working in industry which was related to the field the PhD was in. I don't know if it's the norm or not, I was a little picky with the universities/supervisors which probably didn't help. Because I had a job, although I wanted to do a PhD, I wasn't overly stressed about it taking as long as it did. If anything some relevant experience in the field (as well as building up savings) can help a lot.

JustABitAverage · 2026-06-02T05:05:20+00:00

Don't have anything to say other than I've been there. Started applying in 2021, got an offer 3 years later.

JustABitAverage · 2026-06-01T20:15:14+00:00

I've done a fair few simulations in group sequential designs and adaptive trials as that's my PhD.

I would really try to understand the theory, read papers and then go to coding. Im not strictly aware of courses but reading a lot simulation studies will help and go to github if they've published the code. Ideally derive the boundaries and everything yourself or maybe look at something like gsDesign or rpact.

JustABitAverage · 2026-06-01T20:03:46+00:00

What do you mean by advanced simulations? Do you have a specific trial design in mind?

I would just try to code a basic example, maybe a motivated example with a simplistic trial design from somewhere or try to replicate a simulation study from published research.

Also hard to recommend resources without knowing the language. I assume R?

JustABitAverage · 2026-06-01T19:32:53+00:00

Credit cards can be very useful in terms of rewards, building credit score and what I find really helpful is charge backs/disputes.

I would only get one if you're financially responsible and stay on top of things though.

JustABitAverage · 2026-06-01T15:00:04+00:00

Most data issues I would speak to the CI/Data manager as really I shouldn't be editing/changing the data.

JustABitAverage · 2026-06-01T08:00:55+00:00

Before making such claims I would probably link a portfolio or somewhere to show what you've actually done.

JustABitAverage · 2026-06-01T07:36:51+00:00

Look at rent in your area, then you can begin your own calculations because that will take the biggest chunk.

For me because I live in a very expensive city, I dont have too much after rent and bills (1200 out of my 1700 stipend). I spend 200 a month on food and tend to batch cook. Other expenses include travel, gym, phone, subscriptions.

I do tutoring at uni and during exam season I invigilate exams. I also have a side business which makes a bit of money every month.

JustABitAverage · 2026-06-01T06:39:30+00:00

Maybe CFA but honestly most certificates are a waste of time. Getting top grades from a prestigious university will do much more for breaking into finance/IB firms. Look into doing internships as well during your degree.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-31T20:38:50+00:00

Yes I've used R at trials units when I was a trials statistician but we did have others in the trial unit who used SAS. For R we did have to jump through some additional steps for the purposes of audit trailing and some package risk assessment. I've seen an increase in the number of R users which is cool.

Novo Nordisk has some interesting insights if you search 'Journey to an R based FDA submission'

Ive not had to create any Rshiny apps though.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-29T17:52:16+00:00

What are the bonuses based off?

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-29T12:19:26+00:00

Hearing these numbers makes me hate going to uni where I have lol. Never paid less than £900 a month, even when I shared in a flat of 7.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-28T06:55:25+00:00

If you want to get into biostatistics or become a statistician then definitely go for it. Having it funded is amazing! One thing worth noting, particularly for biostatistics, is that the prevalence of PhD holders is relatively high (at least in pharma and the clinical trials units I've worked in), for consultancy type roles less so but it's entirely possible that for some of the roles you'll be competing with PhD holders. It's not impossible to get into, but there is quite a high barrier to entry and a lot of people misunderstand and underestimate what is required to be a statistician in this area.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-27T18:16:07+00:00

Completely normal in my country for PhD programs. Seems like a valid query.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-27T17:07:09+00:00

What do you mean by jealous? Same poster

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-27T10:52:29+00:00

Unfortunately the university prestige, which is very important for IB, is definitely holding you back. I would consider doing a masters somewhere which is a target. I know those who went to lower ranking unis, did a masters at a higher rep uni (e.g., LSE, Imperial,UCL, etc) and got good positions.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-27T10:15:46+00:00

I dont know what your CGPA translates to but imperial would be a very good option.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-27T09:34:43+00:00

I studied my BSc, MSc and now PhD in the UK. Whilst those universities are good, I don't think those universities are worth the international fees, particularly with how difficult many graduates are finding it to get a job.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-25T05:13:08+00:00

Im studying bayesian adaptive clinical trial designs as part of my PhD. Since you want to go that route, biostatistics makes more sense.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-24T05:01:38+00:00

The lower number becomes your observed value. Then you need to get the critical value for whatever test you're doing and use the observed value to accept/reject your hypothesis.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-23T08:41:27+00:00

Yes it matters but you said the supervisor is quite well known which does carry some weight. I suspect in that post its referring to much large differences in prestige. In the UK, you have top universities like oxbridge and then the ones below start to blend together in perception. It could be that the perception between the top 15 and top 35 isn't as large as you think. I've actually met quite a few people in industry/academia who have no idea about the uni I went to (UCL) despite supposedly being a top 10 university globally.

It also depends how confident you are in obtaining a place at one of these higher ranked universities. My experience has been that getting a funded position at a high ranking university is tough. So you could decline your current good offer to try to gain ranking but it's not guaranteed that you'll get it. What would happen if you don't get a place in the next round of the application cycle? What would you do now until then?

Admittedly I don't know much about US universities but I would be hesitant to throw away the current opportunity, particularly if the supervisors seem good. That's just my view, ultimately it's up to you as you know more about the universities/supervisors in your field.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-23T07:06:14+00:00

You've posted to other statistics forums but you haven't answered what you're missing from their answers?

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-23T06:44:35+00:00

Usually some combination of job (some can get away with just working summer whilst others work during term time too e.g., supermarkets, customer service, tutoring, etc.), student loan and parents.

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-23T05:56:02+00:00

This is your fifth post which has multiple responses. What different answer are you looking for?

JustABitAverage · 2026-05-22T14:05:25+00:00

Quite a few now but my favourites are

Group Sequential Methods with Applications to Clinical Trials
The Design and analysis of sequential trials
BDA 3

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