Chances of getting into a Math Masters program?

<p>If I got 3.0s in all of my math classes in college, what are my chances of getting into a Math Masters program at the University I'm currently studying at?</p>

<p>Several questions need answers:</p>

<ol>
<li>What university are you currently at?</li>
<li>Do you want a thesis or a non-thesis masters? (If you answered thesis, perhaps you have an idea as to what mathematical field you’re interested in and did you contact professors in this field?)</li>
<li>Did you take the GRE yet? (both general and mathematics)</li>
<li>How many credits do you have left to go?</li>
</ol>

<p>I haven’t take the GRE yet; I’m actually a freshman in college but I keep getting 3.0s in the math classes I’ve taken so far; Pre-Calc and Calc. No matter what I do, I can never get above a 3.0 honestly…I’ve been working really hard but I’ve always been a B student. I’ve done well in my other classes and I think I should have a 3.6 GPA at the end of the semester</p>

<p>Calculus is often used as a weed-out for other fields… engineering, pre-med, for example. However, there is no guarantee that you will actually do much better once in the mathematics major, especially if it requires the real analysis sequence. (I double-majored in math and physics and the worst two grades in undergrad were real analysis I and II)</p>

<p>To be completely honest, you sound like you have no chance, nor does it look like you should be pursuing mathematics at that level.
I am also quite confused why you want to pursue something you aren’t particularly good at. Do you actually enjoy it?
And you’ve already started college well behind most other aspiring math students. You started with pre-calc in college? At my university, for example, that class doesn’t even count as credit toward graduation.
We also have no idea what university you’re currently at, so it’s hard to say what your chances would be, especially considering you’re a freshman.
I’d talk to the department if I were you and ask. </p>

<p>Well, getting a B in a class doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s no good at the field - Bs are pretty decent grades and there could be other reasons for them too.</p>

<p>OP, you’re a freshman, so your Bs in math could potentially be indicative of a needed adjustment towards learning and studying the material in math classes rather than lack of ability in the field. One of the things I noted about math in college is that it moved much faster than my math classes did in high school. For example, instead of having an entire year to learn the same amount of material (e.g., calculus I), you had to learn it in one semester. You may have to adjust the way you practice and the amount of time you spend. For example, I strongly recommend doing more than the assigned problem sets in your own time. Your calculus textbook should have additional problems with solutions either in the back of the book or a separate manual; set aside some additional time to work these problems so you can teach yourself better.</p>

<p>But, I’m a firm believer that math doesn’t have to be the bastion of people who have in-born talent - if you study hard enough, believe that you are good at it, and really enjoy the subject, you can do well. (And in fact, there is research in educational psychology that supports my beliefs.) And honestly at the graduate level, success is much more determined by perseverance and motivation than by brilliance.</p>

<p>And by the way, I have a friend who’s finishing a PhD in biostatistics and she was a math major who started with precalculus in college. Where you start doesn’t matter as long as you take the classes that you need and do well.</p>