College Suggestions: 3.1 UW, 29 ACT

[warblersrule]

Rutgers is by far his best option for an affordable, strong math program. Its reputation in math at the graduate level:

USNWR: #23
NRC: #19 (1995 ranking), #10 and #14 (2010 ranking)
AWRU: #44 (globally)

Does he know what he wants to do with a degree in math? From what I know of math PhD programs (my boyfriend is a mathematician), they’re extremely selective and draw students from the top undergrad math programs. He should be taking graduate courses by junior or senior year if he’s interested in a PhD in math, so selecting a university with a (strong) graduate program in math would be a prudent move. Other knowledgeable posters over the years agree:

@b@r!um

The academic background expected of applicants seems to vary by discipline. For example, the top math PhD programs are quite explicit that they expect applicants to have a solid graduate background already. The tippy-top programs are even set up assuming that applicants have a solid enough foundation to plunge right into research and only need topics courses on currently active areas of research. I had to turn down admission offers from Princeton and MIT because I (and my undergraduate advisers and even the potential graduate advisers who admitted me!) felt that my 8 graduate courses did not give me an adequate foundation to benefit from the structure of their graduate programs. And yes, these programs are set up for students straight out of college, not applicants with a Master’s degree.