<p>"However trivial you may think quantitative section is (and I agree that it's completely useless), a low score necessarily says that you cannot do arithmetics- I don't think there is any redemption from that, especially for a math major."</p>
<p>I wouldn't be too sure about that. Google "Grothendieck prime."</p>
<p>Touche, johnshade!</p>
<p>(I think that you have to establish yourself in the field before such arithmetical infelicities get overlooked, though...)</p>
<p>To the original poster:</p>
<p>I looked up the site for the ACO program at CMU. As it seems to be a very interdisciplinary field, do they require the subject exam? They said on the math website that the general and the subject exam in the applicants field is required. But would that be math gre? compsci gre?</p>
<p>Asking if you can get into CMU is a very vague question. Getting into CMU math is different than getting into CMU compsci. You should give the director of the ACO program a call. It seems to be a smaller program, not so high profile, so maybe they have different admissions criterion. </p>
<p>However, I do not think it will be any easier to get admissions with funding as you will probably still be competing with other CMU math and other CMU compsci grads for funding. </p>
<p>Give them a call as the deadline is January 15th and email might not be answered in time. Explain your situation and maybe say you want to graduate early for financial and career reasons, i.e. you really want to get started in the ACO program. Be up front about the GRE scores too, they will see them anyway. At least you get to leave an impression the first time they hear or see your scores.</p>
<p>"(I think that you have to establish yourself in the field before such arithmetical infelicities get overlooked, though...)"</p>
<p>Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt to be Grothendieck!</p>
<p>Well let's just put it this way. For whatever reason, the GRE general and subject tests are required. To be perfectly honest, one can conceivably be a remarkable abstract mathematician, thinking about utterly insane things in his/her time, but not remember some basics! I don't think this is a crime, but the grad schools impose the GRE, I feel, as a sort of "sanity check." I would recommend retaking it, because they do require it, and it's probably a good idea to have a better score. Even if not an 800, close to that seems like it should be very doable if you just give it a fair try with some practice. </p>
<p>Similar comments for the subject GRE. </p>
<p>You should then rely on having great depth in mathematics courses, good grades in them, and most of all, CONVINCE those programs that you actually like thinking about abstract math and will do it for an extended duration, so they feel warm and fuzzy accepting you.<br>
More time would help you, but since I think you say you have financial issues, enrolling as an undergrad may not be the best option of all. I'm sure you can do other things, as people say, to bolster the application without paying for undergrad.</p>
<p>IDEALLY though, do something more as an undergrad too.</p>
<p>And whew. Grothendieck. I can't imagine what it'd be like to think about the things he did. The existence of some individuals just amazes me.</p>