<p>My dream is to get a Ph.D degree in a top university.
So I wonder what are the graduates major in math going?
Are there many students going to earn a higher degree in such schools as MIT,Princeton,Harvard?</p>
<p>i can only speak anecdotally, but of my three close friends who were math majors, two of them have gone on to phd prorams, one of them at a top school (not one of the ones you name, but ranked not far below them) and the other at a perfectly respectable school. the third always wanted to teach, and that's what he's doing now.</p>
<p>from what i've been told, it's somewhat difficult to get into the larger top programs for LAC math students - both of the friends now in grad school had much better luck with the smaller, more "intimate" programs.</p>
<p>sorry for being vague, but their stories are not mine to tell. hope this is still helpful. i'm sure there are more concrete statistics/etc. somewhere on the interwebs, also.</p>
<p>you'll do better as a bio/chem major at bowdoin i'd say, since they are more well known among top grad schools than the math program at bowdoin</p>
<p>Hey,
I'm a math major here at Bowdoin, and I was strongly considering applying to a PhD program (I decided against it, just because I found myself leaning more strongly towards other interests). As far as the major itself is concerned, I have loved it - consistently great profs, tight-knit community, wonderful support system, etc. I have a friend who was recently accepted to a PhD program after only 3 yrs at Bowdoin, and I know of other majors who are going on to pursue their math PhD as well - similar to what Allison said, it seems that Bowdoin students with a strong undergrad math record (and great recs, REUs/research experience/published results, etc.) have a good shot of getting into well-respected PhD programs, but getting into those very-top-tier schools coming from ANY small, LAC might be a bit tricky. I would argue that it's definitely possible, especially if you prove yourself with some exceptional research as an undergrad, but it's not something that you see very often.</p>
<p>With that said, if you are interested in Bowdoin, I would urge you to continue to look into the program, and (if you haven't done so already) to come visit the campus, and maybe see if you can speak with someone from the department. And if you have any other questions about the math major in general, feel free to PM me.</p>