I am very indecisive...(concerning math major!)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So in the past month, I've gone back and forth between what I want in college, what type of college I want to go to, etc. I've decided (I hope.) I'm pretty flexible, so I think I'll be fine anywhere. I was thinking about LACs for majoring in math, but I was advised to look at larger schools, due to their wide selection of courses (I'm in multivariable calc/diff eq as a junior in hs, linear alg this summer or next year). So because I'm a CA resident, I'm mainly looking at the UCs, but I heard that due to the budget issues, they are going down. So where should I look at? And I'm planning on majoring in math with a minor in computer science, or also major in cs. My priority is an excellent math program though.</p>

<p>Also, is it worth it to attend other public universities, other than the UCs?</p>

<p>My school list so far:
UCs (UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UCI)
Stanford (maybe...seems like a huge reach)
NYU
Rice
University of Chicago
Carnegie Mellon
University of Washington
University of Utah</p>

<p>My stats, some predicted:</p>

<p>Chinese female
CA resident
GPA: 4.1-4.2W, 3.8-3.9UW
Top 10% of class for sure...
SAT (took some practice tests): 2000-2200 (800 in math, 600-700 in the other two, probably closer to 2000 or 2100 than 2200 though)
ACT: Ranged from 31-34, with 35 and 36s in math/science, lower in the other two.
Subject test: Math 800 (got results), Physics 700 (got results)
APs: AP Calc BC (5), AP Physics B (4), AP Chemistry, AP Statistics, AP English language, AP English literature, APES, AP Econ
College classes: Taking multivariable calculus right now, differential equations next semester, linear algebra also next semester or senior year</p>

<p>EC/Acheivements (so far):
Math team 3 years...qualified for AIME in sophomore year, should qualify again this year. Won 1st place freshman year in 9th grade Pythagorean division in school, 2nd place sophomore year for California League in school. Officer fresh/soph year, captain junior year.
Founder of model rocketry club...1 year
Founder of moonbuggy team...1 year
Member of NASA INSPIRE Online Learning Community...1 year
Play viola in youth orchestra...5 years
Viola in quartet...3 years
Wrestling/MMA
100+ hours of volunteering at local hospital
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Mathematics Talent Search award in 7th grade for scoring over a 700 on sat 1 math.</p>

2

<p>You have a good list. Attending a research university will be essential for you since you are far ahead enough in math that you will be able to take quite a few grad math classes as an undergrad.</p>

<p>Are you bothered by commuter schools? UCSD and U Washington are sort of commuter schools, while UCI and Utah definitely are. I like how you’re not applying to any Ivies, it shows that you’ve done your research instead of going for prestige. I’d add Cal Tech as a reach as well. UCSB and UCD are fantastic safties that will be cheap for you, and it looks like you’ve got enough matches.</p>

3

<p>I don’t really know what I’m talking about in terms of math programs, so take my advice with a salt shaker in hand.</p>

<p>I don’t know why, but I thought of Brown University after reading your profile. Of course, the Ivies will have great programs in just about anything, but more importantly, you can take all the math courses you like at Brown with the lack of required courses. Just something to consider.</p>

4

<p>I like your list. Caltech might be a worthy addition.</p>

5

<p>You have a decent list. You aren’t going to need most of your safety schools, but you’ll come to realize that for yourself soon enough. because you are a junior, set aside your college list for now and work on getting a spot in one of the more prestigious award competitions or math programs next semester. You have excellent qualifications, and it will make a huge difference in knowing what you want from a college. Here’s one to start with
[Davidson</a> Institute ~ Programs & Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.davidsongifted.org/fellows/]Davidson”>Scholarships for Gifted Students | Davidson Fellows)
MIT and Stanford have some of the better summer math programs, as you might expect. There are also a number of programs specifically for young women interested in mathematics and engineering.</p>

6

<p>Thanks guys. </p>

<p>Honesty, I’m not sure if I’ll be bothered by commuter schools as after I have a group of friends, I should be fine. Though residential schools seems better.</p>

<p>2 CalTech recommendations…guess it won’t hurt applying to it! I better get my SAT/ACT scores up :)</p>

<p>That open curriculum at Brown sounds great. I’ll look into it!</p>

<p>Yup, I’m just getting a rough list of schools down. I will make final decisions senior year after I get my standardized test scores, GPA, etc. When you talk about the more prestigious math competitions/programs, which are you talking about? I heard of the Davidson program - I can barely start to understand the description of the math projects! I’ll be looking into some math programs for the summer though.</p>

7

<p>Try to get into the RSI (Research Science Institute) - a selective and prestigious summer camp.</p>

8

<p>I will try…wish me luck!</p>

9

<p>Here is an extensive list
[Mathematics</a> summer program - AoPSWiki](<a href=“http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/Mathematics_summer_program]Mathematics”>Art of Problem Solving)
and another
<a href=“http://www.ams.org/profession/mathcamps.html[/url]”>http://www.ams.org/profession/mathcamps.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>You are overqualified for a lot of the programs; start with the bigger names and work down.</p>

10

<p>Mathlegend,</p>

<p>You’ve acomplished some great things, congratulations. I would strongly encourage you to visit (not just research) some schools before narrowing in. For my D, who is also a strong math student, it seemed most useful to visit the extremes…the really small liberal arts college to the really large research university. In CA, Pomona and some of the UC’s would be good examples. This will likely point out what you really want and don’t want in a school. There are many excellent programs for pure math, and you can find them by doing a search on this forum. However, you need to develop a strong sense for the kind of place in which you’d like to live and learn for four years. Just my $0.02. Best,</p>

<p>M</p>

11

<p>Thanks midwesterner. Which would be the big names? Looks to me like Canada/USA Mathcamp, SuMaC, HCSSIM, PROMYS, Ross? And really, I overqualify for alot? :O</p>

<p>Thanks mikey. I’ll probably visit colleges during my spring break, perhaps some during summer if I can’t fit them in.</p>

12

<p>Focus of the programs in those camps is different. If you want a competition base, MathCamp, PROMYS, Ross are better. If you want to taste abstract math, HCSSIM and Ross are better. Try to solve their problem sets, you should be able to see the difference. You find kids like you or smarter than you for sure at those camps.</p>

13

<p>Well nobody jump on me here, but when I brought up U of Chicago in a conversation with a college friend, she said, and I quote, “University of Chicago is where fun goes to die.”
And that there was literally no free time.</p>

14

<p>I’m not much into competition math actually. I’d prefer the other programs, the ones in abstract math, discrete math, whole buncha topics, etc.</p>

<p>Wouldnt the top schools on my list like Stanford, Caltech, and UC Berkeley also be like that?</p>

15

<p>That well-known saying about the University of Chicago apparently originated there as a self-deprecating joke. But yes, it long has had a reputation for being a rather intense, seriously academic place</p>

<p>It also probably has one of the very best undergraduate math departments in the country. The NRC-95 ranked its graduate programs #5. When I was there, its undergraduate program seemed to be considered higher in the national pecking order than its graduate department (with the #1 graduate position being conceded to Princeton). Although, when you get down to the top 10 or so, who knows what the optimal ranking really ought to be. Maybe it’s NYU, maybe it’s Brown, maybe Princeton or Chicago or MIT, depending on criteria.</p>

<p>For the OP, who may actually like an intense academic environment, the bigger problem than “fun” may be the core course requirements. Chicago is very, very serious about the value of liberal arts education. They want you to be broad as well as deep. Brown also has an excellent UG math department but would give you much more freedom to take as many math courses as you like, if that’s what you want.</p>

16

<p>Yes, I’ll have to think about if I’ll like the core or not. Kind of undecided.</p>

17

<p>based on your stats, I don’t think you’ll be able to take graduate courses until junior/senior year, if you so choose. A pure math major may not be in the future for you, so I wouldn’t really worry about it. I think you’ll probably move on to something else that’s quantitative, which isn’t really a bad thing. So if a LAC is the best fit, then do it. Also, Brown is mostly known for applied math, which is vastly different from pure math.</p>