<p>hello everyone,,,im new to this edge of the forums...im just a high school junior so im just starting out...but i did have some questions about grad school admissions</p>
<p>1)what are the top 10 or so grad schools for mathematics...theoretical/applied?</p>
<p>2)what are the average acceptance rates for said schools?</p>
<p>3)how long would it take to achieve a phd?</p>
<p>4)what are the most important factors when applying to these schools...i.e. undergrad school,gpa,reccomendations,essays(or the equivalent?),research??</p>
<p>5)is the financial aid relatively the same to undergrad study?</p>
<p>You are thinking ahead way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too far. </p>
<p>But check USNews.com for the rankings if you really want to see them. You'll have to pay to see beyond the first 5. It generally takes 4-6 years to get a PhD, although occasionally if someone is ultra-prepared they'll get it in 3 or if they hit a few setbacks most schools give you 8 before they kick you out. I am only finishing my first year of undergrad (and procrastinate my ass off with CC) but I think people will tell you the most important things are research and recommendations. GPA as long as it is decent won't be too big of a factor, undergrad school can matter to the extent that you get recs from more "well-known" professors or if you end up attending grad school there because you meet a "supportive" professor as an undergrad who is willing to take you on as a grad student. </p>
<p>Financial aid, you'll generally get full tuition + a cost of living stipend. Much more than undergrad, in otherwords. You'll almost certainly have to teach a class or two and be a research ***** (for lack of a better term) for your first couple years, though.</p>
<p>But seriously, focus on your undergrad now (as in where you will go - your high school coursework). People change college majors so much. Change goals, too. You might find you love another subject in college and pursue that. Or if you stick with math you might find you love, eg, cryptography, and you get a job doing that after undergrad. Hell you could change your mind after taking a course your senior year in high school. Just relax, take a deep breath, and wait at least a couple years before you start to plan out your life. I'll get periods where I want to plan out every course so I can get these 2 exact minors with a very explicit focus on xxx, but when I take a deep breath and realize that I've never even taken courses in some subject areas, its all pointless. You'll probably have at least until the summer before your Jr. year before you really need to start thinking about what you want to do after graduating (in terms of starting research or getting an internship). That's what, 3 years?</p>
<p>I agree, focus on getting in somewhere for undergrad, and then making it through as a math major. Its good to have some goals, don't get me wrong. However, there are many people that think they've got what it takes to major in math, and then they realize that they don't and/or math really isn't what they thought it was.</p>
<p>On top of that, there's a huge difference between majoring in mathematics and being good enough to get into a top ten PhD program. I don't think that I can emphasize that enough. The simple fact of the matter is that unlike so many other fields, at some level in mathematics, either you're smart enough or you're not. End of story. It doesn't matter how many hours you work, you won't get it. That's a hard pill to swallow for many.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, what level of mathematics have you been exposed to?</p>
<p>All in all, just get in there. The only way to see if you've got what it takes is to go for it. If you don't, you're all the better for it. Mathematics is a highly enlightening field, IMHO. The more you have the better</p>
<p>theghostofsnappy makes some excellent points that I just want to reiterate</p>
<p>upper division mathematics is a completely different beast than lower division, if you've seen some analysis, modern algebra or topology, I'd say you're much closer to having a good idea of what being a math major entails than if you've only had calculus or differential equations (Linear algebra might be a bit closer to the flavor of higher math, but I don't consider it the break point)</p>
<p>everyone I know in grad school was kicking ass and taking names in their high school math classes. It's safe to say that we are all pretty damn smart, but math is hard.</p>
<p>Let me say this again: Math. Is. Hard.</p>
<p>At some point, it's going to kick you in the ass. For some people, it's junior high. For some people, it's high school. For a few people, it's college, and for very rare exceptions, it's grad school, but at some point your natural talent and ability is going to crap out and you will finally understand the frustration and confusion 99.95% of the population feels. It suuuuuucks. And, the later it hits, the worse it feels. (by the way, if you never experience this, then you're pussing out and not challenging yourself) When this happens, you are going to have to work your butt off to get through it, so be prepared for that.</p>
<p>The nice thing is that you don't have to be a crazy super-genius to be a successful mathematician, after a certain level of aptitude, it really just depends on how much you want it</p>
<p>anyway, it's 2:10 am and I have grading to finish, so I'm going to stop here.</p>