PHD Maths

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi everyone!
I am currently studying BSc Maths as a part time program in London. I already have a Law degree but my real passsion is Maths and I would like to go for a PhD in the US after graduation. However I've got the following concerns:
1) My marks in law were not great (I just did not like it). In Maths I will probably get a first class honours degree (unfortunately I don't know the equivalent to that in the US system?).
2) I will be 32 when I graduate in Maths - is that a problem?
3) I am working fulltime, so I don't have much research experience so far, but I am aiming to get more. Any advice what I could do? I was thinking of talking to my tutor about that. Maybe I could help someone as a student research assistant? What is ususally required? What are students ususally doing?</p>

<p>What are "safer" but still good graduate programs to get into? Of course I would love to get into a top school, but I might need a plan B?! :-)</p>

<p>Any help is very much appreciated! Thanks a lot!!!!!!</p>

2

<p>Please give me some advice!!!! I really want to prepare properly!
Many thanks!</p>

3

<p>I'm also applying to some PhD math programs in December, I'm an undergrad at Georgia Tech. This is the information I've gathered from talking to people. </p>

<p>First to answer your questions...</p>

<p>1) Math grades are first and foremost important. That is what they will look at, while your other grades could play a part high grades in math classes will be key.</p>

<p>2) I doubt they'll care about their age in fact I don't think they can even use it as a factor. What a lot of schools do look for is promise that you can finish the program, but that shouldn't have anything to do with your age.</p>

<p>3) Definately try and find some research, talk to professors and advisors, they will be able to find some. In the US we have REU programs (Research Experience for Undegraduates) that are funded by the National Science Foundation that a lot of colleges offer over the summer. Just talk to profs who are doing things you like and they will be able to help. Research is not required but know that many of the students you'll be competing for space for will have done some. The schools want to know that you have an idea of what resarch is about and are capable of doing it, that in mind you dont NEED to advance mankind or anything, but it can't hurt. Math research is not particuarly easy and schools know that it takes a good deal of education to be sucessful in it.</p>

<p>As far as 'safer' schools I'd say the best place to find ideas is the American Mathematical Society website, <a href="http://www.ams.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.ams.org&lt;/a>, particuarly <a href="http://www.ams.org/employment/groups_des.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ams.org/employment/groups_des.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The AMS groups math programs (group I, II, III) rather than rank them. They are, as many ranking are not quite perfect but they will be a good guide. There are plenty of group I and II schools there which offer great programs.</p>

<p>Also apply for fellowships, you can also find information about those on the AMS website but also talk to your advisor. Often if you can show a school that you already have funding to go its a ticket in.</p>

<p>Also take the GRE and GRE Subject test for Math.</p>

<p>Good luck. What schools are you looking at?</p>

4

<p>Hi, there seems to be many of us.:) So next year I'm going to apply for PhD porgrams in math too and I'd like to know do I have any chances to be adimtted to any of the top schools (Harvard, MIT, Stanford etc..). </p>

<p>So next year I will be 20 years old (if that matters anything) and I'll have my Master of Science degree in Mathematics from a TOP500 university (according to the university ranking of Shanhgai Jiao Tong university).</p>

<p>I haven't done GREs yet, but I think I'll have a good chance of getting over 800 points in GRE Math test and in GRE General test some 450 in verbal (as you have probably noticed I'm non-native English speaker), 800 in quantitative section and 5 in the analytical writing..</p>

<p>My GPA will most likely be about 4.8-4.9/5 (our grading system is different from yours; grading scale is from 1 to 5; 1 meaning pass and 5 outstanding). I'm also quite confident about my recommendations, since it's extremely rear that anyone in my country graduates (from a MSc program) so young as I'm going to and I'll also have top grades compared to other students in the university. And I'm not too introvent either..</p>

<p>If I have understood correctly graduate schools aren't very interested anything else than my ability to do math. I have pretty nice CV without any math stuff too, but obviously it doesn't matter anything.(?)</p>

<p>So do I have any chance to be admitted to some of the top schools or should I just leave it and continue my studies in my own country? </p>

<p>I think my greatest problems are that the university from which I'm graduating is quite unknown and I don't haven't made any research or publications (other than my MSc thesis). Though I'm going to solve some of the problems in the American Mathematical Monthly Problem section. But I don't think they are valued very highly compared to some real publications...</p>

5

<p>If you are looking at the Princeton's and MIT's of the world my best advice (based on what others have told me) is to get in contact with them now. They accept very few students to their PhD Math programs and lots of qualifed applicants have to be turned down.</p>

<p>Go to their websites and try and email the graduate coordinator sometime and see what they have to say.</p>

6

<p>I'm not very familiar with your culture and application system and the formalities which I should know before contacting anyone.. So do you think I should contact the general graduate admission office or send (e-)mail directly to the department of mathematics, to the departmental graduate office? I think the departmental office could be more helpful in my case since some of the questions I'm about to ask are quite specific and subject related, but is it ok to send e-mail directly there?</p>

7

<p>gt06, thank you so much for the info!
I haven't decided yet, which schools I would like to apply for, but I think that I will go for schools in the New York/Boston area. I also like Dartmouth a lot. Lets see. First I need to get some research experience and I will also talk to my tutor. I have emailed Dartmouth and they have advised that I need a good knowledge of abstract algebra and analysis, so I have to check with my tutor, that we cover those areas sufficiently.
I also need to do the GRE tests and TOEFL, so there is a lot to prepare!
Good luck to you too, and thanks again!</p>

8

<p>brutuz-</p>

<p>Applying to graduate school in the US is rather different than applying for undergraduate college mainly since you are applying, in essence, to a specific department. It will be the math department that decides if you can join them or not, not a big admissions department although they will play some part (taking your $60 application fee). There are also ways (although this is much less common than it used to be) that you could apply to the math department directly and not pay the fee but you really don't see that often.</p>

<p>You should contact the department directly. They will be able to answer your questions and it is in their interests to do so (they want to attract fine students to their programs). Finding who to contact in the department is what you need to do now. Its usually whats called the "gradaute coordinator" which you can find on the department website.</p>

9

<p>gt06, thank you so much, you have really helped me a lot.:)</p>