There are some posters on this thread who are very knowledgeable about the different pathways for a serious math student. I think those of us who aren’t in that category should probably step back and let those who are weigh in on this question.
The only thing I’d have to say is that before deciding on a gap year, I’d want to make sure there’s a solid “safety” option for the next cycle. It doesn’t look like WSU encourages deferrals, although they consider them on a case-by-case basis. It’s not clear whether this year’s NMF status will be active next year - if it would be, then schools like UT Dallas and U of Arizona could definitely fulfill the safety function. The issues around not being eligible for enough need-based aid to make elite schools affordable will not go away during a gap year… so be clear on what the goal for a second admissions cycle would be.
ETA: Also, you don’t need to make this decision quickly. If you commit to WSU for how (having seemingly ruled out Tulsa), you can continue to investigate and weigh the gap year option. I’m not sure saving the deposit is worth rushing the decision.
Unfortunately, I do not have either connections of money. And I agree about the financial aid too, that definitely would need to be a major consideration in making a new list if I go through with a gap year.
You have a university President…not a Dean of admissions….a university President at a school that associates / is identified with schools such as Rice and SMU. Yes it’s not them but it’s been seen as that group. People historical may have chosen to be a Golden Hurricane that just could not get to those . Or now for the $$
And a major pac 10 research institution.
Both may be great for you.
One may be great.
Neither may be great.
But one should be selected. You were set for WSU. A few of us intro’d TU due to financial purposes.
I think it’s become paralysis by analysis.
Both these options can pay wonderful dividends. But that is up to you.
I truly believe this.
Frankly I’m still amazed a university President reached out. Super impressive.
I really wish I could accept Tulsa’s offer, but I don’t feel like I can. I’d be forcing myself to study analysis in my last couple of years. If I didn’t like it, not only would I have to try to pivot in grad school, but I wouldn’t really have been passionate about any of the research I participated in during my undergraduate degree.
Does make me a bit sad though. Seems like it’d be a wonderful program if I was sure I wanted to go into analysis. And obviously the people there care about their students tremendously.
OuterProduct, I didn’t have time to read this extremely long stream of comments, so I apologize if something similar has already been mentioned and discussed …
you sound like the perfect match for one particular university …
you should have applied ED to UChicago. They would have gobbled you up
Back to your topic. Maybe I’m blinded but I think WSU can lead to a PhD.
There was a thread. A student had the best deal at NC State but had unaffordable offers at Duke and UNC.
Others said you can’t go to NC State and get a PhD. I found professors - not at top schools - they could have gone to Idaho State or Eastern Washington
I found a - SUNY B at Brown or Chicago - I forget. And a Wisconsin branch school - maybe Whitewater with a U Mich PhD.
Maybe it’s harder to go elite but not impossible.
Check our schools in your area.
You’ll find undergrad schools of Profs that aren’t just elite.
You’ve decided TU won’t work
The intent wasn’t to get you off your plan.
You started as a vent and maybe there was a lot learned and we got a bit off track.
But you have a wonderful - two wonderful opportunities to learn not just about math but adjacent and non adjacent areas too. And they’re both affordable.
You are exceedingly lucky to have this personal outreach. My HUGE kudos to the University of Tulsa. I am mega-impressed with them and their admin.
On your next move, you know your situation better than we do. But I am simply not sure what purpose could be served by taking a gap year just to get into another school.
Whatever you decide, good luck and work hard, and also take time to enjoy the college experience.
My daughter is in your grade and will be a freshman at UChicago this fall. You remind me of a mathematics version of her (philosophy).
I have also exchanged a couple messages with a current UChicago Mathematics Major … you would have fit right in perfectly, and you would be too busy doing problem sets indoors for the next 4 years to encounter any local mischief .
Your parents were justified to be nervous about UChicago. They can’t be faulted for loving you and wanting to protect you. I felt the same way about Chicago to some extent. But the fit was too perfect for my daughter and I didn’t want to stand in the way of her happiness.
Good luck to you! I think you will end up in grad school at a place like UChicago or MIT
OP, did you ever go to office hours and have any conversations with your professors at WSU? Can you reach out now? They might have some good advice for you.
Not really. I’ve been taking the classes on the Vancouver campus, and the math classes are advanced enough that the only professors teaching most of the classes are at Pullman, so I’ve been in a room on the Vancouver campus zooming in to a room on the Pullman campus where the professors are actually located. So if I have questions, I typically send an email.
I could maybe reach out. Not really sure what to ask though: should I go to your school or take a gap year?
I think I’ll just go to WSU, and then send out some transfer applications. That seems like a safer option. Unless missing freshman year at wherever I transfer to would be really detrimental to graduate school applications for some reason.
I agree with all of this, particularly that there are few people on CC with specific knowledge who can help you, while the specificity of your situation is beyond the scope of most others (even those who are rather knowledgeable otherwise).
I also agree about committing to WSU now while continuing to pursue your plan for next year.
While I count myself among the majority who can’t provide you with guidance, I would encourage you to consider and ask others about what you might lose if not engaged in appropriately stimulating mathematics work for a year. My understanding is that mathematics is a field for the young (speaking of Galois…). I realize that you don’t consider yourself to be a mathematical genius and your assessment is far more informed than my own, but you are clearly quite bright and thoughtful. What kind of activity would you need during the gap to maintain the sort of intellectual fitness and flexibility needed for a career in mathematics?
I don’t see this as a relevant consideration. I took a year off before starting college, just to grow up (I graduated HS at 16), and did no relevant math during that year (I worked in an electronics factory). But what I did find is that I missed math a lot, which convinced me that I wanted to study it in college (I had already been admitted and had deferred a year)
But in this case the only reason to take a year off would be to reapply elsewhere. I don’t think that will have a higher probability of success than going to WSU and potentially transferring later. And I don’t think you’ll find it easy to put together a plan of what you’ll do during the year that will aid admission to schools like U Chicago.
No gap year! Wasted time. You need to move quickly towards becoming a PhD student in math. Sounds as if you have two options, tulsa or wash state. Flip a coin. If the result of the coin flip is relief, great. If it is dismay, choose the other. I think that wash state offers you the quickest path to PhD. And dont worry about the course offerings. The profs at either school will run you whatever course material you want or need, individually. Travel to go meet with them, they will eat you up, theyll be so thrilled to have u there. As for MA, dont do that. No funding. Straight to PhD, will get MA while in program. Keep moving forward.
If you have a parent who has assets or income, but won’t contribute to college, then you are not going to get financial aid, so it doesn’t matter where you get admitted - if you cannot pay, you’re not going. Taking a gap year to do classes online and reapply won’t yield the desired (needed) result. Even if you get into a better school, without a full ride merit scholarship, you’re not going to be able to afford it.
You can enroll in one or the other and still do open source classes. I think a gap year is not a good idea.
I understand your passion for math, and your desire to end up with a PhD. But there is more to life and I am concerned that the focus of this thread is kind of narrow.
Usually we recommend thinking about cost, size, location, academics and “vibe.” I would think about all of those because it seems you are capable of supplementing the academics. Think about peers, friends, activities, collaboration vs competition, lots of things to think about.
You may or may not want a PhD. There are a lot of disenchanted PhD’s right now, some striking. You end up doing the teaching work for an inadequate stipend and then work as an adjunct almost on food stamps. Hopefully STEM is better but I have read that PhD’s are leaving academia in droves.
You are clearly a planner but let life happen a little. Understand you want a specific math path at this point so given that parameter, I would just go ahead and commit and see what happens in your life.
BTW you are an excellent writer. You clearly have a lot of talents that can be explored.
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