I continue to be impressed with you and your posts.
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Interestingly I bumped into a post last night where someone was asking about science class choices and referring to this video by UVAās Dean J
Towards the end she specifically mentions kids āwho make the mistakeā of giving up a science class in favor of depth in a particular area, thinking that is better. While I find OPs mathematical achievements incredibly impressive, she is pretty clear about wanting to see all 5 core subjects for each of the 4 years.
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You may want to contact the math department there to see if it has enough math offerings for you, since you did not seem impressed by the math course listings in its course catalog linked upthread.
If you are still not decided by May 1, matriculate to WSU. If you later decide on Tulsa or anywhere else, you can de-matriculate from WSU to matriculate to the other school. But you will retain the option of going to WSU.
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Hmm. It would appear I am now faced with a problem I wasnāt expecting to need a serious answer to before applying to grad schools. Tulsaās math department isnāt purely applied, itās just focused on analysis (which from some of the course titles made me think it was applied). If I want to study analysis, then Tulsaās a great choice, but I donāt really know if thatās the case yet. Iāve taken a number of advanced math courses, but real analysis wasnāt one of them.
The fact that going to Tulsa would require making that kind of choice before I feel ready to make it probably means it isnāt the right choice. But since other aspects of the school appeal to me, itās hard not to wonder.
For anybody who ended up majoring in math, how did you decide what area of math to pursue? Iāll have to choose eventually. A part of me wants to pursue mathematical physics, and for that Iād think analysis would be a logical choice, but what I find interesting and what I enjoy doing might not align there. I definitely struggled with integrals more than anything else Iāve done with math.
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Can the President of the university (I mean itās so cool he is actually talking to a prospective studentā¦invested in you)ā¦.can he set you up with a math faculty? Or perhaps you can reach out to one such as the sept chair in the AM.
Wow, how awesome is it the love they are showing?
Glad you are investigating further.
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It was through talking to a math professor that I found out about the analysis stuff. The professor is at a function right now so the conversation is on hold, but thatās what Iāve gathered from it so far. For analysis, the program seems quite good, but I wouldnāt be able to study Galois theory there, for example. (Iām not actually that invested in Galois theory, to be clear, it was an example of something fairly advanced in my initial post, I donāt know I want to study it in particular)
I obviously donāt have much perspective on how involved and responsive most upper faculty are in college, but even to me it seems unusual. Definitely gives a very good impression about how invested Tulsa is in their students. Meanwhile, WSU initially messed up my financial aid and lost internally somewhere that Iām a National Merit finalist, and I thought Iād barely be able to afford to go there.
The decision about Tulsa vs WSU is very much based on practical concerns about my ability to study what I want. Iām very impressed with the level of involvement Tulsa has displayed.
Thatās not to say that the professors at WSU donāt care as much about their students. Students definitely get closely involved with their professors in upper level courses. But having even the president seem to be so closely involved with students directly is definitely something that would be much more difficult at a larger school like WSU.
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Many advanced students can undertake independent study under the guidance of a faculty mentor, so that may help you at Tulsa even if there are not specific classes for what you want to study.
Also you could likely undertake a semester or year abroad at a larger university.
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Itās hard to say how to choose which subfield youād like or should go into. Based on what math courses you have taken, you can do well in a lot of areas.
My suggestion would be to look at the Tulsa course offerings and requirements and see if you can make an undergrad plan. If you can make a couple of such plans that look good to you, Tulsa might work for you.
PS. I am not a Math major, but I did enjoy the Analysis courses more than other parts of math.
Paging @DadTwoGirls @ucbalumnus for input on the math curriculum at UTulsa for this advanced math student NMF. See post #166 for what they are considering and what they have learned about the depth of the math dept.
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Iāve actually been watching this school a few years. Thought about investing in itā¦diff we ent thingā¦municipal bonds.
I can tell you that at least on the outsude looking in that Mr Carson is one of those innovators, bringing change and value vs old and stodgy.
Historically the school was a great name but hit some rough spots. That heās on here, that heās using the endowment to attract brilliant kids like yourself (20% NMF) that will become successful - heās the type of leader that will transcend the name into a fast riser
Iām no math expert but I canāt imagine as an undergrad you can get outside of any areas they will know, even if they donāt regularly teach.
The other thing though is itās small Vs big. You have to want that. And itās in a much more urban area although the school itself is a bit east. It happens to be a nice city. Iāve been many times although not on campus.
Talk about going down to the wire but make sure you commit somewhere tomorrow 
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Both WSU and Tulsa have told me theyāre flexible with the May 1st deadline. With WSU itād mean losing any priority with housing options, so the sooner the better, but itās not completely critical.
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OP, one thing that you might want to bring up with your new contacts at Tulsa is whether there are grants available to make study abroad affordable. The school has some excellent connections with math programs that could provide a good destination (and potentially allow you to explore areas of math in which Tulsa has less strength)ā¦ but theyāre not quite as generous as wealthier schools in terms of funding. (Iām sure WSU isnāt either.) Where the biggest-endowment schools will apply all of your financial aid to study abroad, meaning that both tuition and living expenses are covered, Tulsaās policy states that they cover tuition only, and living expenses abroad are the studentās responsibility. It sounds as if this would be prohibitive for you unless there are sources of supplemental funding.
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And the year away at another college. Isnāt that an option at Tulsa?
Paging @Twoin18 who may have some insight to provide on the math situation of someone who thinks he likes pure math but doesnāt know whether analysis is a good path and trying to figure out what to do where to go to undergrad based on that. Or read @DramaMama2021ās far more succinct and eloquent rec.
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Tulsa isnāt part of the formal National Student Exchange program; thatās a point in favor of WSU, if that program is of interest. But it doesnāt hurt to ask whether there are domestic exchange opportunities that would be funded.
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Thank you for the correctionā¦I thought it was.
You may want to check with both places how many math majors end up attending a grad school. Having a peer group and other students who are invested in math makes a huge difference. You donāt need many, but it helps to have at least some.
WSU seems to have overall wider and deeper course offerings than Tulsa.
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This is the most current list (I think!). It looks like WSU is now the only participating campus in Washington State. National Student Exchange - Campuses / Location The Canadian schools are all crossed out now, which Iām guessing resulted from Covid restrictions - perhaps theyāll be back.
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That year at another campus is such a great option!
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Tulsa has 26 compared to WSUās 62 on the list you provided - and a bit over a tenth of the undergraduate enrollment. Proportionally, that seems to me to be in Tulsaās favor, itās just a big vs small school thing.
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