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iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 4:07 am
by iipqa_dk
Hi all
I got accepted to Phd in applied math at Iowa state ( my safety school). All my dream schools already rejected me. Currently, I am on the waiting list for Notre Dame. And I haven't heard any from Minnesota and University of Iowa. :( . So I think my chance of getting in those schools is pretty slim.
Now, I am debating if I should attend Iowa State. It is ranked 68. I am somewhat worried if the rank will hurt my resume or CV later when I graduate?
Please give me some advice and thoughts.
Thank you very much

Re: iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 5:30 am
by math_applicant
what are the other options you have (in the worst case scenario where you don't hear back from the schools you are waiting on) ? I think it is better to frame your question in terms of a comparison among options.

My 2 cents: from what it seems from your post, it looks like you are deciding between going to Iowa state this year and waiting to apply next year hoping for a better outcome. In that case, I believe you should think about what you could realistically do until the next application season that can boost your chances in the next round and try to figure out how big such boost would be (to see if it is worth waiting one year out of school). such questions are better answered by consulting your professors and by looking at data from last years (especially those who applied several times and see how the waiting improved their chances).

Re: iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 10:06 am
by MathFreaked
The job market for applied math is much better than it is for pure math, and I would expect that to still be true in 4-6 years when you would graduate. So even though Iowa State may not be a top 20 school (or whatever you were shooting for), you should still be able to get a decent job at the end if you work hard.

The following is anecdotal evidence only. I have a friend that's getting a PhD this spring in applied math at a school that doesn't even show up on any of the rankings. Further, their adviser is also from a school that doesn't show up on any rankings. They're smart, but got to where they are by hard work and not some level of extreme intelligence. They applied for 15 jobs this year (as opposed to ~150 that some of the pure math candidates I know applied for), and got an offer both in industry (lots of money) and a postdoc offer at a top 50 institution in the united states.

It definitely makes a difference what subclass of applied math your research interests lie in, but just in general there's a lot more money out there for people who like to do math that can actually be used products and the like (as opposed to some pure math topics that are really cool, but will never be applicable to any real world application).

I'd also recommend sending a query to the schools you haven't heard from yet before you accept. Worst case is they can tell you that you're rejected, but you could be on the waiting list or something!

Re: iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 11:29 am
by y45askel
Another thing you could do is go to Iowa State for a year and take some graduate courses, study for the MGRE, and then re-apply to a school that is in the particular ranking you want to go to. It worked for me this past year. :)

** That is if Iowa State's decision is not binding, I know a lot of schools are binding in the sense that when you choose to go there you must stay there, but usually it's not like that unless you have a PhD Adviser the first year you're there.

Re: iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 12:09 pm
by taronk
I am in the same condition. I got admission from Case Western (rank 89) and waitlisted from the rest. I think I will accept Case offer if there is no better option. Keep working hard and probably get paid off someday.

Re: iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 12:25 pm
by dangxing
I was in ISU two years ago in my first two years in college. I just don't think Iowa is a good place to get a job

Re: iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:34 pm
by iipqa_dk
Thanks all for giving me suggestion.
but now, i just got an offer from University of Iowa (AMCS). it is too late to schedule a visit. and to be honest, i had a great great time visiting Iowa State University 2 weeks ago. Hence, is there any thought on which school I should choose ( UIA or ISU)
Thanks again

Re: iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:57 pm
by antonioACR1
I was wondering the same question, probably you should also take into account your age, if you're enough young then maybe you could wait and improve your application. Have you consider a master's degree? how old are you?

Re: iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:18 pm
by iipqa_dk
antonioACR1 wrote:I was wondering the same question, probably you should also take into account your age, if you're enough young then maybe you could wait and improve your application. Have you consider a master's degree? how old are you?
HI there
I am 24 ( is it young or old? I dont even know lol)
So does it mean that University of Iowa and Iowa State are not good enough and it may hurt my CV/resume later on?
oh btw, when I posted the topic, i only got accepted by Iowa State. But now , University of Iowa admitted me too. So I am not sure if I should go ISU or UIA
To be honest, I am international student and I dont wanna use my parents' money no more on my education. It is almost impossible for me to get any support if I go Master. It is one of the reasons why I choose to go straight phd instead.

Re: iowa state _attend or not

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 11:12 pm
by antonioACR1
I can't say if those schools are good or not, I think if you really want to have a very good CV then probably you should wait and apply again, a Master's degree would be a very good option for you if you want to improve your cv and get into a better school. Are you sure you won't get any funding if you pursue a Master's degree? sounds strange to me in case you decide to do a Master's in your own country. I'm not sure if 24 is young or old, if you're trying to compare with top students then maybe 24 is too old, however it's obvious most of us are not geniuses, so I don't think we should worry about our age (I'm 24 too). Also, I believe that being a good student depends on how hard you work and not on where you've been doing your Phd, so it's up to you. I believe you should discuss it with your family, your advisor and/or your professors and consider what do you really want :D
I think it's very important to take into account your advisor's opinion, if he/she agrees that University of Iowa is a very good option for you (after discussing with you what you're looking for and what do you really want) then you should listen to him/her. Obviously that's better rather than asking other students here