Forum index » 2010 Applicant Profiles and Admission Results

The physics gre forums has been doing this for the past 3 years, it would be great to have a similar dataset for mathematics for future applicants.

Copy and paste the template below and fill it out, and keep it updated when you start getting responses.

See http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1847 for a guide to the format.

Please only post profiles in this thread to keep it organized.

[b]Undergrad Institution:[/b] (School or type of school, such as big state, lib arts, ivy, technical, foreign (what country?)... Overall Reputation in Mathematics?)
[b]Major(s):[/b]
[b]Minor(s):[/b]
[b]GPA:[/b]
[b]Position in Class:[/b] (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?)
[b]Type of Student:[/b] (Domestic/International (Country?), male/female?, minority?)

[b]GRE Scores:[/b]
[b]Q:[/b] xxx (xx%)
[b]V:[/b] xxx (xx%)
[b]W:[/b] x.x (xx%)
[b]M:[/b] xxx (xx%)

[b]TOEFL Score:[/b] (xx = Rxx/Lxx/Sxx/Wxx) (if applicable)

[b]Program Applying:[/b] (Pure Math/Applied Math/Statistics/Operation Research/Biostatistics)

[b]Research Experience:[/b] (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)
[b]Awards/Honors/Recognitions:[/b] (Within your school or outside?)
[b]Pertinent Activities or Jobs:[/b] (Such as tutor, TA, etc...)
[b]Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:[/b] (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...)
[b]Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:[/b]

[b]Applying to Where:[/b]
[u]School[/u] - Program / Admitted/Rejected/Waitlisted/Pending on (date) / Accepted/Declined
[u]School[/u] - Program / Admitted/Rejected/Waitlisted/Pending on (date) / Accepted/Declined
[u]School[/u] - Program / Admitted/Rejected/Waitlisted/Pending on (date) / Accepted/Declined

P.S. Please update your status if you can.

P.P.S. It would be great if you could also post your profile here: ucp.php?i=164
Then your information will be shown with everyone else's in a very organized form here: results.php

Undergrad Institution: University at Buffalo: big state, no reputation for math
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Physics
GPA in Major: 3.86
Overall GPA: 3.86
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: 1st (have departmental award to show it)
Type of Student: domestic white male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800/94%
V: 670/95%
W: 4.0/41%
M: 690/63%


Research Experience: Doing an honors thesis currently in representation theory/combinatorics (not my intended field).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Departmental award in mathematics (only recipient), schoolwide academic award (like 200 or so recipients), dean's list all but one semester, honors scholar, outside merit scholarship

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Held two internships at national labs, but just did programming.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Studied abroad? Have an absurd number of credit hours every semester, so I far surpass any school's recommended list of classes.

Special Bonus Points: One recommender is sorta well known in his field (had some famous results, is mentioned in most textbooks on the subject) and collaborates with people at almost all of the universities I'm applying, I've had 3 classes with him. Other recommender is undergraduate director and my thesis advisor, both of those recommendations are amazing. Taking a grad class this semester in differential geometry.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: My grades while studying abroad brought my GPA down quite a bit, mention it in my personal statement.

Applying to Where:
Research interest is {algebraic, differential} {geometry, topology}, slightly modified that list to appeal to individual school strengths


Berkeley Rejected. Email saying decision was available on website 3/4
Brown Rejected. Email saying decision was available on website 2/22
Columbia Rejected. Email saying decision was available on website 2/24
Michigan Rejected. Email 3/17
OSU Rejected. Response to email I sent to ask status 3/29
Penn Rejected. Response to email I sent to ask status 3/2
Texas Rejected. Checked application status 3/4
UIC Rejected. Checked application status 3/3

Utah Accepted! Email 2/12 -- $15k TA + $4k summers Declined
Washington Accepted! Email 2/27 -- $13.7k TA + $3.6k summers Attending!

Retrospective
Tough year all around, budget problems, record application numbers, etc., but even more so with an extremely crappy GRE score (I was getting 90+ percentile on the sample tests, screwed up the real thing... Note to future applicants: try to get it so you can take it more than once! I took mine in november, so I found out my score just as my first apps were due). Washington's grad admissions director said that it is likely many schools were simply throwing out applications with subpar GRE scores this year with so many applications for so few spots. This must have been what went wrong with the schools I considered safeties that I got rejected from (OSU, UIC), but who knows. Fortunately Washington doesn't put a lot of weight in GRE scores, grad admissions director joked about my score, but said that my strong recommendations more than compensated. Glad to be done, regardless.

Undergrad Institution: Foreign
Major(s): Math, stats
Minor(s):
GPA in Major: 3.92
Overall GPA: 3.88
Length of Degree: 9 semesters
Position in Class: ??
Type of Student: Domestic

GRE Scores:
Q: 800/94
V: 630/90
W: 5.5/92
M: 810/87

Research Experience: non-university lab, data mining, ~3 years part-time

Applying to Where:

Applying to stats programs

Berkeley - Rejected
Columbia - Rejected
Stanford - Rejected
Chicago - Waitlisted, revoked application
Harvard - Waitlisted, rejected
Stern - Revoked application after interviews
Northwestern - Never got a reply
Davis - Accepted
Yale - Accepted
Wharton - Accepted

Undergrad Institution: top ranked Liberal Arts school, not well-known for math
Major(s): Mathematics, Economics
GPA in Major: 3.92
Overall GPA: 3.89
Length of Degree: 4 Years
Position in Class: Near top, I think
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800/94
V: 700/97
W: 4.0/41 (???)
M: 810/87

Research Experience: 7 months full-time applied math/statistical physics research with a world famous pure mathematician at a prominent research institution. One paper in preparation to be co-authored with him.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Highest Honors awarded by external examiners (only awarded 4 times in mathematics in the past 12 years), Phi Beta Kappa

Special Bonus Points: I have taken two grad courses outside of my school that aren't on my transcript but are mentioned in my applications and recs. Strong recommendations.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I am primarily interested in algebraic/geometric topology and algebraic geometry.

Applying to Where:

Berkeley - Math
Chicago - Math - Accepted via email 1/26
MIT - Math - Rejected via email 2/9
Princeton - Math - Accepted via email 1/19
Stanford - Math - Accepted via email 1/28

(note: I applied to several other schools, but withdrew my applications)

Fellowships:

NSF
NDSEG

Undergrad Institution: Big state school, not a great math reputation but is at least considered a good "up and coming" school
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): None
GPA in Major: 4.0
Overall GPA: 3.97
Length of Degree: 4 year degree, but I completed it in 3 years
Position in Class: top I guess
Type of Student: Domestic white male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 / 94%
V: 680 / 96%
W: 4.5 / 63%
M: 740 / 74%

Research Experience: Semester long senior project got an original result in knot theory. No publication.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: A little merit scholarship for math/engineering. And of course Dean's list type stuff.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: no

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: 3 grad classes. I think my recommenders will be extremely positive, but they are not famous.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Completed the degree in 3 years, a lot of CS classes and programming experience in addition to the math

Applying to Where:

MIT - Rejected via email 2/9
Columbia - Rejected via website 2/24
NYU - Rejected via email 3/16 (actually admitted w/o funding)
Michigan - Rejected via email 3/17
Cornell - Rejected via email 3/10
Texas - Rejected via website 4/14
U of Penn - Rejected via website 3/15
Duke - Waiting list via website 3/11
Stony Brook - Rejected via email 3/12

In March, I put in a last minute application:

NC State - Accepted via email 4/12

Undergrad Institution: American University of Beirut
Major(s): Computer and communication engineer+ 1 year master in pure mathematics
Minor(s): Mathematics
GPA in Major: 3.5
GPA in math:4.0
Overall GPA: 3.5
Length of Degree: 4 years
Position in Class: 1st in mathematics
Type of Student: international

GRE Scores:
Q: 750/83%
V: 330/14%
W: 3.0/08%
M: 710/69%:s
TOEFL:96(iBT)

List + Deadlines:

University of Chicago :rejected via mail post february 24
UCLA: rejected via email March 5
Ohio State university : rejected via email April 1
University of Wisconsin: rejected via email february 16
University of brown: rejected via email to check status february 23

Penn state:
University of Temple: Accepted via email february 24

University of Kansas:
University of Michigan:rejected via email March 17

University of Toronto : rejected via email April 1

University of Purdue: rejected via email March 26
University of waterloo: :rejected via mail email february 24
Rice university:

Kentucky university:
University of Missouri:rejected via email April 5

Undergrad Institution: National Chiao Tung University
Grad Institution: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Major(s): Applied Mathematics, Biostatistics
GGPA in Major: 3.64
Overall GPA: 3.53
Length of Degree: 4 Years + 2 Years
Position in Class: under 17/43, grad 1/3 (not sure)
Type of Student: Permanent Resident of USA

GRE Scores:
Q: 800/94
V: 740/99
W: 4.0/41
M: 710/67

Research Experience: Summer intern in NCI, half year experience in Dept. of oncology, JHMI, special volunteer in NCI, and 2 years biostatistician in JHMI

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list for one semester, cancer research training award, Merica Institution Scholarship

Special Bonus Points: One journal paper published by PLoS ONE, one paper submitted to Annals of Internal Medicine, several conference abstracts, and invited talk in JHMI GIM Analyst Meeting

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I am primarily interested in statistical genetics and longitudinal data analysis

Applying to Where:

UNC - Biostat Accepted 2/22
U of Michigan - Biostat Rejected
U of Chicago - Human Genetics Interviewed
Cornell U - Tri-I Computational Biology and Medicine Interviewed and accepted with $33000 per year
JHU - Genetic Epidemiology Interviewed and accepted with half tuition waive
Washington U in St. Louis - Statistical Genetics, DBBS Interviewed and accepted with $27500 per year attending
Ohio State U - Biostat Accepted
U of Pitt - Biostat Accepted
CMU - Stat Rejected
U of Florida - Stat
U. of Wisconsin - Statistics Accepted
U. of Wisconsin - Population Health Interviewed and accepted with full scholarship2/18
UT MD Anderson Cancer Institute - Biomath/Biostat Interviewed and then accepted with $26000 2/5
TAMU - Stat
UPenn - Biostat Rejected
U of Rochester - Biostat and Computational Biology Rejected
Emory U - Biostat Rejected

Undergrad Institution: Sofia University (Sofia, Bulgaria)
Major(s):Applied Math
GPA: 6.00 out of 6.00

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 610 (88%)
W: 3.5 (23%)
M: 820 (88%)

TOEFL Score: (108 = R29/L28/S22/W29)

Program Applying: Pure Math

Research Experience: I have been working with a prof from my uni for almost a year on the non-convex sweeping process. We have some results, but no publications.
Awards: Several awards from math competitions for university students incl. first prize from the IMC.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I gave several lectures to the Bulgarian high-school math team during their IMO preparation.

I am applying only to pure math phd programs.

Applying to
Princeton - Rejected via e-mail on 02/11
MIT - Rejected Via e-mail on 02/09
University of California at Berkeley - Rejected via e-mail on 03/04
University of Chicago - Rejected via postal service on 02/27.
Caltech - Accepted via e-mail on 02/06 will not attend
Yale - Wait-listed via e-mail on 03/04
Brown - Accepted via e-mail on 02/08 will not attend
Duke - Accepted via e-mail on 02/17 will not attend
Stanford - Accepted via e-mail on 1/28 will attend
Harvard - Rejected via postal service on 03.03.

I applied to couple of other schools but withdrew my applications

shoutout to Kreutzer who PM'ed me about this....i wish we had all d applicants online, n could see all the profiles n stats....it would be scary, but nice....looking at d competition, knowing what schools pick what students, etc.....anyway good luck to everyone, even if we r applying to the same schools...i hope to see you there

Undergrad Institution: Lincoln University, small black lib arts school, PA (USA), no rep for math
Major(s): Math(3.91), Physics(3.57 - can't recall
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.61
Position in Class: Top
Type of Student: Foreign

GRE Scores:
Q: 770 (87%)
V: 620 (89%)
W: 3.5 (23%)
M: 520 (20%)

TOEFL Score: not applicable

Program Applying: (no particular order)
Cornell Univ - Operations Research
Columbia Univ - Operations Research
CMU - Operations Research
Princeton Univ - Operations Research
Stanford Univ - Operations Research
GA Tech - Stats & Operations Research
Iowa State Univ - BCB
Univ of Delaware - Math
Lehigh Univ - Math
UNC - Chapel Hill - - Operations Research
George Mason U - Operations Research
UC Mines - Math
Howard - Math

Research Experience:
Lincoln U, Bio-chem, 19mnths
U of Michigan, Physics, Summer
Lehigh U, Physics, Summer
ECSU, CS, 2 weeks - summer
Lincoln U, Math, 3 semesters
Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or

Conference talks: OS-APS, NSBP/NSHP, MAA, EPaDel-MAA

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Robert Ellis (NSBP), Best Presentation (OSA/SPIE), John M Tutt (Lincoln), Best Physical Sci Poster (Lincoln), 2nd Best Physical Sci Poster (Lincoln), Best 'Linear Algebra' student (Lincoln)...basically 1 major academic achievement award in physics (2 minor awards in math), and a bunch of presentation awards

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA - Math, Physics (3 years)

Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: i got nothing here except that i graduated from a HBCU - historically black college/univ --- hopefully my tops schools will pity me and ACCEPT ME even if its just to fill the diversity quota

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: i studied Comp Engr at Temple for 3 semesters prior going to study Math/Physics at Lincoln. While at Temple, I partied wayyyy too much, got bad grades....woke up one day and turned my life around, transferred to Lincoln to focus on my studies and actually managed to succeed so far -- GPA at Temple: 2.26, lots of D's and a couple F's. I also bummed the GRE Math

Undergrad Institution: PSU branch campus, no mathematics reputation
Major(s): Mathematical Sciences
GPA: 3.72
Position in Class: top, but doesn't mean much
Type of Student: Domestic, Male, Whitey McWhiterson

Undergrad Institution: Naval Postgraduate School
Major(s): Meteorology
GPA: 3.59
Length of Degree: 1 year
Position in Class: unknown

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 560 (77%)
W: 5.0 (81%)
M: 720 (70%) (increased from 620/45%)

Program Applying: Applied Math (fluids)

Research Experience: No academic research experience.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: nothing major
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored mathematics and other classes for a few years in college. Served as a weather officer in the USAF. Two years software development experience writing and validating scientific codes.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Veteran, CA resident (helps for the UCs).

Applying to Where:
UMD (Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation) - no reply by 15 APR, withdrawing application
PSU - no reply by 15 APR, withdrawing application
JHU (Applied Mathematics & Statistics) - 09-MAR acceptance email, IGERT fellowship $30k
Temple - 22-MAR withdrew, though they emailed me on 15 APR expressing interest
UDEL - 01-MAR acceptance email, $24k RA-ship
UCSD - 29-MAR rejected via email
UCSB - 31-MAR acceptance email, $16.6k TA-ship.. ATTENDING!
UCI - 12-MAR acceptance email, $16.6k TA-ship
UCSC - 24-FEB acceptance email, $16.6k TA-ship

Thoughts: Pretty bummed that I didn't hear back from UMD, but shocked overall that I only had one real rejection. In hindsight I probably should have aimed slightly higher. I believe my fit within each of the departments contributed largely to my success. Had I scored ~80% on the subject GRE, I would have felt more confident applying to top programs.

Undergrad Institution: Ivy, good reputation in math and physics
Major(s): Math
Minor(s): CS
GPA in Major: 3.47
Overall GPA: 3.38
Length of Degree: 4 (graduated in 2008)
Position in Class: not sure. probably not much better than average.
Type of Student: US citizen, white, male.

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 710 (98%)
W: 4.5 (63%)
M: 860 (94%)
Physics: 990 (95%)

Program Applying: Pure Math (interested in algebra, topology, mathematical physics)

Research Experience: an undergrad thesis, but not really anything notable.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TAed for a summer math program. Been doing some tutoring since graduating. Studying math and physics topics on my own.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: ambitious course work?

Applying to Where:
MIT - Rejected by email (2/9)
UC Berkeley - Rejected by email (3/4)
Cornell - Rejected by email (3/10)
UT Austin - Rejected by website (3/4)
UI Urbana-Champaign - Wait list by post (3/4) then rejected by email (4/12)
SUNY Stony Brook - Rejected by email (3/12)
UW Seattle - Rejected by email (2/27)
Georgia Tech - Accepted by email (2/17), TAship + 5.5k/yr fellowship - attending
UC Santa Barbara - Rejected by website (4/27)
U Colorado Boulder - Accepted by email (2/18), TAship - declined
USC - Accepted by email (2/10), 30k/yr fellowship for 2 years - declined
Colorado State - Accepted by email (3/4), TAship - declined

Undergrad Institution: top state school, decent in math
Major(s): math, physics
GPA: 3.98 math, 3.89 overall
Position in Class: top or near top
Type of Student: domestic white male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 710 (98%)
W: 4.5 (63%)
M: 740 (74%)

Program Applying: pure and applied math

Research Experience: Honors thesis in applied math, applied math REU. Some presentations, but no refereed publications.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Department award for algebra, phi beta kappa, merit scholarship
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: grader, undergrad research (paid)
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:
3 solid letters from professors with connections
ambitious course work, 7 grad courses
year at Oxford

Applying to Where:
University of Cambridge - Part III of the Mathematics Tripos (MASt, DAMTP) Jan. 26 - Accepted to DAMTP via website. Feb. 9 - Accepted to Churchill College
(Didn't get Churchill or Gates scholarships. We'll see if I can get funding before April 15.)
Stanford - Mathematics Feb. 3 - Rejected via email
Berkeley - Mathematics Mar. 4 - Rejected via website
UCLA - Mathematics Feb. 11 - Accepted via email, with fellowship (reduced teaching) One of my top choices!
Princeton - Applied and Computational Math Feb. 15 - Waitlisted via email. They contacted my advisor earlier this month saying I was on a short list and asking if I'd accept if made an offer. Couldn't give a definite yes, so I got waitlisted. They took 9 out of 117.
NYU - Mathematics Feb. 10 - accepted without financial support effectively rejected
Brown - Applied Mathematics Feb. 23 - Rejected via website
University of Washington, Seattle - Math Feb. 23 - accepted via email, with fellowship in PDE and Inverse problems declined Mar 3
University of Washington, Seattle - Applied Math Feb. 5 - Accepted via email, with fellowship (no teaching duties first year) declined Mar 3
Caltech - Control and Dynamical Systems
Duke - Mathematics Feb. 9 - Accepted via email, with funding

Undergrad Institution: in India
Major(s): Engineering Physics
Minor(s): -
GPA: 8.7/10
Position in Class: ??
Type of Student: International, male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94)
V: 660 (94)
W: 5 (77)
M: 850 (93)

TOEFL Score: (111 = R30,S23,L28,W30)

Program Applying: Pure Math

Research Experience: Undergraduate thesis and summer internship
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: -
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: -
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Taking grad classes outside my department (phy) to pursue math

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:
(All PhD in Math, waitin for results)
Berkeley - reject via Email to check website on 4th March
Caltech - reject via Email on 13th March
Cornell - reject via Email on 10th March
Michigan - reject via Email on 17th March
Minnesota
Purdue - reject via Email on 27th March .. this totally sucks
UCLA - reject via Email to check website on 10th April , previously waitlisted
UCSD - - reject via Email on 11th March
Washington, University of, Seattle - Accepted, unofficial letter on 3rd April 2010, was previously waitlisted. ATTENDING
Yale - reject via email to check website on 24th Feb

Undergrad Institution: foreign (South Korea)
Overall Reputation in Mathematics? 4th? not sure..
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Nope
GPA: 3.65/4.50
Position in Class: my GPA is not good in our school.
Type of Student: International (South Korean), male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 670 (95%)
W: 2.5 (03%)
M: 870 (96%)

TOEFL Score: (84 = 28/20/18/18)

Program Applying: Applied Math

Research Experience: Just small research for undergraduate students about iterative methods
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: I don't have any awards, but I saw sofia univ student who has got first prize in IMC. I've also participated IMC in sofia, and I got only certification.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I'm living around Notre Dame and attending Numerical class under Prof Andrew Sommese.

Applying to Where:
University of Chicago -Rejected
UC Berkeley - Accepted
Temple University - Accepted
Duke University - waitlist
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
Purdue University - Rejected
Penn state University
UC San Diego - Accepted
OxfordSchool - Numerical Group - waitlist

My English is terrible now.. So I'm trying to study both math and English in US. Do you think that I could get an admission from these lists? Could I get any opinion from you guys?

Undergrad Institution: Ivy with good math reputation
Major: Mathematics
GPA: 3.76 overall, 3.9 major GPA
Type of Student: American

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 490 (??)
W: 5.5 (92%)
M: 700 (66 %)

Program Applying: pure math

Research Experience: 3 summers of research: 1 in mathematical modeling, 2 in pure math. Author on 1 paper published in journal "Algebraic and Geometric Topology", 1 paper in preparation, and 1 abstract presented at a professional conference. Participated in 1 competitive REU.

Awards/Honors/Recognition: dean's list, other GPA related things.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Teaching Assistant, paid undergrad research, tutor for the university for 2 years.

Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:
Graduating with a masters and a bachelors in math in 4 years, completed 12 graduate courses.

Applying to where:
Harvard- Rejected.
Princeton- Rejected.
MIT- Rejected.
Stanford- Rejected.
Columbia- Rejected.
Wisconsin-Rejected.
Yale- Accepted via e-mail on 3/4/10.
NYU-Accepted to PhD program without funding, i.e. rejection
Cornell- Accepted via e-mail on 2/5/10.
Michigan, Ann Arbor- Accepted via e-mail on 2/8/10.
Chicago- Rejected.
Duke- Accepted via e-mail on 2/26/10.
Brown- Rejected.
UCSD- Accepted via e-mail on 2/22/10.
Maryland-
Stony Brook- Received a "are you still interested?" email. Told them I would most likely decline an offer if given one
UT Austin- Accepted via e-mail on 2/12/10.

Undergrad Institution: Big state school, no ranking whatsoever in Mathematics or any other academic endeavor
Major(s): Mathematics - B.S. and M.A.
GPA: 3.5 undergrad, 3.0 graduate
Position in Class: no idea. 3.5 would have qualified me to graduate "with honors"
Type of Student: dwm

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 770 (99%)
W: 4.5 (63%)
M: 810 (87%)

Program Applying: Pure Math, Applied Math, Computational Finance, Statistics. (Leaning towards Pure Maths, though)

Research Experience: Submitted one paper in elementary number theory to a prominent journal. May or may not get accepted, although I did provide the schools to which I'm applying with a copy of the paper.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Was a graduate TA while I did my Masters. Worked for about a year in an Actuarial job.

Applying to Where:
University of Minnesota - Mathematics -- Rejected
Indiana University (Bloomington) - Mathematics -- Rejected 4/22/10
Purdue University - Statistics -- Rejected 4/21/10
Purdue University - Mathematics -- Rejected 3/15/10

Undergrad Institution: Medium State School... It has a PhD program, and is listed on the AMS graduate studies guide, but otherwise unknown.
Major(s): Math
Minor(s): Math (LOL) I've had 43 units of upper-level math.
GPA: 3.35, 3.6 Math
Position in Class: No idea
Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE Scores:
Q: 720 (75%) (Didn't finish the last three problems, lol)
V: 520 (69%)
W: 4.0 (49%)
I didn't pay attention, and missed the registration deadline for the subject exam.

Program Applying: Applied / Computational Mathematics

Research Experience: I did a year in an undergraduate research position in a material science laboratory. I was able to present my results as a display at the 2009 American Physical Society meeting in Pittsburgh.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: A couple of departmental awards, a 10 on the putnam. (LOL)
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Math tutor.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Air Force vet, active security clearance.

Applying to Where:
University of Nevada - Las Vegas - PhD, Applied Math
University of Kansas - Lawrence - PhD, Math/Applied Math
University of South Carolina - Columbia - PhD, Applied Math
Virginia Tech University - PhD (Masters), Applied Math
Arizona State University - Masters, Applied Math/Engineering Rejected via Website, 2/17. It was my safety school, sorta. Now I'm bummed.
Georgetown University - Masters, Math/Statistics

Undergrad Institution: (Big State, well known in math.)
Major(s): Math
Minor(s): Physics
GPA: 3.91
Major GPA: 3.94
Position in Class: I guess near the top... I'm not sure
Type of Student: White male

GRE Scores:
Q: 790 92%
V: 590 84%
W: 5.0 81%
M: 660 56% & (Ya.... I don't wake up really well at 7:30 am....)

TOEFL Score: n/a

Program Applying: Pure math

Research Experience: 2 REUs, Senior honors thesis with an influential mathematician. Nice results, will probably publish.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Honors in the major, department math scholarships, schoolwide academic scholarships, statewide academic scholarship.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutored for 4 years
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Had 2 letters from some of the most well known mathematicians in their field!
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Idk.. 19 math classes, stated in my personal statement that I had no clue what field I wanted to specialize in, sucked on the GRE (somehow there seemed to be a lot of questions ~10-12 on classes I hadn't taken),

Applying to Where:
Madison rejected
Minnesota
Illinois waitlisted aka rejected
Indiana Accepted
Michigan St. Accepted
Ohio St.

You know,this is a really scary message board. I'm an older student completing a master's degree in pure mathematics at the City University Of New York with a projected 3.7 GPA. And there are students here with nearly 4.00 gpas,much younger then I am with professional level research AND THEY'RE GETTING REJECTED FROM TOP TIER SCHOOLS!! WHAT IS GOING ON?!? You have to show you can solve the Riemann hypothesis at age 22 before getting accepted to a PHD program in these places?!?
Andrew L.

Hey Andrew L,
Where are you getting your Master's from? I've been out of school for 4 years and am now applying to City College's masters in program in math (with the intent to apply for PhD program either fall 2010 or fall 2011). I'm wondering if you could shed any light on how competitive the application for this program is (i.e. where did you apply, what were your application and scores like, where were you accepted?). With a BA in math from NYU, Magna cum Laude, Dean's List, one Summer REU, many grader positions for undergrad classes, tutor for university and privately since graduation, good GRE scores (no subject test - applying before taking it in April), and good letters, I feel like CCNY is possibly a safe school? But I have no idea! :-/
-John

b]Undergrad Institution: Foreign, not well known
Major(s):math
undergrad GPA:~3,6
Grad GPA:4.00
Position in Class:2/80
Type of Student:International,male

GRE Scores:
Q:800
V:320
W:3
M:780 (82%)

TOEFL Score:104

Program Applying: Pure Math


Research Experience:Yes, but no results
Pertinent Activities or Jobs:TA for two years
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: took about 16 courses in desired field of study
All in pure Math

Berkeley rejected via website on 3/5
Chicago rejected via postal service on 3/5
Cornell rejected via e-mail on 3/10
Urbana Champaign waitlisted via postal service on 3/12
University of Michigan rejected via e-mail on 3/17
Illinois,Chicago waitlisted via e-mail on 3/4
Stony Brook rejected via e-mail on 3/16
Michigan State Accepted via e-mail on 2/16 Attending!
USC Accepted via e-mail on 3/30 declined
Vanderbilt Accepted via e-mail declined
Miami Accepted via e-mail on 3/11 declined
Brown rejected via website on 2/23

Hi all,
I applied PHD program in Mathematics this year. Unfortunately I haven't received any accept letters from the schools I applied and I am frustrated. If you wish to not attend the schools you got acceptences , please turn down the offers as soon as possible. It's completeley up to you, but if you do that I would really appreciate it.

Applied to programs in pure math


Undergrad Institution: Public University in Germany (good reputation in applied math
1 year @ IIT in India
Major(s):Math
Minor(s):Physics
GPA:3.9 (converted)
Position in Class: not determined (not customary here), but top in most exams
Type of Student: International German


GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 560 (77%)
W: 4.0 (41%)
M: 900 (99%)

TOEFL Score: (112= R30/L29/S24/W29) (if applicable)

Program Applying: Pure Math


Research Experience: In Germany: Most convex bodies take curvature values 0 and infty on their surface a.e.
Most convex bodies contain infinite geodesics
--> 3 pubs, 1 thesis, 1 conference talk

@IIT research in value distribution of analytic functions and polytopes (no publications, several talks at IIT)


Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 1 Scholarship (for my visit to India)
several smaller math comp, always 1st, but no greater one
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor for children with learning disabilities
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Diplom in Germany which is equiv to a US masters with research
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:
5 languages fluent

Applying to Where:
Berkeley - Rejected
NYU - Admitted
UWashington - Admitted

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts school, virtually unheard of
Major(s): Mathematics and Electrical Engineering Double Degree
Minor(s):
GPA:3.42
Position in Class: Near Top
Type of Student: Domestic Male

GRE Scores:
Q: 790(92%)
V: 530 (70%)
W: 4.5(63%)
M: 720 (70%). Up from 620(45%)

Program Applying: Pure Math/Applied Math/Electrical Engineering

Research Experience: One summer REU, using wavelets for voice printing owls, not very successful, started with very bad data
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Tau Beta Pi, 4 year presidential merit scholarship, honorable mention at AMC programming competition
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Interned at Boeing for two summers, tutored for two years, coached grade school math team
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Nothing other than double degree in 4.5 years

Applying to Where:
University of Washington - Pure Math Rejected on ~March 5, email
University of Washington - Electrical Engineering Rejected on Feb 23, email
Stony Brook - Pure Math Rejected on March 13, email
University of Michiganl - Electrical Engineering:Systems Admitted on Feb 23, interaction w/ professor Accepted
Berkeley - Electrical Engineering Rejected on Feb 15. email/website
Brown - Applied Math Rejected on Feb 23, email/website
Duke - Pure Math Pending
University of Virginia - Pure Math Pending
Rice - Applied Math Pending

Undergrad Institution: Public School in Germany. No particular reputation in math.

Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Computer Science
GPA: 4.0 (converted)
Position in Class: not determined (not customary here, but pretty much at the top)
Type of Student: International german

GRE Scores:
Q: 770 (87%)
V: 440 (52%)
W: 4.5 (63%)
M: 690 (61%)

TOEFL Score: 108

Program Applying: Applied Math

Research Experience: Four months research assistant, two publications, minor conferences.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Research funding during assistanship
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TAed for four years
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Diploma (MSc equivalent) in Mathematics
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Spent a year abroad at canadian university

Applying to Where:
Berkeley - Rejected
UCLA - Rejected
NYU - Accepted for masters without funding (NYU version of a rejection)
U of Toronto - Accepted with funding and tuition waiver (will not attend)
Penn State University - Accepted with funding and tuition waiver (will not attend)
UBC - Accepted with funding and tuition waiver (will attend)


In restrospect: It seems to me that the universities care a lot about finding a good match with respect to overlapping research interest. I got great feedback from the universities I was admitted to and standard rejection lettters from the others, which can not only be explained by rankings.

Undergrad Institution: Prestigious private school, very highly ranked in Mathematics
Major(s): Mathematics, Statistics
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.7 (Overall and in major)
Position in Class: Above average (no idea beyond this)
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE Scores:
Q: 800 (94%)
V: 700 (97%)
W: 6.0 (97%)
M: DID NOT SUBMIT

TOEFL Score: NA

Program Applying: Statistics PhD

Research Experience: One Mathematics REU at undergrad institution. 1 year full-time (plus 6 months part-time) research assistant to a prominent professor in a different but related field.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Just GPA stuff
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: None
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Several grad classes in Statistics.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:
UC Berkeley - Statistics / Rejected
Stanford - Statistics / Rejected
Washington - Statistics / Rejected (no funding for this program 2010-11)
Columbia - Statistics / Rejected
Harvard - Statistics / Admitted
Wisconsin - Statistics / Admitted
Michigan - Statistics / Admitted

I am very puzzle about GRE Exam. I got 11 percentile in GRE MATH SUBJECT. Please help me how can I get higher score? Is "Cracking the GRE Mathematics Subject Test, 4th Edition" is differ from Cracking the GRE Mathematics Subject Test, 3rd Edition. Should I purchase it?? How can I increase my speed?

Wow, you're all guys! Do you know if being female helps at all in applications?