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Advice on Ph d programs I can apply to

Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2018 8:29 pm
by seven
Hi,
I am hoping to get some advice about what Phd schools I have a shot at. I didn't do great as an undergrad, I got a 3.1 general GPA, 3.4 math GPA. I got into a masters program and got a 3.8 GPA there. I have no publications, but I did research as an undergrad. I should have good letters of rec. I have been working in web development for a year since graduating. I haven't taken the Math GRE test yet. I am a dwf and I have a family, so I need to stay in the California/Nevada/Oregon region.

There's a few subjects I'm interested in, so I'm more concerned at this point of just knowing where I stand. Are there any UC schools or schools in Oregon or Nevada I could look at?

I will be applying for Fall 2019.

Thanks for the help! :)

Re: Advice on Ph d programs I can apply to

Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2018 8:36 pm
by thecaffeinemachine
Except UCLA and UC Berkeley, you probably have a shot at most schools in that region. Take a look at UOregon, UCSD, UCDavis etc.

If you could say what your area of interest is, maybe we would be able to narrow it down.

Re: Advice on Ph d programs I can apply to

Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2018 9:12 pm
by djysyed
These are fairly important as well:

Prestige of attended institutions:
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, etc...)
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...)
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

You may want to look at https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-sc ... s-rankings as these are the most accurate rankings. Of course, it really depends on which area of mathematics you want to go into and what you would like to do afterwards. Schools like UCB and UCLA are very tough and require 100% attention to mathematics courses and research. As a result, you may not have the flexibility to take programming courses in case you want to work in the industry.

Re: Advice on Ph d programs I can apply to

Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2018 9:30 pm
by seven
Here's more info as requested!

Research interest: Geometric Group Theory
Prestige of Undergrad: Top 35
Prestige of Grad: Top 75
Awards: Numerous in undergrad and grad through Math departments.
Pertinent Activities: Math Tutor, Math TA, President of Math Club, coach of a high school math team, created a statewide math circle
Misc: I think one of the professors I will ask a letter from is somewhat well known. Also, I am female.

Thanks everyone for the help :D

Re: Advice on Ph d programs I can apply to

Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2018 10:54 pm
by superballzach
seven wrote:Here's more info as requested!

Research interest: Geometric Group Theory
Prestige of Undergrad: Top 35
Prestige of Grad: Top 75
Awards: Numerous in undergrad and grad through Math departments.
Pertinent Activities: Math Tutor, Math TA, President of Math Club, coach of a high school math team, created a statewide math circle
Misc: I think one of the professors I will ask a letter from is somewhat well known. Also, I am female.

Thanks everyone for the help :D
Look into UC Santa Barbara. They are strong in geometric group theory.

Re: Advice on Ph d programs I can apply to

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 12:03 am
by djysyed
Which graduate courses have you taken? I was told that Masters holding students are generally held to higher expectations since they should have taken quite a few graduate courses. At my school, PhD students with a previous masters are expected to pass the written qualifying exam within a year.

Re: Advice on Ph d programs I can apply to

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 12:51 am
by seven
I've taken graduate courses in algebra, analysis, differential geometry, cryptology, stochastic processes, a special topics course in algebra, a special topics course in geometry and topology.