Help for an undecided student

Forum for the GRE subject test in mathematics.
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Mellvarr
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed May 21, 2014 6:09 pm

Help for an undecided student

Post by Mellvarr » Wed May 21, 2014 6:30 pm

I have a passion for mathematics, particularly in calculus and topology, and I've very recently graduated from an unremarkable university in Illinois. However, I didn't have plans for grad school until a professor pulled me aside and made some compelling arguments, so I have no prep work done. On top of that, I was a transfer student with a year of untreated depression (under control now) and my 3.0 GPA, while not an accurate representation of my abilities, will probably hold me back.

Currently my decision to go on hinges on who would be willing to take a risk on me, and how much financial help I can get (basically broke right now). Given that I'm shooting for a PhD, what are my prospects? Is there any place in or near Illinois that you would recommend?

tsloth
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 11:22 am

Re: Help for an undecided student

Post by tsloth » Thu May 22, 2014 11:55 am

I think your best resource is that professor. He or she probably has a better sense than you do of where you'd fit and, I imagine, a lot of confidence in your abilities (given that he or she pulled you aside in the first place!)

Applying to grad school is expensive (fees for GREs, applications, etc.), but you should not have to take on additional debt to attend grad school. Funded admits are the norm at most places, and you shouldn't attend anywhere that won't give you cash.

Good luck!



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