2018 Math REU Thread

Forum for the GRE subject test in mathematics.
ALG1997
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:23 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ALG1997 » Fri Mar 02, 2018 6:27 pm

djysyed wrote:
ALG1997 wrote:I emailed Berkeley and Clemson about if my application was still being considered, and neither has replied. It's been 3 days, and since I've been rejected by Chicago and MSRI, I'm getting worried. Why don't programs notify you if you've been declined? And I'm the top sophomore at my school, so what do they expect? If the people who have been accepted don't mind, what are your stats? What classes have you taken, have you done research before, etc?
Chicago is primarily UChicago students so don't be too worried. From what I've seen, REUs really just accept students with all sorts of backgrounds. Rise mentioned above that quite a few of his peers didn't really know much mathematics beyond group theory. If you're someone who has taken graduate courses, then you attend an institution where there is research so, REUs will wonder why you haven't chosen to do research at your own institution.
I've taken the real analysis sequence, I'm finishing the abstract algebra sequence, and I'm also in graduate complex analysis. 4.0 Math GPA (3.8 overall), and a sophomore. There are no research opportunities at my school, except for masters students writing a thesis. Trust me, I've asked. What am I supposed to do if I don't get in anywhere? How can people who haven't taken most of these courses get into REUs but I can't? I feel like my hard work has been a waste.

triscuitador
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:24 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by triscuitador » Fri Mar 02, 2018 6:50 pm

ALG1997 wrote:
djysyed wrote:
ALG1997 wrote:I emailed Berkeley and Clemson about if my application was still being considered, and neither has replied. It's been 3 days, and since I've been rejected by Chicago and MSRI, I'm getting worried. Why don't programs notify you if you've been declined? And I'm the top sophomore at my school, so what do they expect? If the people who have been accepted don't mind, what are your stats? What classes have you taken, have you done research before, etc?
Chicago is primarily UChicago students so don't be too worried. From what I've seen, REUs really just accept students with all sorts of backgrounds. Rise mentioned above that quite a few of his peers didn't really know much mathematics beyond group theory. If you're someone who has taken graduate courses, then you attend an institution where there is research so, REUs will wonder why you haven't chosen to do research at your own institution.
I've taken the real analysis sequence, I'm finishing the abstract algebra sequence, and I'm also in graduate complex analysis. 4.0 Math GPA (3.8 overall), and a sophomore. There are no research opportunities at my school, except for masters students writing a thesis. Trust me, I've asked. What am I supposed to do if I don't get in anywhere? How can people who haven't taken most of these courses get into REUs but I can't? I feel like my hard work has been a waste.
Remember that most of these REU programs are directed toward juniors, and limit the number of sophomores they accept. I had more or less the same background as you when I was a sophomore, and I didn't get a single acceptance letter.

ptnkt1215
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:14 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ptnkt1215 » Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:36 pm

triscuitador wrote: Remember that most of these REU programs are directed toward juniors, and limit the number of sophomores they accept. I had more or less the same background as you when I was a sophomore, and I didn't get a single acceptance letter.
May I ask what did you do during the sophomore summer? I've had an industry internship last year so I don't want to work in the industry again.

djysyed
Posts: 359
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2017 9:59 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by djysyed » Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:40 pm

ALG1997 wrote: I've taken the real analysis sequence, I'm finishing the abstract algebra sequence, and I'm also in graduate complex analysis. 4.0 Math GPA (3.8 overall), and a sophomore. There are no research opportunities at my school, except for masters students writing a thesis. Trust me, I've asked. What am I supposed to do if I don't get in anywhere? How can people who haven't taken most of these courses get into REUs but I can't? I feel like my hard work has been a waste.
Professors won't supervise reading courses? You could also pick up advanced textbooks in courses you've already taken and go through them quite thoroughly. During the winter, I started going through Atiyah-Macdonald and tried solving ALL the problems. It was a great way for me to strengthen my understanding of commutative algebra and learn basic things in Algebraic Geometry.

Not having research doesn't mean you won't get into a top 10 graduate program, with the exception of Princeton. It certainly helps but, if you can go above and beyond in all of your graduate courses, you'll get some phenomenal letters of recommendation, which hold much more weight than research.
triscuitador wrote: Remember that most of these REU programs are directed toward juniors, and limit the number of sophomores they accept. I had more or less the same background as you when I was a sophomore, and I didn't get a single acceptance letter.
I still don't see why a Junior with basic knowledge of real analysis and abstract algebra is better than a Freshman who knows topology, real + complex, abstract, etc. Maybe academic maturity but the REU at my school was primarily second and third year undergrads. Many of whom had already studied A-M and some AG as well.

starlord37
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 12:27 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by starlord37 » Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:01 pm

etianss wrote:
Where do you get these stats, just curious?
lol just compare rejection emails from this year with last years. some this year explicitly say how many more applicants they got as well

Rise
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 6:48 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by Rise » Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:10 pm

starlord37 wrote:
etianss wrote:
Where do you get these stats, just curious?
lol just compare rejection emails from this year with last years. some this year explicitly say how many more applicants they got as well
I can provide some data for this from 2017.

Duluth: 120
Auburn: 250
Seattle University: 350
Fresno: 300
SMALL: Over 500

starlord37
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 12:27 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by starlord37 » Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:11 pm

djysyed wrote: You could also pick up advanced textbooks in courses you've already taken and go through them quite thoroughly. During the winter, I started going through Atiyah-Macdonald and tried solving ALL the problems. It was a great way for me to strengthen my understanding of commutative algebra and learn basic things in Algebraic Geometry.
You did ALL the problems in Atiyah-Mcdonald?! How? That's so cool. A grad student once told me if I wanted to study algebraic geometry in grad school I should do all the problems in A-M while in undergrad. I know A-M is the standard but I didn't really like it that much and I had no idea how to do the problems lol

starlord37
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 12:27 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by starlord37 » Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:24 pm

djysyed wrote:
Chicago is primarily UChicago students so don't be too worried. From what I've seen, REUs really just accept students with all sorts of backgrounds. Rise mentioned above that quite a few of his peers didn't really know much mathematics beyond group theory. If you're someone who has taken graduate courses, then you attend an institution where there is research so, REUs will wonder why you haven't chosen to do research at your own institution.
This isn't true. At least 50% of the kids at REUs come from schools that have math grad programs or otherwise have math research opportunities and many have taken grad courses. That percentage goes up even more at the more 'prestigious' REUs. Often times REU programs are better than research opportunities at school or can offer research opportunities in an area that isn't studied at your research university. I'm fairly sure if you have grad courses, REUs will be more interested in you.

starlord37
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 12:27 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by starlord37 » Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:30 pm

djysyed wrote: I still don't see why a Junior with basic knowledge of real analysis and abstract algebra is better than a Freshman who knows topology, real + complex, abstract, etc. Maybe academic maturity but the REU at my school was primarily second and third year undergrads. Many of whom had already studied A-M and some AG as well.
Because REUs primary goals are to give you research experience and to help you figure out if grad school is right for you. A qualified junior needs this more urgently than a (potentially highly) qualified freshman/sophomore.

djysyed
Posts: 359
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2017 9:59 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by djysyed » Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:34 pm

starlord37 wrote: You did ALL the problems in Atiyah-Mcdonald?! How? That's so cool.
Woah, I haven't solved all of them yet. Things get slightly tough after problem number 15 because the problems are about Spec of the new algebraic structures mention in the chapter. I spent 6-8 hours a day in winter and only managed to finish all the problems of the first two chapters. Just finished all the problems in chapter 3 last week :D.
starlord37 wrote: A grad student once told me if I wanted to study algebraic geometry in grad school I should do all the problems in A-M while in undergrad. I know A-M is the standard but I didn't really like it that much and I had no idea how to do the problems lol
Exactly! My professors and other graduate students are on my back about this. There is one grad student who did the same thing and his knowledge of Algebra is untouchable. The thing about A-M is that its well known for its terse presentation of the material and for its later problems. The later problems hold tremendous importance in Algebraic Geometry and it takes an Algebraic Geometer to bring out the beauty. Last week I met with my advisor and he asked me to present the proof of problem 3.23. Then he asked me to describe what a sheaf is in categorical terms using parts 1-5 of the problem. We then spent 5 minutes going over examples of sheaves and what a sheafification is. Although this went over my head, the conversation will come back once I formally study sheaves.

In theory, you could go through A-M with only a basic understanding of group and ring theory but, unless your undergrad algebra course was at the level of a top 10 school, it'll be almost impossible to get through A-M in a semester.

starlord37
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 12:27 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by starlord37 » Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:45 pm

djysyed wrote:
Not having research doesn't mean you won't get into a top 10 graduate program, with the exception of Princeton. It certainly helps but, if you can go above and beyond in all of your graduate courses, you'll get some phenomenal letters of recommendation, which hold much more weight than research.
If I may add, a grad school committee's number one objective is to determine if you are capable/have the potential of doing research. One of the best ways to prove your potential is to have done research, and publications help even more. Letters of recommendation usually have more weight than the actual research you do because usually undergrad research isn't that substantial. However, a professor you've done research with can speak to your potential to do graduate level research much better than a professor you've only had classes with. But research isn't everything and certainly ALG1997 can get into any top 10 without it. It's not like you will be using recs from research after sophomore/freshman year for grad school anyways, so you really only need to do research summer after junior year...

Tianma799
Posts: 61
Joined: Fri May 05, 2017 1:29 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by Tianma799 » Sat Mar 03, 2018 7:15 am

djysyed wrote:
starlord37 wrote: You did ALL the problems in Atiyah-Mcdonald?! How? That's so cool.
Woah, I haven't solved all of them yet. Things get slightly tough after problem number 15 because the problems are about Spec of the new algebraic structures mention in the chapter. I spent 6-8 hours a day in winter and only managed to finish all the problems of the first two chapters. Just finished all the problems in chapter 3 last week :D.
starlord37 wrote: A grad student once told me if I wanted to study algebraic geometry in grad school I should do all the problems in A-M while in undergrad. I know A-M is the standard but I didn't really like it that much and I had no idea how to do the problems lol
Exactly! My professors and other graduate students are on my back about this. There is one grad student who did the same thing and his knowledge of Algebra is untouchable. The thing about A-M is that its well known for its terse presentation of the material and for its later problems. The later problems hold tremendous importance in Algebraic Geometry and it takes an Algebraic Geometer to bring out the beauty. Last week I met with my advisor and he asked me to present the proof of problem 3.23. Then he asked me to describe what a sheaf is in categorical terms using parts 1-5 of the problem. We then spent 5 minutes going over examples of sheaves and what a sheafification is. Although this went over my head, the conversation will come back once I formally study sheaves.

In theory, you could go through A-M with only a basic understanding of group and ring theory but, unless your undergrad algebra course was at the level of a top 10 school, it'll be almost impossible to get through A-M in a semester.
Wow.....I really admire you, I am still reading van der Waerden actually...

Rara22
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2018 10:01 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by Rara22 » Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:40 am

For those who got accepted to Berkeley’s REU, when were you told to reply by? I’m close to the top on the waitlist and was wondering when I should expect to hear if I’ve received a spot.

triscuitador
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:24 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by triscuitador » Sat Mar 03, 2018 1:02 pm

ptnkt1215 wrote:
triscuitador wrote: Remember that most of these REU programs are directed toward juniors, and limit the number of sophomores they accept. I had more or less the same background as you when I was a sophomore, and I didn't get a single acceptance letter.
May I ask what did you do during the sophomore summer? I've had an industry internship last year so I don't want to work in the industry again.
I worked at CVS, since I needed to work in some way to pay for school.

Topologically
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 5:57 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by Topologically » Sat Mar 03, 2018 2:06 pm

Rara22 wrote:For those who got accepted to Berkeley’s REU, when were you told to reply by? I’m close to the top on the waitlist and was wondering when I should expect to hear if I’ve received a spot.
Which REU from berkeley do you mean? The topology one, or the data science MSRI UP one?

ALG1997
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:23 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ALG1997 » Sat Mar 03, 2018 2:40 pm

triscuitador wrote:
ptnkt1215 wrote:
triscuitador wrote: Remember that most of these REU programs are directed toward juniors, and limit the number of sophomores they accept. I had more or less the same background as you when I was a sophomore, and I didn't get a single acceptance letter.
May I ask what did you do during the sophomore summer? I've had an industry internship last year so I don't want to work in the industry again.
I worked at CVS, since I needed to work in some way to pay for school.
This is exactly what I don't want to end up doing, no offense. That sounds like a wasted summer, compared to the students who are getting paid to do an REU.

ya
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2018 12:22 am

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ya » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:19 pm

Rara22 wrote:For those who got accepted to Berkeley’s REU, when were you told to reply by? I’m close to the top on the waitlist and was wondering when I should expect to hear if I’ve received a spot.
March 12th. I rejected right away, so hopefully it helps!

Rara22
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2018 10:01 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by Rara22 » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:21 pm

Topologically wrote:
Rara22 wrote:For those who got accepted to Berkeley’s REU, when were you told to reply by? I’m close to the top on the waitlist and was wondering when I should expect to hear if I’ve received a spot.
Which REU from berkeley do you mean? The topology one, or the data science MSRI UP one?
The topology one

Rara22
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2018 10:01 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by Rara22 » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:23 pm

ya wrote:
Rara22 wrote:For those who got accepted to Berkeley’s REU, when were you told to reply by? I’m close to the top on the waitlist and was wondering when I should expect to hear if I’ve received a spot.
March 12th. I rejected right away, so hopefully it helps!
Thank you!

djysyed
Posts: 359
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2017 9:59 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by djysyed » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:28 pm

ALG1997 wrote: This is exactly what I don't want to end up doing, no offense. That sounds like a wasted summer, compared to the students who are getting paid to do an REU.
I understand how you feel. However, I decided to work for a food truck since it shows that I can do non-math jobs and interact with people just fine.

ptnkt1215
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:14 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ptnkt1215 » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:45 pm

djysyed wrote:
ALG1997 wrote: This is exactly what I don't want to end up doing, no offense. That sounds like a wasted summer, compared to the students who are getting paid to do an REU.
I understand how you feel. However, I decided to work for a food truck since it shows that I can do non-math jobs and interact with people just fine.
Second this. Worked in a consulting firm in the first summer, which helped me understand about business optimization in practice and improved my social skill greatly. I would say it isn't too bad.

djysyed
Posts: 359
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2017 9:59 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by djysyed » Sat Mar 03, 2018 8:02 pm

Showing that you are "normal" is an important aspect of graduate applications. One of the purposes for a required statement of purpose is to filter out all the "weird" people with their strange beliefs (ex: Wildburger claims R and Q have same cardinality). I'm not entirely sure if REUs look for red flags in an applicant's personality from the SoP.

vhdvhd
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:49 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by vhdvhd » Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:41 pm

Has anyone heard back from ICERM Brown?

triscuitador
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:24 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by triscuitador » Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:37 am

ALG1997 wrote:
This is exactly what I don't want to end up doing, no offense. That sounds like a wasted summer, compared to the students who are getting paid to do an REU.
No offense taken, it was less than ideal. I have no options to take anything unpaid, though, so it is what it is.
I just really hope this summer is different...

ljsreader
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2018 3:17 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ljsreader » Sun Mar 04, 2018 11:56 am

vhdvhd wrote:Has anyone heard back from ICERM Brown?
Nope! Still waiting on them.

ALG1997
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:23 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ALG1997 » Sun Mar 04, 2018 5:30 pm

According to a subreddit on math REUs, James Madison, CSU Fresno, CSU Fullerton, and Grand Valley State have all sent out acceptances and shortlists. Now I've been rejected everywhere except Brwon ICERM and MSRI-UP (officially), and I thought my application was very competitive. I didn't even get into my "safety" programs.

vhdvhd
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:49 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by vhdvhd » Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:48 pm

ALG1997 wrote:According to a subreddit on math REUs, James Madison, CSU Fresno, CSU Fullerton, and Grand Valley State have all sent out acceptances and shortlists. Now I've been rejected everywhere except Brwon ICERM and MSRI-UP (officially), and I thought my application was very competitive. I didn't even get into my "safety" programs.
I thought mine was competitive till I found this website...Now I think I am foolish because I only applied for 2 reus.

Has anyone heard of reu at Georgia Tech? What's about this one?

OwlMath
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 7:23 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by OwlMath » Sun Mar 04, 2018 7:32 pm

Has anyone heard from Auburn, Oregon State, or Indiana?

ee
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 5:15 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ee » Sun Mar 04, 2018 10:42 pm

I just got a rejection from Berkeley.

Rara22
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Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2018 10:01 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by Rara22 » Sun Mar 04, 2018 11:09 pm

Has anyone heard from MSRI - UP?

HJH009
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2018 5:35 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by HJH009 » Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:02 am

vhdvhd wrote: Has anyone heard of reu at Georgia Tech? What's about this one?
I got an email last night asking if I was still interested

vhdvhd
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:49 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by vhdvhd » Mon Mar 05, 2018 1:01 am

HJH009 wrote:
vhdvhd wrote: Has anyone heard of reu at Georgia Tech? What's about this one?
I got an email last night asking if I was still interested

Thank you! Congratulations to you~

terrapot
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2018 11:40 am

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by terrapot » Mon Mar 05, 2018 11:47 am

ljsreader wrote:
vhdvhd wrote:Has anyone heard back from ICERM Brown?
Nope! Still waiting on them.
Just got ICERM in the last 30 min, but will be rejecting

leholybernoulli
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:38 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by leholybernoulli » Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:41 pm

Anyone heard from UT Tyler or University of Michigan-Dearborn?

OwlMath
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 7:23 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by OwlMath » Mon Mar 05, 2018 1:05 pm

leholybernoulli wrote:Anyone heard from UT Tyler or University of Michigan-Dearborn?
I received my acceptance from UT Tyler last Friday, with a deadline to accept by March 8, waiting to hear back from Brown, Oregon State and Indiana first.

vhdvhd
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:49 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by vhdvhd » Mon Mar 05, 2018 1:30 pm

terrapot wrote:
ljsreader wrote:
vhdvhd wrote:Has anyone heard back from ICERM Brown?
Nope! Still waiting on them.
Just got ICERM in the last 30 min, but will be rejecting
Thank you!

xml
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2018 8:45 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by xml » Mon Mar 05, 2018 3:47 pm

OwlMath wrote:
leholybernoulli wrote:Anyone heard from UT Tyler or University of Michigan-Dearborn?
I received my acceptance from UT Tyler last Friday, with a deadline to accept by March 8, waiting to hear back from Brown, Oregon State and Indiana first.
I also got accepted by UT Tyler, but I really want to hear back from Indiana before making my decision. I fear that they would send out acceptances during spring break, which for me happens after March 8. I guess I should send them an email.

Edit: just realized I forgot to send Indiana my transcript... :cry:
Last edited by xml on Mon Mar 05, 2018 7:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

OwlMath
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Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 7:23 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by OwlMath » Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:03 pm

xml wrote:
OwlMath wrote:
leholybernoulli wrote:Anyone heard from UT Tyler or University of Michigan-Dearborn?
I received my acceptance from UT Tyler last Friday, with a deadline to accept by March 8, waiting to hear back from Brown, Oregon State and Indiana first.
I also got accepted by UT Tyler, but I really want to hear back from Indiana before making my decision. I fear that they would send out acceptances during spring break, which for me happens after March 8. I guess I should send them an email.
I’m going to contact the REUs I haven’t heard back from tonight if I don’t hear back from them by then.

violetrock
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 8:24 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by violetrock » Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:05 pm

OwlMath wrote:Has anyone heard from Auburn, Oregon State, or Indiana?
Received an acceptance to Indiana today but will be declining. Good luck!!

lapislazur
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2018 7:58 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by lapislazur » Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:34 pm

Just got the official rejection email from Emory, saying that applications are up by 50% this year and their acceptance rate is 1.2% :/

ae1997
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2018 4:44 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ae1997 » Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:51 pm

Anyone heard from MSRI-UP or SUMSRI? and if so, what was the deadline for decisions?

djysyed
Posts: 359
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2017 9:59 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by djysyed » Mon Mar 05, 2018 6:10 pm

leholybernoulli wrote:Anyone heard from UT Tyler or University of Michigan-Dearborn?
Still waiting to hear back from UT Tyler. Is it possible that REUs would look at someone's profile and think "Why isn't this guy just doing research at his own institute?"

Rara22
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2018 10:01 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by Rara22 » Mon Mar 05, 2018 6:15 pm

djysyed wrote:
leholybernoulli wrote:Anyone heard from UT Tyler or University of Michigan-Dearborn?
Still waiting to hear back from UT Tyler. Is it possible that REUs would look at someone's profile and think "Why isn't this guy just doing research at his own institute?"
Nah I don’t think so. When I did a REU last summer half the students were from big research universities.

djysyed
Posts: 359
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2017 9:59 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by djysyed » Mon Mar 05, 2018 6:20 pm

What were there backgrounds?

My school had an REU in commutative algebra (A-M level) a few years back and they essentially picked the top people. I was only a freshman at the time and had nowhere near the mathematical maturity needed to complete A-M in 6 days so I left after the first day. They didn't mind me leaving since I was unfunded. However, I did notice that everyone around me had studied A-M and most had quite a few advanced undergrad or graduate courses.

InjuredMammaMole
Posts: 1
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Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by InjuredMammaMole » Mon Mar 05, 2018 7:10 pm

This is my first time applying for REUs, so I don't know a lot of the common wisdom. I have only been accepted into GVSU and need to decide by March 8th, so if that is all I get by then, I should definitely accept, right? Because I also heard that a lot of people get acceptances mid-March, so I don't know if I should wait for anything else.

Also are some programs better than others? Or is really any program that you can do very good?

starlord37
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 12:27 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by starlord37 » Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:13 pm

InjuredMammaMole wrote:This is my first time applying for REUs, so I don't know a lot of the common wisdom. I have only been accepted into GVSU and need to decide by March 8th, so if that is all I get by then, I should definitely accept, right? Because I also heard that a lot of people get acceptances mid-March, so I don't know if I should wait for anything else.

Also are some programs better than others? Or is really any program that you can do very good?
It depends on what your goals are. For example, if you want to go to a really top grad school then Duluth is best since 195/216 alumni who have graduated decided to go to grad school and of those 195, 153 have gone to MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, UChicago, or Berkeley. However, if you want to do something besides number theory or combinatorics during the summer then this isn't the REU for you, probably. So it all depends on your interests and goals.

etianss
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2018 3:35 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by etianss » Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:33 pm

starlord37 wrote:
InjuredMammaMole wrote:This is my first time applying for REUs, so I don't know a lot of the common wisdom. I have only been accepted into GVSU and need to decide by March 8th, so if that is all I get by then, I should definitely accept, right? Because I also heard that a lot of people get acceptances mid-March, so I don't know if I should wait for anything else.

Also are some programs better than others? Or is really any program that you can do very good?
It depends on what your goals are. For example, if you want to go to a really top grad school then Duluth is best since 195/216 alumni who have graduated decided to go to grad school and of those 195, 153 have gone to MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, UChicago, or Berkeley. However, if you want to do something besides number theory or combinatorics during the summer then this isn't the REU for you, probably. So it all depends on your interests and goals.
So I feel like you've looked into this more than I have: realistically, what path does one need to chart in grad school to become a research mathematician? Is it necessary to go to a school of this caliber? What's the difference between the #10 and the #100 school in terms of career prospects?

Something that I've been wondering recently.

starlord37
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 12:27 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by starlord37 » Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:42 pm

etianss wrote:
So I feel like you've looked into this more than I have: realistically, what path does one need to chart in grad school to become a research mathematician? Is it necessary to go to a school of this caliber? What's the difference between the #10 and the #100 school in terms of career prospects?

Something that I've been wondering recently.
I assume by research mathematician you mean academia. Since for the most part research mathematicians work in academia with the exception of the IAS (which is basically academia) and the NSA or research groups at large companies like Microsoft Research. In the case of academia, it's so competitive, going to a top 10 school can only guarantee you a position at a top 100, maybe top 50 school. Going to a top 10 doesn't even guarantee you a job at a R1 (AMS Group 1 Research Schoolhttp://www.ams.org/profession/data/annu ... ey/group_i). The difference between going to a top 10 and a top 100 is staggering, as your job prospects from a top 100 are much slimmer, unless you significantly 'lower your standards'. In the end, it doesn't matter since the best researcher wins, so if you went to a top 10 but your research isn't that great you'll have a harder time than a top 100 with stellar research.

See also this answer on stack https://math.stackexchange.com/question ... in-the-u-s

OwlMath
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 7:23 pm

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by OwlMath » Mon Mar 05, 2018 10:42 pm

I just received an email from Auburn saying they haven’t begun to process applications yet and won’t begin processing them until next week. Sucks because I have an acceptance deadline of March 8 for another opportunity.

ya
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2018 12:22 am

Re: 2018 Math REU Thread

Post by ya » Mon Mar 05, 2018 11:39 pm

OwlMath wrote:I just received an email from Auburn saying they haven’t begun to process applications yet and won’t begin processing them until next week. Sucks because I have an acceptance deadline of March 8 for another opportunity.
I'm in the same situation with MIT. Not sure what to do...



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