Recommend appropriate schools for me...? (+ chance?)

Forum for the GRE subject test in mathematics.
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pj29019
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:24 pm

Recommend appropriate schools for me...? (+ chance?)

Post by pj29019 » Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:45 pm

Hello friends, I am currently a senior, trying to get a reasonable list of schools for me to apply...

Any insight will be appreciated, and if you could tell me rough chances of getting in (I know, I know, you are not ad coms, but it is my strong feeling that you guys know more than my advisor on this topic for some reason...) I will be especially grateful.

So here is the breakdown of my academic profile...

I attended Nation's top 5 liberal arts college for 1 1/2 years, with a total math gpa of 3.9. I have taken 5 classes there: Lin. Alg., Multivar. Calc., Diff. Eqs., Real & Complex Analysis. I got A- on RA, and A on the other four. Yes, I used to be a physics/chem. major, that is why I've taken so few courses...

I transferred to an Ivy school, well-regarded for its strong math program, and obtained a total math gpa of 3.8. The classes were:
Honors Lin. Alg., Honors Analysis II, Honors Abstract Algebra
Diff. Eqs., Probability, Statistics, Geometry, PDE.

This year I am taking 3 graduate math courses (Real analysis, Algebra, Probability). I expect to have a math gpa of around 3.8 by the time I apply for grad schools.

I have NO RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WHAT SO EVER. (And my advisor insists that it is of little importance in math, but many of you guys seem to think otherwise?)

My recommendations are not going to be super terrific, but my professors seem to know me well enough, and it will be better than average.

As far as GRE goes, haven't taken the general kind, but on the subject one, my percentile is 93%.

I want to apply for applied & pure math(analysis).

So... what chances do I have...?

Thanks in advance!

BTW, below is a list of few schools that I want to apply (and wish to get in):

TOP: UCLA(app. math), UC Berkeley(analysis), NYU(app. math)

Wish-to, but I think I have no chance of getting in: Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Caltech

AndyL
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 8:25 am

Re: Recommend appropriate schools for me...? (+ chance?)

Post by AndyL » Sat Sep 07, 2013 5:56 am

Hey, I'm kinda in the same situation as yours: Strong GPA but NO RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. Otherwise my background is close to yours.

Actually, I'm a senior at UCLA. Here's what I can tell you. Our math program is relatively big with 300+ applicants per year, and admit about 80-90 students per year. That being said, our admission rate is higher than other elite math programs (somewhere between 20% - 25%). You can find the data, which is pretty detailed, at our graduate application website. Chances you can get in? I cannot really tell you as that admission depends on numerous factors. :(

One thing I would say is that do u really wanna apply for ONLY three schools? All three are awfully competitive. I read from other posts stating it's probably best to apply for 6,7, even more schools...

Hope this helps. Sorry I do not know about the chances.

pj29019
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:24 pm

Re: Recommend appropriate schools for me...? (+ chance?)

Post by pj29019 » Sat Sep 07, 2013 6:13 pm

AndyL wrote: Here's what I can tell you. Our math program is relatively big with 300+ applicants per year, and admit about 80-90 students per year.
Well, that certainly makes me feel a little better :).

AndyL, thank you for your valuable opinion. Regarding the number of schools to apply, as I mentioned, besides those 3 and 3 more high-reach schools already mentioned, I am planning on applying A LOT (~15) of schools. The problem is, I have no idea where are my safeties, where are my matches, and well, I guess I know where are my reaches haha.



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