someDay

@Subject test: One professor (at a top5 school) put it as "it tests your ability to solve a lot of problems in very little time, and a lot of people on the adcom want to see at least 750". Individual professors may be of different opinions, but depending on the school it's very likely you'll find that some of the people on the adcom will put a fair share of weight on the subject test score. Essentially: Grades are expected to be stellar, subject score is expected to be 80-85%+, letters are very important, SOP isn't too important (unless you have a really good idea in mind what you want to do) - this is what various profs have told me at my school / prior to application / at interviews. Personally I think the subject test is superfluous and not a good estimator for the quality of your thesis (btw, schools in the UK don't use it at all). Obviously, what matters is the "overall impression". There're outliers, and there're loads of applicants being rejected with nearly-perfect test scores. @Good fit: Did you apply to pure maths programmes, bongrips69? (Do pure maths adcoms really care about work/military experience?!) sD.

No offense intended, but I consider Michigan a Top25 rather than a Top10 school. Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Princeton, Caltech, Berkeley, Stanford probably rank above Michigan, and there's too much competition from the likes of Yale, Penn, Courant, Cornell, Brown, ... to definitely put Michigan in the Top10. sD.

The Top10 schools want to see at least 750 on the subject GRE, unless you have done some serious (original & interesting) research. The Top25 are much open about candidates with slightly lower test scores (simply because those people with top letters, top grades and top scores tend to go to the top schools, so they have to compromise on applicant quality somewhere). "Good fit" is not very important, unless you've already done serious research. sD<

Another BA. I don't really know what you mean by proof-based linear algebra. Algebra 2 will essentially introduce you to the concept of a group and some first theorems in linear algebra. Bear in mind this is a course for first year students (first year = party, as it doesn't count towards your degree), so essentially it's some boring crap for lazy people suffering from hangover. If you're serious I'd advise you to take Algebra 4 instead, which is still fairly elementary, so you wouldn't be completely lost. sD.

I don't know much about US Masters, but if you applied to UK unis (for an MS), they'd probably accept you into their Bachelor's programme and let you skip the first year. If you're serious about a maths PhD, then I would recommend Algebra 4 or even Commutative Algebra, but it just might not be worth missing out on social life in London. (Which is awesome.) sD.

I respectfully disagree with origin415 here - given your background, it would appear extremely difficult to get into a decent PhD programme, solely because you've not seen much - if any - serious mathematics. You might rise to the challenge, but adcoms at decent schools won't take that much of a gamble. You should take modules in algebra and analysis (forget about number theory, stats, calc or anything applied ) to survive the first year of a master's degree. I strongly advise you to not look abroad for master's degree, as a master's degree in most non-US countries is a preparation for a 3 years PhD and therefore require a roughly similar background for admission to master's degrees as US unis do for admissions to PhD. sD.

mariogs379, I would imagine UCL stipulates that you take at the very least Honours Y2 modules; and possibley even requires to you take some Y3 ones. If you think you can do a PhD, then you really *should* take a lot of Y3 ones and put a tremendous amount of work and effort in, but you'd not see much of London. I suggest you delay choosing your modules until you're in London and had a talk with your tutor about this. sD.

Princeton, unless you're insane or rich. sD.

Funding (for men) = she pays the dinner, invites you over to her place, introduces you to her very hot flatmate and you have amazing sex. The next morning she gets up early to prepare breakfast for you. More on topic - there's no reason to rush your decision! Visit the schools (perhaps they fly you out), talk to profs, look at their placement record, etc. sD.

Both Kansas and UNLV support the "April 15" resolution, which means that the schools should give you until April 15 to accept or decline offers of financial support. I would think that you're better off asking UNLV for an extension of the deadline rather than other schools to hurry with their admission process. sD.

I don't know whether it's perfectible fine, but from what various professors have told me transferring phd courses is acceptable and will not label you a traitor for the rest of your (academic) life. sD.

There is a general agreement that one should not accept unfunded offers, so you really don't have much of a choice? McGill and UoT are both very excellent schools, so you should definitely accept McGill's offer. Gratulations BTW! sD.

Although this depends on the university, my experience is that most schools still require you to take the usual number of taught courses, regardless of whether you have a master's degree or not. sD.

To qualify for home fees, you'll need indefinite leave to remain status and "permanent resident" status, usually acquired after three years in the UK for purposes other than higher education. Besides, depending on your course the home fees might not even be cheaper, particularly for professional degrees. sD.

@DrFaustus666: In case you're referring to my post, let me clarify. Whether you have lived your life to the fullest I do not know, but judging by your postings here what you haven't done in this time is the only thing that matters in academia, namely research. It will take you another couple of years to learn this, by which you'll be in your mid sixties. You might be able to publish some interesting papers, but you can't make up for all those years. I understand you want to do a PhD in music theory / computer science. Label me a pessimist, but I don't see how a Master's degree in German will greatly support your application. It's great you managed to overcome difficulties in your life and learning a foreign language on your own initiative deserves a lot of credit, but stamina is just one of the skills required for a PhD. It's fine to have a dream, but a significant part of your dream- and the way you present yourself here - seems to be more about recognition rather than academic curiosity. The latter I encourage, the first is up to you to prove. As you quite rightly point out, I am not the one making decisions, but my I believe my conclusions resonate with a majority of posters here. Wunschträume sind schön, aber meist nur Träume. sD.