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First off those are supposed to be B's. Sorry guys! @coffeeintotheorems I have no clue! I feel like I've got a pretty unusual profile honestly. I mean I didn't even have real analysis, abstract algebra, or complex analysis when I entered my MS yet I excelled against some people who went to VERY good places. I decided I wanted to math right before my senior year so I'm not sure how I'll be viewed. I can say that last year I was essentially waitlisted at Michigan's AIM program and accepted to an MS in MS&E at Stanford. I was told by people at one school, a state school that I will not mention, that if it hadn't been for some mistakes in the process (there's really no blame for anyone for these) that I would have been taken VERY seriously. My professors told me that with my originally poor GRE subject test at the time (51%) that I should have a really great shot at UMN and UT-Austin. I honestly have no clue where to shoot for now that I've got a good GRE subject score even after close examination of the mathematics gre boards!! @StatlyDude The working world is boring! I want to think! DESPERATELY! Plus, if I want to make money I can always try to be a quant. True I'll be losing good money making years, but it will give me a shot to make a crap ton of money doing something I love. @Bdawkins Two of three should be very good/really great. Basically, the letters say that eventhough I originally had no background in mathematics I showed a remarkable ability and that was reflected in my performance in my MS and later part of my undergrad. The third I really have no clue about, but I am looking at a number of potential letter writers. Another thing: I'm not sure if I want to go the SDE, probability, and math finance route or the topology & geometry route. It seems like I can either way with a number of departments. However, if I really want to do math finance it seems that the best work is done in stats departments. What do you guys think?

Alright ladies and gents! Where should I apply this coming admissions season? What can I do to up the quality of my profile? Applying to statistics and mathematics programs. Undergrad Institution: Top 25 University, Top 15 B-School Major(s): Finance & Accounting Minor(s): Mathematics GPA in Major: 3.67 Overall GPA: 3.51 (3.87 Last 2 Years) Length of Degree: 4 Position in Class: Top 40% Type of Student: Domestic Grad Institution: Top 50 Uni, Top 70 Math Type of Degree: MS in Pure Mathematics GPA: 3.97 Length of Degree: 2 Courses (From Grad and Undergrad): Multivar. Calc ( Linear Algebra ( Math Stat (A-) Scientific Computing (A-) Probability (A) ODE (A) Real Analysis I & II(A/A) Abstract Algebra I & II (A/A) Master's Complex Analysis (A) PhD Topology I [General] & II [Algebraic] (A/A) PhD Analysis I [Measure Theory] & II [Functional Analysis] (A/A) PhD Differential Geometry I (A) PhD Applied Math I & II (A/A) Master's Research Project [minimal surface and complex analysis] (A) GRE Scores: Q: 770 V: 560 W: 5.0 Subj: 3rd Attempt (840 - 90%), 2nd Attempt (690 - 60%), 1st Attempt (650 - 53%) Research Experience: 2 summers with Naval Research, MS project on minimal surface and complex analysis. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Just GPA stuff, Highest Score on PhD Analysis score my year, and supposedly in many years (no formal recognition) Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for Management Accounting, Currently Federal Financial Consultant Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: IDK<br style=""> <br style=""> Research Interests: Optimization, Differential Topology & Geometry, Probability & Stochastic Processes, Mathematical Economics and Finance, Differential Equations, Functional Analysis

That doesn't sound quite right. That would mean that they doubled their PhD population and MS population.

Hey y'alls, I'm posting this as a separate topic from the ORIE message board 'cause I've got a lot to ask. I'm really heavily debating whether or not I should take my acceptance to the Stanford MS&E MS program. I originally applied for the PhD but only got in for the MS. I've got pretty varied research interests. I'm generally interested in: applied functional analysis and differential geometry, optimization, stochastic processes and probability, mathematical finance/financial engineering, mathematical economics/micro theory. I applied to MS&E as it looked like it would allow me to balance the study of functional analysis, optimization, and probability w/ its applications to econ and finance. This May I'm finishing up an MS in pure math. My questions are as follows. 1. Is this program actually a good fit for my research interests? Would the PhD there be a good fit? The courses for the MS seem kinda lackluster as far as rigor. When I called the program they said higher level substitutes are definitely encouraged and that if I take and perform well in the PhD level courses in the department I should be able to get into the PhD program w/ relative ease. In the PhD program though would it become pretty rigorous? 2. What is their research like? I know they produced David Kreps and a number of people who have gone to econ and math departments, but does that mean they actually have a focus on econ theory and math finance? 3. Is it possible to transfer w/ ease as Stanford? For example if I took the Microecon analysis sequence at the GSB and performed well would I be able to potentially transfer into the EAP program there? If I took measure theoretic probability in the math department would I be able to easily transfer into the math program? 4. How possible would it be to say take the microecon analysis sequence, the gsb financial markets sequence, and the measure theoretic probability sequence while taking the other courses the dept offers? 5. I have no "formal" training in econ theory beyond the AP. However, due to independent study I had the ability to tutor kids who were in the intermediate micro theory courses. Would I be able to survive PhD micro core classes given my heavy math background and independent study of theory despite my lack of formal training? Thanks y'alls I much appreciate your input.

Does the 65k for 1 yr at Stanford include living expenses?

Hey guys, So I got accepted to the MS&E MS program today and I have a few questions: 1. I see they allow core substitutions. However they don't seem to allow or mention substitutions I'd like to make. For example I'd like to take Theory of Probability in the math dept. instead of Probabilistic Analysis and Microecon core instead of Economic Analysis and Advanced Economic Analysis. Does anybody know if they allow these substitutions? 2. If you're in the MS program how hard is it to get into the PhD the following year? Thanks a bunch y'alls. Best of luck to all those still waiting

Anybody know what the deal is with Minnesota? Have they started sending out official admits yet? There's one reported for today, but it's flippin Saturday!

Thanks for the input guys! It looks like I'm prolly gettin' shut out this season. As such I'm gearing up for round 2 next yr. I have a couple big "in's" for a competitive government research scholarship. I didn't apply for it this year as there's a research commitment after completion of the degree. However, if this season continues on its path, I'm just gonna jump on the scholarship next season. Hopefully that coupled with a much higher GRE subject score will change things for next yr Best of luck y'alls and hope this admit season is treatin' you well!

If one theoretically had full outside funding (including a healthy stipend) how would this affect admissions decisions?

Ah. Didn't quite see that. Thanks.

LOL. That's awesome!

That's true. However, if you look at the ways things have been going they've deviated from their pattern. Also when I've briefly talked to the dept. they've said there not done with anything, but they've also hinted they're not NOT done, i.e. we really have no info whatsoever to go on.

Does anybody know when the AIM program will send out the rest of their admits/rejections?

Does anybody know if the UChicago math dept has announced who they are waitlisting yet? Also, did internationals or domestics post the rejections?

The AIM program which is part of the math dept.

There are two reported Michigan acceptances. Does anybody know if they are real?

LOL Origin415. If we end up at the same place first round of beers is on me! We'll drink to kickin' ass despite screwin' up.

Hey hmmmm, No offense taken. It's an entirely legitimate question. I'm not a very good test taker when it comes to multiple choice. In fact, well, you'll have to pardon the profanity but I really fucking suck at it. Also I was pretty rusty with regard to certain topics. When I took the exam it had been 7 yrs since I had taken calc I and II so there were different differentiation and integration rules that I had just totally forgotten. I have a couple different tendencies which lead to my lackluster performance on multiple choice exams: 1. I don't answer questions if I don't feel entirely comfortable w/ my answer. I actually omitted 22. L8r realized I prolly woulda gotten an extra 10 pts if I had just gone w/ my gut on a few. 2. I'll get the hard part of the question and then forget about the easy part. For example I did take a single practice test. It concerned an integral using a very complex change of variables. Some ridiculous small percentage of people got it. I understood how to the hard part and performed it. However the integral I was supposed to evaluate was times some constant and after doing the hard stuff I forgot to multiply my result by the constant. I get sloppy when I don't have alot of time. 3. If I feel the question is easy I won't read the entire thing/skim it and then miss some small remark that actually changes the entire nature of the question. I have met people who have gotten into some pretty amazing places w/ very low scores. Last year at my uni in particular the subject scores were kinda low. Yet 4 undergrads from here went on to top 10's and 20's, and are succeeding admirably, despite their low scores. If you look at the stats for a place like UMN which is top 20 according to USNWR I think about 1/3 of their class had below 70% and they even dipped as low as the 30's. Though I definitely question the test as a way to protect my ego I don't think it is the greatest indicator of ability.

I totally hear what you're saying. The thing is I had a minimal math background when entering. For the first year of my MS I took Real Analysis I&II, Abstract Algebra I&II, PhD Topology I&II, Complex Analysis, and Scientific Computing (Undergrad Numerical Analysis). This year I'm taking all PhD courses i.e.: analysis I&II, applied math I&II, diff geo I, and the research course. In undergrad the highest course I took was intro to proofs. We sent a kid to columbia last year and he had comparable scores and classes, but he had actually been a math major in college.

Just the undergrad abstract I&II.

You make a good point hmmmmm, but I very much hope your wrong. As for the syllabi: Analysis I and II Lebesgue measure on R. Measurable functions (including Lusin’s and Egoroff’s theorems). The Lebesgue integral. Monotone and dominated convergence theorems. Radon-Nikodym Theorem. Differentiation: bounded variation, absolute continuity, and the fundamental theorem of calculus. Measure spaces and the general Lebesgue integral (including summation and topics in such as the Lebesgue differentiation theorem). spaces and Banach spaces. Hahn-Banach, open mapping, and uniform boundedness theorems. Hilbert space. Representation of linear functionals. Completeness and compactness. Compact operators, integral equations, applications to differential equations, self-adjoint operators, unbounded operators. Texts: Royden "Real Analysis" and Bartle "Elements of Integration and Lebesgue Measure" Topology I and II Point set topology. Connectedness, product and quotient spaces, separation properties, metric spaces. Classification of compact connected surfaces. Homotopy. Fundamental group and covering spaces. Singular and simplicial homology. Eilenberg-Steenrod axioms. Computational techniques, including long exact sequences. Mayer-Vietoris sequences, excision, and cellular chain complexes. Introduction to singular cohomology. Texts: Munkres "Topology" (Semester 1), Bredon "Topology and Geometry" (Semester 2) For differential geometry we basically did the first two ch. of Do Carmo's Riemannian Geometry and then did about half of Bott & Tu's "Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology." For Applied Math we used Perko's "Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems" for the first few weeks and then have been pulling from Evans book on PDE's for the rest. Again, thanks you guys!

Also is it really true that math finance is that competitive? I had heard that anything applied math is a lot less competitive than pure.

Someday, I sincerely appreciate your candor and expenditure of time in evaluating my profile! I was wondering about the following: 1. Will the fact that I received a 3.86 in my last two years mitigate the effects of my mediocre performance in the first two years? The difference on my transcripts between my last semester sophomore year and first semester junior year are night and day! 2. The school I'm doing my MS doesn't do financial math or really even probability. I was originally planning on doing a PhD in pure math when I entered the program. I was hoping that strong performance in PhD core courses would act in my favor. Do you think will act toward my advantage at all? Additionally, when I entered the MS I had almost no math background to speak of. I picked up the math minor only in my last year of college and my experience in undergrad only went up to an intro to proofs class. 3. I didn't study for the subject exam when I took it and was a lil' rusty on some of the basic linear algebra and crazy trig identity calc type stuff. Assuming I get rejected everywhere this year do you think that if I studied and say brought my score up above a 70% or even 80% I might have a shot at these schools? 4. At Stanford I didn't apply for the math department, I applied for the Management Science & Engineering dept. They don't even mention the subject exam. Do you think it will still count against me? 5. What could I do in general to improve my profile if I do unfortunately get rejected everywhere? Thanks for your time and help!

Plan: 1. Get accepted. 2. ???? 3. Profit

Shizzle! I can't believe I forgot to include the subject exam. Good catch and thank you Hubris. It's omission has since been fixed. However, the mediocrity of the score could not.