taoli29

Honestly, in terms of academic reputation, I don't think these two schools are even in the same tier.

Got it. Thank you!

I have a fourth recommendation letter from a Postdoc. I have directly worked with him on a research project for about a year. He knows that I'm going to apply for PhD programs, so he wrote the letter before I even asked. I'm sure that the letter is strong and offers a new perspective. My first three letters are all from professors. It seems that I can fill out more than three recommenders in most application systems. But I'm not sure if I should send the additional letter. If the adcom would just randomly choose three letters to read, or if this would annoy the adcom since they only want three, then I definitely I don't want to send the letter.

Unlike basic math courses like linear algebra and differential equations, you don't need to recite formulas or methods for any advance math exam. I also struggled in my first analysis course. There is no secret trick. Just spend enough time on thinking the problem sets and understanding the concepts.

Thank you all. I'll go with the physics professor.

Hi guys, I'm thinking about this matter for days but cannot decide. I have 2 options for 3rd recommender: 1. An experimental physics professor. I worked in his condensed matter research group during my freshman/sophomore year. We talked a lot and he knew me very well, and I co-authored in a paper. However, there is no way he can evaluate my ability in doing advanced math since my job is purely doing experiments. 2. A very well-know math professor, also the editor-in-chief of a top math journal. I'm currently taking this graduate real analysis, and I got 100% in the midterm (average about 80%) and all the homeworks. However, he barely knows me and we have never met in person (since this semester is entirely online). Any advice is appreciated.

Got it. Thanks!

Thank you! This is very helpful. Another thing I'm worried about is that I have taken very few courses in statistics (not even Intro to Stat). Will this weakness concern the admissions committees?

Hi, I'm a rising senior and planning to apply for PhD programs in the coming fall. My main focus will be Applied + Computational Mathematics programs. I also want to apply for several Statistics programs since I like working with analysis, though my background in statistics is weak (have not even taken Intro to Stat yet ). Undergrad Institution: Johns Hopkins Majors: Physics, Mathematics, Applied Math & Stat (I'm in a BAMA program, so I will graduate with a MS in Math) GPA: 4.0 / 4.0 Type of Student: International Asian Male GRE General Test: Q: 170 V: 155 W: don't know yet GRE Math Subject: will take it in Sep Relevant Courses (all A but few A+): Basic: Calculus III, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Discrete Math Pure Math: Honors Analysis I, Honors Analysis II, Honors Algebra I, Honors Algebra II, Complex Variables (grad), Functional Analysis (grad), Riemannian Geometry (grad) Applied Math: Numerical Analysis, Intro to Optimization, Intro to Probability, Data Mining Physics: Electromagnetic theory, Quantum Mechanics I, Quantum Mechanics II, Statistical Mechanics Research Experience: 1. Experimental condensed matter physics during freshman/sophomore. Result in a 3rd author publication on a decent physics journal. 2. Summer research at Germany in applied physics on communication technology. Result in a 2nd author publication on a well-known journal. 3. Current research in numerical simulation in general relativity starting from junior year, mainly about PDE, differential geometry, and C programming. Hopefully get a first author paper on arXiv before submitting my application. Letters of Recommendation: This is what I'm worried about. I can secure three strong letters from three professors I have done research with. But they are all physics professors, probably not known by stat departments. If I choose math professors to write the letters, it's going to be relatively weak since I have never done research or directed reading with them. Questions: Any school recommendation? Is there any chance for me to get in a top program in Statistics?

Thanks for replying. My major concern is that whether my missing grades of Spring 2020 will weaken my math background. You see, I was occupied by physics courses (Quantum Mech, Statistical Mech stuff) in the first two years of my college. So I only started taking advanced math courses in my junior year. Before Spring 2020, I only have Honors Analysis I and Honors Algebra I plus the common seqence (Linear Algebra, ODE, Calc III). How can adcoms fully trust my ability in doing advanced math if they don't know my math grades for this semester? Especially for top programs that have applicants with tons of math courses?

Hi, I'm a rising senior from Johns Hopkins, and I'm going to apply for Statistics PhD in the coming semester. My institution just made an announcement that the grading for Spring 2020 would be Mandatory Pass/Fail. Instructors will only submit pass/fail to the registrar and there will be no way to uncover it. I'm shocked and have no idea what to do. Please give me some advice on how to minimize the negative impact of this grading policy. Having only Pass grade for the semester right before my application is definitely devastating. Some Background: My majors are mathematics and physics. My current GPA is 4.00. Research on 1. numerical simulation in general relativity; 2. applied physics Courses taken in Spring 2020 are: Honors Analysis II, Honors Algebra II, Complex Variables (grad), Numerical Analysis, Undergraduate Research in Physics Any ideas are appreciated.