dans595

Realistically I don't think I'll hear anything for a while, like somebody above mentioned. Still pretty anxious, and Saturday will surely not suffice for solace.

UKBound said: We'll go with your boy Newton. If you want contemporary, why don't we go with Murray Gell-Man, Franz Boas, Noam Chomsky, Richard Feynman, David Bohm, Saul Kripke or Noam Elkies? I can certainly provide several more if you've got a problem with that list,... UKBound gave at least a half-a-dozen examples, and you are nitpicking one? Don't waste your time arguing about Feynman, because even if you're right, you've still not compromised UKBound's position. How about the others? The only one I looked into was Noam Elkies (since I am a mathematician, and also religious. Elkies is a name I am very familiar with). Seems religious to me!

It's a zero sum game: wishing us all luck has no net effect! Just kidding. Thanks for the friendly wish of luck, and my best to you also.

I also am applying to three public California universities, one of which I currently attend. The impression I've gathered from the faculty is that it will be a tough year on admissions to California schools, especially public schools. (The three Universities I'm referring to, specifically, are Berkeley, LA, and SD.) Though one might say "Well obviously it will be tough!," hearing it from the horse's mouth is even more frightening. In my case it doesn't really make a difference. I am applying to every program I can in California because my wife has a state license which is no good in other states. I applied to a few out of state programs that have plenty of money and are situated in low cost-of-living areas so that we can try to make up for the difference in income if necessary.

Also, somebody above said they are unsure of the size of class Berkeley is taking this year. The word around seems to be that UCLA/Berkeley will both be taking smaller classes than usual this year, due to state budget issues.

We're applying to 6 of the same programs with the same/neighboring area of interest . I want to do algebraic number theory / arithmetic geometry. (The six are Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA.) Good luck to you!

Can't read all of these, just thought I'd point out that arguments like "It's OK to do whatever it takes to be competitive" to discourage the OP from "tattling" (haven't used that one since like 2nd grade) are weak. If person X is justified in doing something illegal and despicable to try to beat you... you are certainly a fortiori justified in doing something legal and arguably despicable to try to beat them. It is not despicable to give her a dose of her own medicine, i.e., to be equally competitive. It'd be dumb for you to break the law, but not dumb to have one of the people competing for graduate spots thrown on her ear in a legal and risk-free way. I don't think you necessarily have a moral responsibility to do anything, but you should for your own sake. I can't believe some people are calling you a tattle-tell on a graduate admissions forum! Remarkable. I seriously had no idea that you could apply to graduate school midway through elementary school. EDIT: The poster who said to try to change her mind has a good idea, assuming she hasn't already sent them, which I thought you said she had...

Yeah... the next few months are going to feel like eons.

People seem to say that January is when programs start making offers, and on into March. Is this true?

Firecolin: I don't think that Berkeley will be taking an exceptionally large class this year. In fact, we might take fewer applicants than normal. I'd still apply. The program still takes larger classes than many of the schools on Hartshorneboy's list, and it's a great place to pursue his specific interests.

One nice thing about it is that you don't have to worry about getting this all done during the school year. (Well, we're still on summer break here for another few days.)

October 18, 2008. November 08, 2008. Edit: I had the wrong November date on here, apparently.