the_green_sunshine

Oh, forgot to say one thing. Notice that despite my lower grades in lower division courses, I still made it to upper-tier schools. I did not discuss or explain away this part of the application. Hope this helps someone.

Undergrad Institution: One of UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Irvine Major(s): Mathematics and Physics Minor(s): None GPA: 3.59/4.0 Type of Student: Domestic Asian Male GRE General Test: Q: 166 (89%) V: 167 (98%) W: 5.0 (92%) GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: M: 760 (71%)---submitted only to Berkeley, Columbia, Stanford, Penn State, UCLA. TOEFL Score: None Programs Applying: Statistics PhD Research Experience: Attemped project with prof, two summer REUs, and two gap years in a quant ecology lab---but I ended up only getting a rec letter from the first summer REU. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: I got one of those awards where you don't have to do anything, because one of my profs liked me. Free $1000 bucks... Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for 3 years for math department Letters of Recommendation: 1 young statistical learning prof at my school I took classes from, 1 old prof who advised my honors thesis, and 1 young prof at the REU who is outside the field Math/Statistics Grades: All on quarter system: Lower div math/stat: 2 B+, 1 B-. GPA 3.1 Upper div math/stat (not including grad): 1 A+, 8 A's, 5 A-. Eight math classes, six stats classes. GPA 3.89. Grad math/stat: 2 A, 5 A-. Four math, three stats. GPA 3.78 Lower div physics: 1 A, 3 B+, 1 C. GPA 3.18 Upper div physics: 1 A+, 4 A, 3 A-, 1 B+ 3 B. GPA 3.6 Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: * Apparently the learning prof was good friends with someone on CMU admissions * Did an expository honors thesis related to research at Berkeley and CMU * Both stats profs said that they would have wanted me as a doctoral student in letters * Berkeley asked for a separate list of math grades + textbooks, so I was able to largely omit my worse physics grades from it Applying to Where: Berkeley - Stats PhD / Admitted CMU - Stats PhD / Admitted NC State - Stats PhD / Admitted Purdue - Stats PhD / Admitted Rice - Stats PhD / Admitted Columbia - Stats PhD / Rejected Duke - Stats PhD / Rejected UMN - Stats PhD / Rejected Stanford - Stats PhD / Rejected UC Davis - Stats PhD / Rejected UCLA - Stats PhD / Never heard back as of April 17 Yale - Stats PhD / Rejected Penn State - Stats PhD / Waitlisted / Declined Reflection I had a weird application cycle. My results were inconsistent, just like my grades, which I at times neglected the importance of. I wouldn't even do homework assignments sometimes because I'd lost motivation. Personally I think my grades hurt me a lot---I'm sure if I had done better in physics, my returns would have been at least a bit better. Those B's were in important classes, too, like quantum. As far as class choice in math, I tried to pick a variety of classes for breadth of knowledge, and I always tried to take the hardest classes. I also went out of my way to take the harder versions of sequences when offered (e.g. Analysis, Algebra) and full sequences whenever I had the stamina---I think this shows depth. For graduate classes, as well, I didn't take the fun classes---I took the classes PhD students take for their qualifiers. And yet it turned out inconsistent, due to my terrible study habits---also reflected in my test scores. As far as research, sure, I had research experience, but it didn't come to any publications. I was late in applying to REUs, as well---though I did manage to pull off doing two of them (one after graduation in fact). Ultimately, I think I was one of those cases where my recommendation letters were the most important part of my application, particularly my two stats letters. Something made them really like me. I think they appreciated my curiosity---I always asked a lot of questions, more than most other people, and tried to get to know them as people, as well, which I was able to do in the de-populated office hours of graduate classes. I also applied for the NSF, which they really appreciated seeing the research proposal for---I think it improved their letters. (I also, in one case, baked a cake for the class for the final exam. That was actually because I had a crush on a girl who was in the class, but it inadvertently made the prof remember me. I guess it helps to show that you're a person, too. But---perhaps this isn't something to be optimized for. I certainly didn't try to make them like me, or brownnose. And yet I was always surprised by how much they ended up believing in me. I feel like it has to do as much with my personality and soft skills---e.g. I'm curious about people, I love teaching---as it has to do with my academic merit.) Advice * Grades matter in the "hard" classes. Attempt as you will---don't screw up too much, and recognize when you're burning out and need a breather. Take care of yourself. * I think GRE scores matter too. A lot. No matter what they say. * Take the "hard" grad classes if you can. Not just because the grades look good, but also it helps to connect with profs and get into research if your school has too many students. * If your recommenders really believe in you, don't be afraid to apply for the best schools. * Don't forget to be a real person outside of mathematics. I think I was in danger of that, but to the extent I didn't, I think it helped my case (if the recommenders knew, of course). * Before the REUs, I would actually try to do research with faculty, but it would always fizzle because I felt lost without the structure. If this is you, welcome it. That's how research is. You have to find the structure and focus yourself to try to put in a little time every week. It took an unnecessarily long time for me to learn this. * If you feel terrible after graduating, take a gap year. * Read your textbooks closely.