equinox

Well, research feels pretty different from academics, no? Maybe find some fun small problems to work on, to have some original work to present? I really think that original work would be something that would WAY overshadow bad grades, and I bet there are professors around who could hook you up with some problems... Good luck!!!

Oh, I COMPLETELY understand that dilemma! I am choosing between a really good math department, and a quite good biology department at my undergrad institution where my SO is currently a graduate student. My SO and I talked about it a lot, and it IS hella depressing, but you know... at the end, I feel actually better and more confident that we will get through it- and if you two are serious and love each other, I bet you will. And if you (as a couple )are not serious, then ... well, you will find that out, right? Why can't he/she join you? In a year or two? Thats what I am hoping for *sigh* Also, if you change your career while knowing that you are an academic at heart because of your S.O., and then it doesn't work out with the two of you... you are sure to resent him/her forever....

The PhD Program seems like the much better choice to me- you might even be able to secure funding for the second semester while you are there. If your eventual goal is to get a PhD anyways, then it's better not to waste time on an MA program. Can you imagine going through this whole process again? And you said the MA programs only offered partial funding- how partial? Without knowing the details, I would guess you would rack up just as much debt in two years of a partially funded MA, as you would in one year of unfunded PhD. Student loans are not THAT bad, as long as you follow the rule of thumb and keep them under what you expect your one year salary to be when you are done and you don't have any major things planned- like having a massive wedding, or having kids, etc etc etc. Seattle is by no means cheap to live in, but at least you can live there without buying a car (EASILY- everything you need is near UW, and the city wide bus system is excellent), and if you have a roommate for one year, housing won't get you too bad either. So, of course wait to hear from the other schools, but I think that taking out some small loans and starting the perfect program is WAY better than doing this whole thing over again in two years in an equally insecure financial situation.

Oh boy. You don't LIKE math/stats? then my number one piece of advice is- do NOT, NOT, NOT go to ANY math PhD program. They are ALL grueling, and require serious creativity, and a lot of in depth study of pure math. MAYBE go to a Masters in math and stop. As a math person, my opinion of stats is a bit low, so I am biased in saying that a stats PhD is more realistic- but everyone wants a PhD in Stats, and they are very competitive as a result. In any case, material wise- stats is WAY more accessible for anyone wanting to do something math-ish. Taking a few more classes to get your GPA up might help your chances of getting a job, but it still leaves you VERY far from being PhD student material, even at a lower rank institution. If you DO have two more years, you need to do a LOT MORE than just take classes. Among other things, you need to do really freaking well on the subject GRE, and this will offset a lot of your early lower grades. By min required, you mean you took a Java course (or R) ? Programming is skill that you will need to get THROUGH any graduate program in math/stats. Research is a good way to practice your programming skills when the problem is not set. Yes, I would say aim lower than top 50, get in touch with professors at those schools, and ask them, straight up- what do I need to do to make my resume look competitive to you. Make yourself more than a piece of paper to them.

I can see your dilemma being a problem if it was you know, HARVARD vs Knoxville, but as is- do NOT accept the UPitt, is my advice. University of Pittsburgh might be an OK place, but no one is going to offer you a job just because of the name coming out. You absolutely need to find out NOW from both universities since you ARE thinking about this scheme (and I think the answers will give you a reality check): How many people are getting through the program and graduating, and where are they getting jobs? What are their graduates starting salaries? Because averages and anecdotes of salaries of SOME Econ professors mean absolutely nothing. Your top choice should be your top choice because of FIT, not because of name. If there are people you want to work with at Knoxville, go there. If there really are NOT, then... maybe neither school is a good idea.

I'm sorry... but I really don't see how you would get into any of those programs without something like a really good GRE math score proving that you learned the material later on, or STELLAR research recommendations, and even if you did- I am not sure I see how you would succeed. Those programs you listed are pretty much all top 50 schools- competition these days is really high, and funding has been cut close to half- why would they take you over another student? And you have to do well in classes that will be much harder and more demanding than the ones you have just done mediocre in. If you have never shown yourself doing better than a B in a math course, that's not really a great indicator. Did you have to work hard for that B? I guess what I'm asking is- what makes you think that graduate school is right for you? I don't know you, or your story in great detail, so of course this may not be fair- but it just doesn't sound like you are prepared at all for graduate work. Do you maybe have strong programming skills to offset the weak math?

I saw this on mathematicsgre.com JUST now- it's an older discussion about someone else interested in CUNY Grad Center. Clearly, my Art Hisotry friend is not the only one who had bad experience

I did a summer REU in math at UW- go there!!! CUNY Grad center is pretty awful- crazy expensive to live there, they have REALLY bad funding issues (so does everyone, but theirs are worse). I have a friend who is doing Art History PhD at CUNY, and it's awful. they don't pay you when they are supposed to or the amount that they are supposed to, etc. Seattle is a beautiful, clean, diverse place to live. The UW campus is one of hte best I have ever seen, and they have a GREAT math department that is very well known. CUNY has none of these things. Unless your significant other is in NYC or you have a VERY specific person you want as your advisor at CUNY, I cannot imagine how you could choose CUNY over UW.

Oh wow. eigen- sorry for repeating what you said, I was typing at the same time you were, I swear.

"Graduate admissions really isn't all that complex: Do well in classes, have a good understanding of the base material, have several years of in-depth research experience (that you can explain and discuss well) have some good extra-curriculars/awards/society memberships, and have 3 professors that know you well enough to write good, personal letters for you by the time you graduate." -- You are absolutely right, I wish someone had told me that when I started my undergrad. As for the matching system- there is NO way it would work. There are too many subfields, and too many programs where to have to name an advisor. The medical profession is far more straight forward- there are no research interests involved, and the credentials are way more standardized. There would have to be a separate matching process for math, applied math, psych, chemistry, physics... and so on. And then what happens to interdiscplinary people? I applied to pure math programs, applied math programs, computational biology programs, and Ecology and Evolution programs. They all had people I would have loved as my advisor, and I would have done almost the same research in each place. I got into one pure math, one Ecology and Evolution, and wait listed at an applied math. How on EARTH could a matching system deal with that? And I only figured out which I wanted to go to after extensive vists and discussions with potential advisors. As for the indian system- I call bulls***. Graduate school is about doing RESEARCH, not how well you learned a particular subject area in undergrad. It's about CREATIVITY, which cannot be tested. Knowledge is important too, but it is ONLY the foundation of the building, not the structure. I did poorly on the math GRE because it had been 7 years since I took calc I and II and diff eq in high school. I was taking graduate math courses that semester, so I didn't want to devote half of my time to preparing. Does that mean I don't know calculus or differential equations? heck no, I just can't do the problems in 2.5 minutes, it takes me maybe 6 to figure it out, instead of spitting out a formula and then doing a small calculation. The point is, Some graduate schools held it against me, others (ranked just as highly) didn't care. If every school uses the same ranking system, how can it NOT be discriminatory to some people? The strength of the US system is in its diversity. If one school is biased for a particular reason, the other won't be.

It looks like I am probably going to Penn State U - I don't love the location, but funding seems to be steady, and the department is VERY good. They have been very nice about keeping in touch and over the phone. Need to find a place to live...

FORGET New Brunswick, live in Highland Park- it has a real grocery store, lots of cute little shops, people are friendly. Prices are pretty much the same, except Highland Park is 100% safe, and the roof won't come down on your head. The vast majority of grad students live in Highland Park. I don't mind Busch campus at all, I think it's actually pretty nice, and there is something to be said for living on campus and walking when the weather is bad. Parking situation for residents is fine- less fine for commuters. Fac/staff not a problem though. Credentials: Have been at RU for four years.

I grew up in Tulsa- it IS a really nice town! The only place in OK that I think is livable. I'm not sure what "midtown" means, but yes- North Tulsa, not so good. On the other hand, compared to most places East or West Coast, also not actually that bad. If you live VERY near the TU campus, you should be fine, but there are bad places a little further out. Lots of very new, quite cheap apartments all over. Probably easier to find an apartment complex than a craigslist-type rental. There are some beautiful historical areas- rose gardens, art museum, etc.

Naturalizer, Aersoloes, Merrell, Sofft for formal occasions. Teva, Rafters for summer. Simple makes really nice eco shoes. DSW, 6pm.com, and endless.com are my favorite store to shop at. Born (b.o.c.) is another GREAT company for shoes. You want leather so they last.

Of course it would! contact your POI, ASAP. I am at RU, and funding is... short. Not chronically short, but short. And you will probably be competing for it. Unless you just don't have any other choices, look into it. If it's your only option, well, that's life.