Hanyuye

I didn't study at all for the verbal and did very well (>95%ile). Bear in mind that I've been doing crossword puzzles and playing other word games somewhat obsessively since I was very young... which I guess you could call studying? I spent a fair bit of time on strategy for the quantitative since I tend to be slow at math, maybe a few hours a week for a month or so. That score was lower, but good enough that I wasn't sorry I hadn't left myself enough time for a retake

I also took a couple of ETS tests just to get a feel for the format and the pacing.

I think your photo will be on your undergrad transcripts/ certificates, so why do you want to put it on your cv. Also ETS will put your photo on your GRE report when sending it.

Update: got GRE scores back.

163V/165Q/4.5W, percentiles: 92/92/75.

With these scores, GPA/courses and REUs, any recommendations on where to apply?

Hi everyone,

After stalking this site for some time, I finally thought to post and ask for some suggestions and opinions.

I'm applying to graduate programs in mathematics next year. My primary interest is in mathematical logic (model theory). I attend a relatively well-known Canadian university with a strong logic faculty.

Major: Mathematics
GPA: 3.65 (my poor grades are localized in a bad semester due to intense personal problems)

Course breakdown:

My most recent year: Real analysis 1 and 2 (A+ in both), group theory (A-), mathematical logic (A), model theory [graduate] (B+), ring and field theory (B+) -- and now the bad part: topology (B-), complex analysis 1 ©. Non-math: Philosophy of language (A+).

Previous years: Linear algebra 1,2,3 (A, A, A+), advanced calculus 1,2 (A+, A), probability theory (A+), differential equations (A-). The rest are non-math courses, distributed among physics, biology, chemistry, history, and philosophy. Mostly A-/A/A+ with one or two B's.

Will be taking: model theory 2, geometric topology [both graduate], complex analysis 2, Galois theory, algebraic topology, algebraic geometry, partial differential equations, a thesis, and some non-math courses.

Research experience: one summer of research at the Fields institute, one summer of research at my university. Worked in model theory and functional analysis.

I am planning on asking two of my supervisors and a third logician, with whom I took the graduate course and complex analysis 1 -- I have discussed the circumstances of my poor grade in that class with this professor-- for reference letters. I'm fairly confident in the quality of these letters, as I know the writers well. Also, for what it's worth they are well known in model theory.

I'm planning on taking the general GRE this September and the subject test this October.

My dream program is the Berkeley logic program, but I think I have put myself in a very difficult place with my poor semester. Other than UCB, I was told that Rutgers, UCLA, CUNY, Notre Dame, and Maryland have good programs. I'm also going to apply to some M.Sc. programs in Canada. Any feedback on schools would be most welcome, since I'm afraid that I may have disqualified my application from most of the schools I've mentioned due to my low GPA.

Feedback is most welcome. Thanks.

The school I am applying to requires a "brief statement of purpose." It doesn't tell me how long it should be, though. Thanks =]

I highly doubt that happened. That's incredibly bogus.

Oil will be around for hundreds of years despite the ongoing movement towards eco-friendly technology/energy resources. The demand is high, so is the pay, I know 4 petro engineers myself (but couldn't answer my academic questions regarding the programs) and they most certainly believe the technology needed to reserve all this petroleum will have to advance as fast as possible with a proportional increase in demand and salaries.

BUMP!

Hoping someone would answer this. I'm applying for at least 10 schools myself.

Pompous thread.

My advisor told me that for academic research job (postdoc or otherwise), the prestige of the institution is not as important as your advisor and your project. The prestige/reputation of the specific program is important too -- for example (just using something I know), in Planetary Sciences, the University of Arizona's Lunar & Planetary Laboratory is one of the top 5 planetary science programs but the University itself is not a top 10 school.

It sounds like that the more academic you go, the less the reputation of the school matters. What's more important is that people know you are capable of doing good work, through publications, presentations at conferences, and what your project is. My advisor said of course the name of the school will matter a bit, and if you're from a top 10, people might give you more "benefit of the doubt" whereas someone from a different school might be expected to prove themselves a bit more in the applications. In his opinion, there is no real difference between a school ranked, say #20 and #40 though. In addition, he doesn't think students should consider school rankings too much when applying to PhD programs -- getting a good research fit is far more important.

But if you are leaving the world of academia, then he thinks the school name may have a bigger effect. But then again, the prestigious schools are heavily academic and you may not develop the skills useful to the "real world" there.

Just repeating what my advisors have told me -- I think they have good points but having not been through it myself, I don't know if they are right or not! Their bottom line was that yes it would help but not so much that it's worth sacrificing a good research fit for (obviously if you can get both, then it's ideal!)

I think the criteria of picking the best research fit will also filter out some of the schools with "very low" reputations -- after all, highly reputed schools get such good reputations by having diverse departments do a lot of interesting research.

I've never heard of a B+ being a subtle request to drop out. As mentioned, people are usually pretty blunt about that.

Any grade lower than a B- is automatic dismissal in my program, however.

Thanks for the reply. I will write to him about the paper.
Elsewhere I read that a B+ is a subtle message that wants to ask you to drop out of the program...I personally think that if there was a need to ask a person to drop out, they would do that rather unsubtly. Is that true? I have never heard of anyone in my peers ever mention a grade under A-, and that makes me very worried. Is a B+ not that uncommon.?

I don't think a single B+ is a sign that you are being asked to drop out. If all your grades are "minimal pass", then that's one thing, but just one B+ might just mean that your advisor thought you should have worked harder on that course.

I also don't think the fact that no one ever mentions a grade below A- means that no one ever gets below A-. People are less likely to share grades they aren't proud of.

6%

What if your work experience is nothing related to your graduate pursuits? What if your previous completed bachelors degree is nothing related to your graduate pursuits as well? I kept in contact with the graduate advisors but most of them responded within 4-7 days of each email.

Hi there,

I just wanted to collect more facts that there is unjust treatment when a PhD student is being recommended by his department to withdraw even before he writes his first comprehensive exams due to low GPAs or other reasons.

I would like to encourage your reply in this thread if you have heard any cases like this in a Canadian or American graduate program.

Just relax. Flaky people are a dime a dozen in academia, and your professor has probably seen it all. Presumably, he also deals with undergrads on a daily basis, and undergrads regularly ask questions that are downright inane. I constantly get emails from undergrads asking questions that range from the completely unnecessary (a quick glance at the syllabus will tell you where my office is, what my office hours are, what is due tomorrow, what you missed last week, how to get onto the class website, what time the class starts, how many points the final is worth, and on and on) to the downright stupid (are you a hard grader? am I going to miss anything if I don't come to class next week? can you give me the answer to the question on this test? what happens if I "accidentally" plagiarize? I saw your rate my professor page, and I was wondering if what people wrote about you is true?).

Relax. Your professor has already forgotten your gaffe.

Let your deeds, not your words, be your adorning.

Keep in mind that professors are not necessarily people persons and that they can be busy and that they may see the summer months as their time.

Also, please consider the advantages of bringing something to the table in addition to your curiosity when you initiate communications with established academics. At the very least, I recommend that you find ways to demonstrate that you've done your due diligence as a potential applicant. Otherwise, you may well run the risk of coming across as someone on a fishing expedition.

Finally, please keep in mind that there's a big difference between "liking" a professor and respecting her and her work and that while what you think of her may be important to you, it is not as important as what she thinks of you.

HTH.

As someone who has lived in NYC for most of my life I'd like those outsiders looking in to get a clear picture of the good and the bad.

NYC is a great place for restaurants, clubbing, nightlife, museaums, etc. New York is RELATIVELY safe. However, the city has seen a rise in gun violence over recent years and keeping the city safe is becoming increasingly difficult. Manhattan is one of the safest boroughs due to the massive number of people and high class restaurants, shopping, etc. However, at night time some areas get a bit dangerous, and areas NEAR to Columbia(not directly around) get very dangerous at night. The massive influx of people has also brought a spike in prices of housing, so you will likely be paying quite a lot for a litte apartment or even a room. If you want something cheaper as in most other college towns, you will likely be living in a less than prime location in terms of transit and/or safety.

NYC is becoming very UNDRIVABLE. If you own a car and intend to drive be prepared for obscene amounts of traffic. While the city's highways are generally tolerable, during rush hour it can take you 2 hours to go 3 or 4 miles in some areas. Furthermore, parking at meters is becoming ridiculously expesnive at $1.00/15 minutes in some places. The public transportation system works, but not great. The subways are quite dirty, can be dangerous, and run very inefficiently. You need to leave yourself time to be late when plannig your schedule.

All being said, NYC is a massive city and variations in neighborhoods vary greatly within just a few minutes. There is a lot to be experienced in New York but it comes at a price(both literally and figuratively). Many people come to the city and love it. Others come and hate it. Since I have been traveling I hear that people say NYC is a great place to visit or be young but not a good place to live. It is really up to you and what you like.

I will be applying to MPH programs in the fall. I have no idea how competitive the admissions process is so any input would be much appreciated!! I went to Upenn, graduated with a 3.5 overall 3.8 in major (neurobiology), with an honors thesis. I have spent two years as an analyst at a boutique healthcare and life science strategy consulting firm. I took the GREs earlier this year and got a 161 Q, 163 V, and 5.5 W, I am retaking them this week but am not sure how much my scores will improve. i have looked in to Columbia, Harvard, Hopkins, Berkley, UNC, NYU, Yale, UMich. Any thoughts?

Agree with the poster above. Three years is a wash. You should look at men as being in your age bracket, not younger/ older. A few years one way or the other does not drastically change a person maturity level. Make your decision based off on personality factors. Older does not necessarily mean wiser. It actually makes more sense from an athropologic standpoint for women to marry younger men since we typically live longer them. haha

^ God somebody ban him already...

To the OP, I would hardly consider a 3 year age difference significant, especially at your age. My mom is 6 years older than my dad, they met when she was about your age.

OK, I cannot believe I'm actually going to ask, but I really want to know what the GradCafe community thinks, so here goes... what do women think about dating younger men? And, what do men think about dating older women?

Now, I don't mean cougars chasing after 20-somethings.

Here's the situation: When I went on my campus visit, I met several current students. One of them was a very cute first-year doctoral student. We had a great hour long conversation--the kind that you wish would never stop. Afterwards, a few minutes of web searching revealed that he graduated three years after I did. So, assuming, he graduated when he was 22, that would make him at least three years younger than me (I'm 33). I completely forgot to check his ring finger (and some married men don't wear rings anyway), and I have no idea if he has a girlfriend or is engaged. But, if he isn't, I plan on strategically bumping into him in the building.

I've never considered dating younger men. I always thought (for whatever deluded reason) that the "perfect" age would be two years older than me--well, my ex was two years older than me, so that didn't quite work out. But, now that I'm in my early thirties, things are different. Younger men (i.e., late twenties) aren't all necessarily immature and selfish.

Anyway, thoughts on this? First-hand experience? Thanks for commenting.

Hi all,

So I emailed a professor at the ECE department at a top US university on Thursday morning, describing to her that I had done work relevant to her research, had sent a paper to a journal to be published and that I wanted to inquire if she would be hiring graduate students for her lab for fall 2013. She replied within an hour, telling me that they would like to talk to me (her response was CC'ed to one of her PhD students, whose work is most closely related to mine) and that I should give her my availabilities for Friday, Monday and Tuesday. I responded on Friday morning by thanking her, and telling her my available timings according to her time zone. I asked her for her preferred method of communication, and that mine is Skype (am from another country across the Atlantic).

Since then I haven't heard from her. What can be the reason? Is she too busy, could she have forgotten or lost interest? I told her two possible times, depending on her time zone (I googled and found two different local times for her state which differed by 1 hour, so I explained it in the reply).

Can anyone help ease my anxiety?

Dear Bro~ I got 2.88/4 in my undergrad in Chemical Engg from BUET and it's top most uni in Bangladesh. I have done my M.Sc. and I got 4.22/4.5 (~94%) from YU, South Korea. I have a journal, three international and 3 local conference proceedings. Moreover I have 2+ years relevant job experiences. I am preparing for GRE but still I'm frustrated and dubious that whether I can get funding for PhD in US universities. But your post enlighten me. Could you please advice me on university selection for sub 3 UG GPA holder? It would be a great help. Regards, Nuvan