R Deckard

This reminds me of a conversation I had with a (foreign) professor about grad school once: Her: "So have you heard back from grad schools yet?" ... Me: "I also got into Stony Brook" Her: "Really!? That's in New York City!" Me: "It's actually in Long Island and isn't really that close to NYC" Her: "The greatest city in the world!" Me: "..."

Have you considered that you may be heading down this new road just as deluded as you were before?

Some people crack me up.

It's the TA-assigner's job to judge whose life is most important? Really?

I feel like we're not getting the whole story here -- what is it that you're not telling us?

Always be upfront and honest. It really makes everything so much easier.

8

Is everything so difficult?

Yeah, grad school is too breezy.

Oh boy.

1

Because he really wants to be further associated with the topic of rape...

You asked somebody to give you an excuse and then thanked them for not helping you?

Brush it off man. You're really making it seem like a big deal which will result in other people thinking it's a big deal and then thinking stuff like "what is he hiding?" or "is he really guilty?" Just brush it off like it's nothing (it IS nothing) and don't worry about it. People won't make such a big deal out of it if you don't.

At this point its kind of tough. When you need something done, don't apologize and don't give anybody an out. Imagine if your boss called you on your day off and said "this is important, I need you to come in to work right now." You would probably be more likely to go in than if he said "I know you're probably really busy, but it would be great if you could come it to work today. I understand if you can't make it." Certainly don't thank him for not helping you... You might email him back and tell him that you weren't able to find 3 other letter writers and you really need him to write you a (strong) letter outlining your research ability and that he is in the best position to do this. Also, let him know how important it is to you. Good luck.

At this point you should at least try to finish out the semester strong and write your final papers. Then you'll have a bit more time to think things through.

Did you have a question?

You might be putting the cart ahead of the horse at this point -- you haven't actually taken any (real) math classes yet, so it may be tough to know if math is what you really want to do. Having said that, taking math classes at a university would be the next logical step toward a graduate degree in mathematics. And yes, you will be at a disadvantage until you prove that you can handle the rigor of graduate-level mathematics.

You can't drink a beer stout.

A thank you and a handshake.

Cool story, bro.

Update: It may be possible to have your admission changed from fall to the spring semester.

I'm considering doing the same thing. Having contacted the professor I would be working with, he said that most of my paperwork could be recycled and confirmed that admission would be almost guaranteed considering I was accepted last year. Additionally, you may want to consider figuring out a way to start in the spring since coursework at your current university might not transfer.

"My name is Rick Deckard, and I am applying to [some department] at [some school] to study [some stuff]." And I was in.

Oh boy.