ANDS!

It's all going to be in that Statement of Purpose. That you simply didn't complete your grad requirements a scant few years ago is going to be quite the red flag for people reading your application. I respect that you do not feel that you are a quitter, but that is how the grad. comm. is going to see it without you successfully (and honestly) explaining what happened during your first go around. If the program was a wrong fit, explain why it was the wrong fit and why the program you are wanting to enter now is. As for how you do this, I would steer clear of "depression" or any psychological talk, and instead couch the discussion in terms of how the lack of fit between you and the material, despite the quality of the program, lead to a disconnect and eventually you deciding to not complete the program instead of putting your name on work you didn't believe in. If any member of the faculty can speak to your talent despite you not finishing, that will be huge for you. At the end of the day these people (and really anyone who ever "hires" you in the future) is going to want to know: Does this person know what they are doing and is in it for the long haul?

You can find most of that information (if you trust those responding) on the RESULTS section of the website.

Google Drive? 5 bucks a month for 100GB of storage. For all the hand-wringing over Googles privacy flaps, I'd still pick the name I know beyond any of the others.

It all depends - in my mind - on the level of involvement one has in the class. If you're just providing office hours (which is most often the case at the undergraduate level) then get as down and nasty as you want. If you're actually grading exams - just don't do it. Even if you explain the situation to the prof. your TA'ing for, they'll come to their own conclusion about your level of ethical muster (and that it's probably not that great). Academically and professionally it's probably just NOT worth it.

Oh. I'm dumb. I assumed you were going into stats (and was thus crazy impressed with the Math GRE score). My advice still stands, but there should be a LOT more competition in the top 10. A LOT. I think your work experience is going to be what leads your app; definitely work on that letter or rec. I'd do half top 15 (of your choosing) half top 16-30 (with a bit of bunching in that 16 region). Just recognize that there is going to be some insane amount of scrambling for your spot). If you haven't done so, you'd want to take a look at MathGreForum.com to see some of the profiles of others on there. As for the rankings; I've stopped trying to figure out why some lists are some way and others are others. That's why I just go with them as a guideline and then move forward from there. For what it is worth, I put more stock in Phd.org than US News. US News I think puts more emphasis on prestiege (IE Chicago, Berk, and NYU placing).

I would think your chances for funding are better than those who were not invited to the Open House; but it is certainly not a garauntee. It's unfortunate that PhD candidates have to "compete" for funding posts, but that is the unfortunate reality. Was this the only acceptance you received?

They are investing in the future. As someone said, every action the student takes - it will reflect positively (assuming it is positive) back on them, and thus warrant the large grants and faculty interest they receive. There are of course OTHER benefits, but I think its very cynical to think these "other benefits" (student labor) are what is really driving graduate committees. And is TA'ing really that bad. I've done it and not been paid, and I would say I would rather have done it (even though yes I hated doing it) than not because it keeps you constantly engaged in the material in a different way than sitting around and debating or talking about it with your peers does.

Something tells me he copied and pasted wrong. I doubt AN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY would send out such a poorly formatted email.

Your app will be dependent on your letters of rec (I'd think the finance experience will be worth more than the chem), and the quality of classes you attempted. I don't think anyone will have a problem with the GPA/Test Performance, but you have to remember - the best of the best will also be applying there. It is likely you'll get rejected from a few of those spots just because they don't have room for you. For your app I wouldn't go out of the Top 30 (as agreed upon by Phd.Org and USNews), and perhaps do a mix of half top 10, half everything else - depending on how many schools you apply to.

How soon are you talking about? Realistically the first thing that should (and will) be in, is your application. LOR wont go in until you specify who will be writing them, and unless a program is stuck in the stone-age they will get an email asking your referals to submit them. To be honest I think you should just breathe and enjoy the free time you have. Submitting materials early isn't going to give you a leg up and might just confuse things for you (the Excel sheet is a good idea). For most schools, so long as your app is in on time then you are golden, with allowing the rest of the materials to come in. Other schools demand for ALL materials to be in by application deadline - so I would look to having the application done a month in advance, and allow the rest of the materials to catch up. But for now, just enjoy the summer.

Also note, and this may have changed, you don't have to list schools when you take the exam - you can go in there and add them later. I'm not sure if you lose the four freebies (if you do that is incredibly greedy on the part of ETS - but hey they're just playing to form), so you might want to look into that.

I had a great conversation with the folks at Missouri. If my academic goals hadn't changed in the resulting weeks, they would have been a contendor for where I wanted to end up. Only use those rankings as a "guide" - they ALL will provide an excellent academic background, so that shouldn't be the concern. Your concern should be in regards to research fit, and long term professional success.

Thing is, you don't need to attend a top 10 school (hell even a top 20) to have long term academic/professional success. Widen your net to the Top 50 (see what US News and Phd.org have to say about that) and you'll find some better fits academically and socially I'm thinking. Also, if you transition to biostats your chances of getting into some of those schools definitely increases - barrier to entry isn't that high for folks with OK math backgrounds.

As with anything the admission process is pretty random. However Washington, CMU, Duke, UNC, Michigan and MAYBE NCSU might be incredible reaches given your academic performance. Also, if some of those places require the subject GRE (or strongly recommend it), you might also be disadvantage. But you never know - if you have the funding to do so, I would go for the glory.

I've been in several departments where the "teachers" only teach one class a year. The rest is spent on research.

Graduate Stafford Loans are unsubbed loans and are still at the 6.8%. It's the subbed loans that they want to jack to 6.8%, which kinda sucks for current undergrads. The unsubbed loan you will get, so long as you apply in time. It is ONLY based off eligibility requirements, not financial need. So so long as you weren't a drug runner before coming to school, you should get the full amount (if you want it).

. . .and being a member of an underrepresented population. Hurray for diversity!

Holy hell. I love being surprised by new products. I hated the look and feel of the first X1, but god damn does the Carbon look sweet. I might just have to grab that in a couple of months. I was thinking I would go with one of the X300/X200 series, but that X1 looks perfect and (if the pricing rumors are to be believed) competively priced.

LA is core. Definitely retake it (perhaps at a community college), and if possible, take the upper division equivalent. Some people will say you need abstract algebra to do it - they are full of it. At most you need to know how to write a proof, and about groups and rings. If your math game is mature enough, it should be a breeze. For what it is worth, I enjoyed upper division LA more than its lower division brother.

Play it safe, give a card (a funny one) and maybe something signialing where you are headed next (folks were talking about giving coffee mugs from the schools they were going to, so if you're continuing on that might be an option).

Well, if you got a D in Calc II - what did you get the second time around. And one grade isn't going to kill you (I got a C in Calc I, and failed a remedial Biology course - still killed it app season). However, I also got A's in every other course a graduate committee would care about. Mediocre grades in the ENTIRE sequence is not going to do you any favors I'm afraid. I would go so far as to suggest petitioning to retake the courses - or, taking your advanced math (intro to proof writing, upper division linear algebra and real analysis) and blowing those out of the water. I will say though, its still going to look a bit rough that you weren't able to conquer the Calculus series.

Probably because you're a robot shilling movies online. Congrats on the acceptance to CSUS; I know there is a ton of doom and gloom about the future of the CSU system, but I think cooler heads will prevail. Still its good to get in and get out while the gettin' is good.

So at this point in time you haven't actually been admitted into a program? I would say you still need to fill out the FAFSA and list the schools you are interested in toot sweet. There really is no reason to wait, and if you aren't admitted no FA package is prepared for you. If you wait, you run the risk of not getting any aid (though I've yet to run into someone who has said that has happened). Also be aware that the kind of aid a graduate student can get has changed. I think the PLUS loan (is that the one for parents) is still in effect, but you can only get Unsubbed Stafford loans. I was approved (if there even is a vetting process) for the full amount, which is 20500 per year.

You shouldn't have a problem running SAS or R on a Mac (though I swear a friend had the toughest time finding packages for R on her Macbook Pro). As has been mentioned, at this point - this stuff is all universal, and putting windows on a Mac has enough converts that should you want a Mac there is support for it. I wouldn't go that route (and would just get a PC). That said, I would take a Thinkpad any day of the week. Folks thought Lenovo taking over for IBM would be the death of the brand - that has been proven false many times over. I was late to the IBM thinkpad game, so most of my Thinkpads are Lenovo - and they are all still going strong. As soon as I begin in the fall, I'll be grabbing a new Thinkpad (or perhaps there sleeker Ideapad U series) and wont be looking back. Perhaps if I were younger, I'd be interested in the premium that the Apple brand carries.

If you're able to slide it in there with finesse - go for it. If I were reading these, I would not want you to mention this as a sort of "Oh hai - these are my trade skills", because that sort of thing belongs in a CV. But if you're able to relate your facility with this program/method organically into the discussion at hand, then do so.