kcaz

As a black male pursuing a degree in mathematics, I can empathise. For the final two years in undergrad I was the only minority (of course, I went to a state school in which the majority of students were local and white). I think that there is a higher standard that we push ourselves to reach (b eit self-inflicted, through family or peers or through the media) however I found that as I progressed that I was being praised and valued for my contributions and output by itself. Ultimately, I found that I was striving to meet my own standards of work because I was able to and wanted to do so. Entering grad school this year I imagine I'll have that same sort of feeling since there's going to be a higher degree of difficulty and less room for subpar work but as stated above I think that's generally a normal feeling.

I'm moving next weekend (so the 18th/19th) and have orientation starting on the 24th. It'll give me a few days to get used to big city suburb living.

Yep. Sent an(other) e-mail yesterday and received a reply today. Per financial aid it takes six weeks or more to get reviewed and then two or three weeks to apply the funds and that the banner site is the most current source of loan status.

Attending GWU in the fall; if anyone is looking for a roommate still let me know. Also, I'm thinking about possibly getting a bike to ride around the campus and surrounding areas with - in general how viable is cycling in DC (are there bike racks, am I in any major danger of getting said bike stolen, etc.)?

Graduated with a 2.75 from a small liberal arts school in December - just got an official acceptance letter from George Washington for their Master's program in Math in the fall. Due to a combination of health issues and the need to work nearly full time to support my family, my grades dropped considerably during a single semester, but every semester after showed an increase in GPA. Beyond that, I think that a combination of things both in and out of school helped. In school: - I studied a variety of areas while in undergrad, allowing me to get exposed to a variety of areas to see what I liked to make a stronger SOP - I got involved in the math department: I tutored for two semesters, I was a part of the Math Club, and I volunteered whenever the opportunity presented itself at functions which certainly helped me with respect to recommendations - I did a research project; though it was primarily in statistics, the experience itself was invaluable plus, from what I can tell, ANY research experience can be seen as favorable when coming out of an undergrad program Out of school: - I got a fairly good GRE subject score (155 V | 164 Q | 5.5 W) - I considered smaller programs; while the idea of applying to MIT or one of the Ivy would be great, the fact is it would've been a waste of my money. It just so happened that I looked at GWU for my undergrad degree, so fate worked out well. - I basically explained my circumstances in my SOP. I didn't try to hide my past, but I didn't dwell on it. I chose, instead, to emphasize the fact that in spite of my GPA, there were enough other great things about me to consider me a viable candidate. About a year ago, I would've likely be constantly refreshing this thread because I was concerned about my GPA, so to anyone else that might be in my boat: it's possible to overcome a sub 3.0 GPA! The most important thing necessary is motivation to address your shortcomings and work hard in the areas that you can control.

Barring a horrific accident, I'm likely going to GWU in the fall for a MA in Math. Coming from the Delmarva Peninsula, I've got a flimsy knowledge of DC but no real experience of living in the city. Suffice to say, it should be interesting.