Please Help, need some evaluation of my profile

[LOVE]

Hi, I'm finishing up my MA. I'm trying to get a ph.d. in applied math (PDE or computational math), Here are some of my basics

B.S. in Math GPA 3.2 (taking sufficient amount of CS credits for a minor)

M.S. in Pure Math, GPA 4.0

M.A. in Applied Math, GPA 4.0

1 Journal, 2 in preparation (1 journal, 1 Technical Report for the department only)

GRE: V340, Q800, W4.5

Math Sub.: 880(88%)

Have been thinking about these schools: Caltech, Berkeley, UMD, RPI, UW(Seattle), Brown, Princeton, UNCCH

any suggestions? I've been bad at applying to phd schools, which why I'm getting two masters.

[LOVE]

Hi, I'm finishing up my MA. I'm trying to get a ph.d. in applied math (PDE or computational math), Here are some of my basics

B.S. in Math GPA 3.2 (taking sufficient amount of CS credits for a minor)

M.S. in Pure Math, GPA 4.0

M.A. in Applied Math, GPA 4.0

1 Journal, 2 in preparation (1 journal, 1 Technical Report for the department only)

GRE: V340, Q800, W4.5

Math Sub.: 880(88%)

Have been thinking about these schools: Caltech, Berkeley, UMD, RPI, UW(Seattle), Brown, Princeton, UNCCH

any suggestions? I've been bad at applying to phd schools, which why I'm getting two masters.

[LOVE]

Oops, sorry guys, the Math subject test I took actually, I only got 800 (86%) out of it. Do you think I need to retake it?

and regarding the GRE general test, I sucked at verbal, 340.. is it too bad for math majors?

[kroner]

800 is a pretty good score. There's nowhere that will hurt you; I don't think you need to worry about retaking it. 340 V seems pretty bad, on the other hand I don't think math grad schools care about your verbal score at all, as long as they can be sure that you speak English well enough to TA a class. If you are a native speaker (I'm assuming you are?) then I doubt that's a concern. Besides your writing score is decent.

I don't know enough to say anything about the schools you picked, except for some general advice, which is that if you're really committed to going to grad school make sure you have some safeties, especially if you're unsure about how strong your app is.

[hubris]

Your verbal seems low (echoing the previous post), but you should ask some schools if that is an issue.

Also, I suggest expanding your school choices.

[floffel]

How strong are the programs you've already completed? Unless you are coming from a very rigorous program, your undergrad GPA is quite low and this could be a problem. Also, most of the incoming students at the schools you were targeting will not have a master's in math (much less two). I'm not sure whether this is because top programs dislike taking people with a master's or simply because most good math students (ie, the people you will be competing against to get into those programs) go straight to PhD programs. If you are foreign having the master's is more normal.

The most important factor in your application is your recommendations, so while it's hard to know what programs you can get into without knowing your LORs, your recommenders will likely be able to help you calibrate your list of schools--ask their advice.

[LOVE]

Your verbal seems low (echoing the previous post), but you should ask some schools if that is an issue.

Also, I suggest expanding your school choices.

I agree. I've been thinking about adding more.

[LOVE]

800 is a pretty good score. There's nowhere that will hurt you; I don't think you need to worry about retaking it. 340 V seems pretty bad, on the other hand I don't think math grad schools care about your verbal score at all, as long as they can be sure that you speak English well enough to TA a class. If you are a native speaker (I'm assuming you are?) then I doubt that's a concern. Besides your writing score is decent.

I don't know enough to say anything about the schools you picked, except for some general advice, which is that if you're really committed to going to grad school make sure you have some safeties, especially if you're unsure about how strong your app is.

thanks so much. I've been working on expanding my list of schools lately.

[LOVE]

How strong are the programs you've already completed? Unless you are coming from a very rigorous program, your undergrad GPA is quite low and this could be a problem. Also, most of the incoming students at the schools you were targeting will not have a master's in math (much less two). I'm not sure whether this is because top programs dislike taking people with a master's or simply because most good math students (ie, the people you will be competing against to get into those programs) go straight to PhD programs. If you are foreign having the master's is more normal.

The most important factor in your application is your recommendations, so while it's hard to know what programs you can get into without knowing your LORs, your recommenders will likely be able to help you calibrate your list of schools--ask their advice.

Oh, that 3.2 is actually accumulate, my major is 3.8; those general eduction courses just plain killed me and I didn't participate in the Putnam competition, I guess that disqulified me as being good at math. All my degrees were (is going to be) granted in US soil. They're definitely not from top 10, which's why I want to get into one. Could you elaborate a bit more on explanation of why top programs dislike people with a master degree? Is it based on statistical analysis? I'm kind of scared, cause, you know, I are going to have two masters, one in pure math and the other in applied.