Advice on getting into grad programs

[cosgus]

So, after alot of time doing research and contemplating options I have decided that I do want to go to grad school. I am about to graduate with a BA in mathematics from university of florida.

I have a couple obstacles to getting into grad school, and I know its going to be an uphill battle. First of all, I have changed majors alot and didnt really become devoted to my studies untill late in college. Accordingly, my overall GPA is very low (2.5), but my major coursework GPA is 3.68. Second, Im just getting a BA which I now see is lacking in overall math curriculum (No numerical analysis, PDE, stochastic processes, topology, etc). Also, I was not involved in any research or internships.

I have allocated the next year of my life to putting myself in a more favorable position for getting into a worthwhile grad program. I hope to find my way into quantitative financial analysis but it seems that since it is such a young field that programs are either very selective or brand new and not worth attending. Alternatively, I can try for an MS in applied mathematics in a school with suitable finance electives to properly supplement the degree.

There are so many degrees that I dont really know what to shoot for. MFE, MQF, MFM, or MS applied math with finance electives.

So thats where I am now. I hope to find an internship or two or three to busy myself over the next year. C is the only programming language I know so Im also going to be teaching myself C++ (any other languages i should learn?) and try and get a certification of some sort. And I want to take more math classes if I can, particularly Numerical analysis, Probability theory, and PDE. And I will be doing alot of reading on the subject over the year. By the time I am applying I hope to have introductory knowledge of most of the material covered in the first year of graduate MFE programs. I will be reading Hull, Wilmott, and Bjork. Any other recomendations? And of course I will be studying for and taking the GRE by November. I am a good test taker and expect to do very well.

Problem is im not sure how to go about finding an appropriate internship, reputable C++ certification, or how to go about taking these extra math classes after having already graduated. I am on break from school right now and will be talking to department advisors as soon as I get back, but in the meantime I wanted to see what advice I can get here. Or if there are any questions I should be asking that I have not thought of.

oh and with my record is a PhD program out of the question?

Thanks in advance.

[starmaker]

I've never seen a company that actually cared about certifications in particular programming languages. If you're going for a coding job, they'll ask you coding questions at the interview anyway.

You might consider doing a master's program with thesis, part-time, while you work. It would give you a chance to earn some more strong grades and get some research experience. If you don't do that, you might ask a professor if he or she will let you do some unpaid research with him or her.

You aren't out of the running for a PhD, it will just be a bit harder.

You should be aware that the GRE is entirely changing starting in August. If you buy a study book or something for the current GRE, it will be irrelevant for any GRE test that you take in November.

Do well on the GRE subject test.