How to judge math programs

[gdjm]

hi, I am interested in number theory and algebraic geometry, but I don't know how to judge math programs.

Of course I can use USnews math rank, but I hate :mrgreen: this rank because it sometimes contradicts with what I saw in the web page of a math program. For example, I find that university of geogia (UGA) is good in number theory and algebraic geometry, but it does not rank high in the USnews math rank. I am quite interest in this program, but this rank makes me feel bad( I don't want, but have to believe it).

Does anyone know other methods to evaluate math programs? And how do you do this judgment?

[Tinyboss]

Talk to the professors at your school who work in those areas. They know.

[hartshorneBoy]

UGA is a great school, esp. for AG and NT (such great faculty!! Izadi, Alexeev, Gibney, Krashen, Lorenzini, Lyall, Clark, Rumely, etc. etc.). They even had a recent graduate win a Sloan fellowship this year. The rankings are untrusting for A/NT/AG because they group all three together and algebra is very different from the other two (although you have Nakano, Boe and Chastkofsky, all of them are great). I definitely encourage applying to UGA!!

[kdilks]

Haha, great username.

http://math.arizona.edu/~savitt/GTM.html

See if you truly live up to it.

[hartshorneBoy]

Amusingly, yes. I did match up.

I also met him on Monday. We talked about liaison surfaces.