Jump to content

Picking a Math PhD Program


Cryolite

Recommended Posts

Well, I've got some decisions to make.

 

At this point, I have acceptances at 4 schools: Stanford ICME, NYU, Georgia Tech ACO, and UIUC. In addition, a personal email from Carnegie Mellon's graduate director makes me think I have a 90% or so chance of getting in there as well (for ACO). NYU and Stanford offer me masters-to-PhDs, and normally these would be out of the question. However, I recieved an NSF GRFP fellowship, and thanks to the fellowship paying for three years of school, I can get waived tuition at a masters and continue to the PhD program normally. Stanford specifically told me that they fund MS-to-PhD students with TAships once they finish their masters and pass quals. However, I have seen no such guarantee from NYU. Will they fund me after year 3?

 

A little bit about myself:

 

Undergrad: unranked, unknown state; majoring in math w/ econ minor
GPA: 3.8 overall, 3.9 in core
Research: I've done a couple independent studies on analytical number theory and a research project on integral equations, which ended in a paper. I've also done an REU on computational geometry which resulted in an unpublished manuscript (I'll publish it when I have time) and I am currently doing a senior thesis project on saturation numbers with a pretty well-respected professor.

Interests: pretty flexible; I'd prefer to do graph theory or other combinatorics but I will willingly work in applied math as well.
TA experience: 1 semester of grading and 1 semester of tutoring
Scholarships: Nothing special; dean's list, departmental stuff, the like.

GRE: 169 Q 166 V 5.0 W; 800 (81%) subject
Other: I have an NSF GRFP; 30 on putnam

 

 

So, what do I do? Thanks for your help in advance

Edited by Cryolite
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would be nervous about the NYU funding situation unless you can get more info from the school on whether you could be guaranteed funding when your NSF ended.

How much do you like the research at each school?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

UPDATE: NYU said they would consider me for funding in their PhD program after I consider their masters program. However, talking with the head of the masters department revealed that only 1 or 2 masters students successfully transfer to the PhD program. Because funding is not guaranteed even then, I am removing it from consideration. This leaves 4 schools, which in order of current leaning is: Stanford, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, UIUC.

 

Also, in response to the poster above, I like the research at Georgia Tech best, although it's very close. The people at Stanford are doing great things with estimating the solutions to systems of equations, and Carnegie Mellon does a lot of interesting stuff too. Urbana-Champaign probably has the least interesting research, but they still are doing some nice stuff. My research interests are fluid enough so that research can't be the only factor in making a decision though.

Edited by Cryolite
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I understand you correctly then you are saying that you are guaranteed funding and admission to the phd program at Stanford after the MS?

 

If so, that seems to me like an awesome option. The location is great, reputation is great, and if you like the research then that is great too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Stanford said that while they don't fund any masters students, they will fund all PhDs. So, once I enter the PhD program (entry is guaranteed with research, quals, and a high enough GPA), I will get a TAship and tuition waiver in the PhD. In total, the NSF functions as a 3-year fellowship with a TAship afterwards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

UPDATE: UIUC is also out. It was a very tough decision, but I finally reached the conclusion that the research that goes on there was too limited; there was too much of a risk of finding all of the projects boring and leaving. Also, most of the good professors there have five or six people working with them already, so it is likely they won't have time for me.The final nail in the coffin was the fact that UIUC's math department does not have a great pipeline into industry jobs (which is where I'm leaning right now). That leaves three schools: Stanford, Georgia Tech, and Carnegie Mellon.

 

I should probably elaborate why I haven't picked Stanford immediately. Georgia Tech is the 4th best discrete mathematics school in the country (according to US News), and in the field of discrete math I want to work in (graph theory), they're probably second only to UCSD. CMU isn't far behind, at about 5th or 6th by my estimate. In addition, the program I got admitted to at both Georgia Tech and Carnegie Mellon (ACO) is a combination of discrete math, computer science, and either industrial engineering or management respectively. Both schools are top 10 in either of the disciplines ACO covers. But the real reason I haven't been able to choose Stanford immediately (and the reason I'm leaning away from CMU, since I don't have this same advantage) is that I already have a professor at Georgia Tech who is willing to work with me. He is probably the best person to work under there, and he is known as one of the best people in graph theory right now. So, that's where I am. All three programs are very good, but they all have entirely different advantages.

Edited by Cryolite
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use