Bad second year transcript for applying to grad school?

[Turra]

I am currently in my junior year of a Canadian university studying mathematics. I was looking at some grad schools and I'm worried I have a very slim chance at getting into any of them. I have a couple of blemishes (two Cs - one in an algorithms course, but still math related, and the other in a programming course - and an F in a biology course) on my transcript. Moreover, I haven't been too involved with mathematics research as of yet... I'll be doing something this summer, but other than a small research project for one of my classes, I haven't done much. 

I'l also be taking the GREs this summer, but I don't know how well I'll do on those. Other than the blemishes I mentioned earlier, I have mostly As and some Bs scattered across my freshman and current year and my GPA is around a 3.6-3.7. Do I have any chance at any grad schools? 

I think the other problem is I don't know where to look to apply either? I have a keen interested in combinatoric optimization (but did poorly in the algorithms course, which is somewhat related to this), and differential geometry. So, if you guys have any advice on how a young mathematician can go on trying to find her perfect grad school, I'd really appreciate it! 

Thanks in advance! 

 

(This question migrated from another sub-channel on suggestion)

[TakeruK]

Having mostly As and a few Bs leading to a A- average (3.6-3.7) is a strong average for graduate schools. You will be competitive at many grad schools with this academic record. Of course, it also depends on where you are thinking of applying. Canadian or American schools? etc. I am not in math so I don't know what the top US math programs are expecting. But your profile described here is certainly competitive enough to get into some good graduate schools.

Increasing your experience with research would be a very good next step though. Here are some tips:

1. In Canada, the NSERC program is a very very good way for undergraduates to gain research experience. In particular, you want to apply for the USRA: Undergraduate Student Research Award. The USRA pays you about $2000 per month for research, usually in the summer, and NSERC provides most of the cost, so you are almost free to a supervisor. This makes it much more likely that you will get someone to fund you for research, especially as I hear in math, there may not always be a lot of funding. 

The USRA is also pretty prestigious so it will also help you get the NSERC CGS-M, CGS-D, or PGS-D (graduate level fellowships). These fellowships help you get into grad school and winning earlier NSERC awards is one of the best ways to win future NSERC awards. 

If you are not familiar with the USRA, the way it works is that you can apply for this award at any Canadian university and each school has their own application process. The process usually begins in January, with deadlines as early as January 15. It does sound like you already have something lined up for this summer, but just letting you know. Many undergraduates in Canada looking for research experience will be applying to USRAs at universities all across the country in the next few weeks. 

2. Another good way that I gained a lot of research experience was through a co-op work program. As a junior, it might already be too late for you to do this at your school. But it's still worth checking out. At my school, I got 16 months of full time research experience between my 3rd and 4th year of classes (so my degree took 5 years but I graduated with a lot of experience and some papers). Anyways, just a thought.

3. And finally, many schools in Canada offer honours programs which are meant to prepare students for graduate programs. In addition to higher academic standards and larger courseloads, it usually means you must do an honours thesis in your final year. At my undergrad school, a F in any course would disqualify you from entering the honours program formally, however you can still do the honours thesis as an non-honours student. So, think about working on a research project in your final year! Typically, the amount of work expected for this project is about the same amount of work as you would put into a regular class (honours students tend to take 4 courses + 1 research course in their final two semesters, instead of 5 courses per semester).

Hope that is helpful!