Plan B

[maffling]

I could be facing total rejection this year and I'm trying to figure out my plan B.
spaghetti is tasty
Would anyone care to share their fail-safes?

[dangxing]

I could be facing total rejection this year and I'm trying to figure out my plan B.
spaghetti is tasty
Would anyone care to share their fail-safes?

Sorry to hear that. Don't lose faith. How many u applied?

[maffling]

Four. You can check my application profile in my list of posts. I'm just getting anxious (probably from checking this site and GC) and I guess having a backup is somewhat comforting. I'm not particularly superstitious so I'm not afraid of, like, jinxing anything by discussing alternative paths.

I've seen TA or lab assistant jobs and some academic content development gigs. It's hard to know what I'm qualified for half of the time. I'll probably just apply to a ton of jobs if things don't work out. It's just hard being in limbo, and I guess I'm interested to see what people would do if they couldn't do math-school.

[scarletshade]

My plan B so far is to get a job (preferably Tutor job?), and start taking buncha CS classes for future CS master application. It's all about computers nowadays

[IfhhoteCannot]

I think I'll just become a stripper. Or go back to school to get a degree in studio art. Possibly both.

[longtm1989]

I think I'll just become a stripper. Or go back to school to get a degree in studio art. Possibly both.

It reminds me of " rites of love and math ": http://vimeo.com/15492339

[phku]

aint nothin' wrong with pole dancing as a plan b.

[Legendre]

I think the best thing to do is to get more research experience and possibly a published paper.

[maffling]

I think the best thing to do is to get more research experience and possibly a published paper.

I agree, but how do you do that? Who do you conduct research with?

[Pi123]

I think the best thing to do is to get more research experience and possibly a published paper.

I agree, but how do you do that? Who do you conduct research with?

Do you have a master's? If not, would it be possible for you to do it in your undergrad department? In this case I would consider taking a thesis topic and work it during the summer, and take as much grad courses next year as possible, and try to get TA-ships from your department. If you have a master's, then try to ask your advisor if you can get involved in some projects for the summer and possibly for the upcoming year, and continue taking more grad courses. It is very common for math departments to offer summer internships to either work on your thesis or to get involved with an ongoing project. Not all of them are publicly announced, so most likely you will have to ask around in your department to know about them.

[Legendre]

I think the best thing to do is to get more research experience and possibly a published paper.

I agree, but how do you do that? Who do you conduct research with?

http://academia.stackexchange.com/quest ... er-program

P.S.
I think just applying to 4 places is very risky. You could be totally qualified or even over qualified but there are other factors like whether the department took in too many last year, had funding cut, or is changing research direction and want students in a field you are not in etc.

[maffling]

Yeah. I'm starting to think that too, but it's a little too late now. That's why I started this thread.

[maffling]

I don't have my masters. Thanks for the advice, Legendre and Pi123.

[Shostakovich]

I'm doing my plan B right now, applying for Biostats programs. A mediocre applicant in pure math (with standard undergrad preparation of core courses and pretty high gpa) could be competitive in top-tier Stats/Biostats programs. Of course this requires potentially bending your interests a little bit, but I think it has more mathematical flavor than switching to CS or getting a job in an unrelated field. Personally I was more interested in the Statistics side from the beginning, so it was rather easy for me... Good luck!

[Legendre]

I don't have my masters. Thanks for the advice, Legendre and Pi123.

The advice here: http://academia.stackexchange.com/quest ... er-program, applies even if you don't have a masters.

[dangxing]

I agreed for above for taking graduate courses in ur undergraduate institute and do a thesis project. In addition, did u apply for REU for summer. That may also increase ur chance I guess

[bsbnj]

I think I'll just become a stripper. Or go back to school to get a degree in studio art. Possibly both.

Looks like the stripper/pole dancing option for me Although I am 6'5" tall, so it would have to be a long pole with high ceilings:)

[quark]

So far, I've only one acceptance which I'm torn about since it means moving away from family/dependents. My plan B is to try to get a job, do some private tutoring, and spend more time on some non-math interests. Plan B is a realistic option, but I want to take it only after I'm sure that I've exhausted all my resources to continue studying Math.

[maffling]

So far, I've only one acceptance which I'm torn about since it means moving away from family/dependents. My plan B is to try to get a job, do some private tutoring, and spend more time on some non-math interests. Plan B is a realistic option, but I want to take it only after I'm sure that I've exhausted all my resources to continue studying Math.

I feel ya. I spent a lot of time exploring my non-math side this year, which I think has actually made me a stronger math student and overall person. Perspective can be very valuable. Good luck with your choices.

[quark]

So far, I've only one acceptance which I'm torn about since it means moving away from family/dependents. My plan B is to try to get a job, do some private tutoring, and spend more time on some non-math interests. Plan B is a realistic option, but I want to take it only after I'm sure that I've exhausted all my resources to continue studying Math.

I feel ya. I spent a lot of time exploring my non-math side this year, which I think has actually made me a stronger math student and overall person. Perspective can be very valuable. Good luck with your choices.

Thank you and good luck to you too! I have met a fair amount of people who think that a good student is someone who prioritizes their academics over everything else. I don't think that is wrong or right; it just is something that I could never do because there are things that I love as much as I love Math and I've never felt the need to choose. As long as we (continue to) enjoy what we do, I think we're in good shape.

[longtm1989]

I was thinking the other day about setting up a group, in which we will try to read a book/do homework together. There are some chat rooms in math.stackexchange where people have done that (http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/2674/2012/3/2). I am having in mind some books that I want to read/do all the homework:
Atiyah's Commutative Algebra
Shafarevich Algebraic Geometry
Gerald J. Janusz : Algebraic Number Fields
Anyone wants to do that ?

[maffling]

I was thinking the other day about setting up a group, in which we will try to read a book/do homework together. There are some chat rooms in math.stackexchange where people have done that (http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/2674/2012/3/2). I am having in mind some books that I want to read/do all the homework:
Atiyah's Commutative Algebra
Shafarevich Algebraic Geometry
Gerald J. Janusz : Algebraic Number Fields
Anyone wants to do that ?

Sounds like a cool idea. I have a fantasy of creating a math consortium of rogues and rejects if things don't work out. I'll take you up on the Algebraic Geometry book. How does it work? do you get a chat room and then meet periodically to work through problems?

[longtm1989]

I was thinking the other day about setting up a group, in which we will try to read a book/do homework together. There are some chat rooms in math.stackexchange where people have done that (http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/2674/2012/3/2). I am having in mind some books that I want to read/do all the homework:
Atiyah's Commutative Algebra
Shafarevich Algebraic Geometry
Gerald J. Janusz : Algebraic Number Fields
Anyone wants to do that ?

Sounds like a cool idea. I have a fantasy of creating a math consortium of rogues and rejects if things don't work out. I'll take you up on the Algebraic Geometry book. How does it work? do you get a chat room and then meet periodically to work through problems?

@ I PM you.

[mohamedun]

I was thinking the other day about setting up a group, in which we will try to read a book/do homework together. There are some chat rooms in math.stackexchange where people have done that (http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/2674/2012/3/2). I am having in mind some books that I want to read/do all the homework:
Atiyah's Commutative Algebra
Shafarevich Algebraic Geometry
Gerald J. Janusz : Algebraic Number Fields
Anyone wants to do that ?

Sounds like a cool idea. I have a fantasy of creating a math consortium of rogues and rejects if things don't work out. I'll take you up on the Algebraic Geometry book. How does it work? do you get a chat room and then meet periodically to work through problems?

@ I PM you.

I am also interested in reading Alg Geom, have you considered Fulton ?

[mathfreak]

I was thinking the other day about setting up a group, in which we will try to read a book/do homework together. There are some chat rooms in math.stackexchange where people have done that (http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/2674/2012/3/2). I am having in mind some books that I want to read/do all the homework:
Atiyah's Commutative Algebra
Shafarevich Algebraic Geometry
Gerald J. Janusz : Algebraic Number Fields
Anyone wants to do that ?

Sounds like a cool idea. I have a fantasy of creating a math consortium of rogues and rejects if things don't work out. I'll take you up on the Algebraic Geometry book. How does it work? do you get a chat room and then meet periodically to work through problems?

Hi
I'm currently studying Algebraic Geometry from Ravi Vakil's Foundation of Algebraic Geometry Notes.http://math.stanford.edu/~vakil/216blog/

If somebody is interested please message me.