2019 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Jasoncube]

Undergrad Institution: Asian
Major: Math
Minor(s): N/A
GPA: Major 3.9
Type of Student: International

GRE Revised General Test: Q96%/V65%/W41%
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: 91%

TOEFL Score: 108 = R30/L30/S23/W25

Program Applying: Pure Math

Research Experience: N/A
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Nothing special
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Have been a tutor a few times
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:
- 2 famous letter writers
- 2 graduate courses

Applying to Where:
Chicago - Admitted on Jan 8 GOING!
Stanford - Rejected on Feb 23
Princeton - Rejected on Jan 31
MIT - Rejected on Feb 13
UCB - Rejected on Feb 8
Columbia - Admitted on Feb 8
Brown - Rejected on Feb 15
UPenn -
Toronto - Rejected on Mar 28
UBC - Rejected on May 10
Wisconsin Madison - Admitted on Feb 13
Northwestern - Rejected on Feb 10
UCSD - Rejected on Mar 7
UCSB - Admitted on Feb 15
UCI - Withdrawn

[basically_trash]

Undergrad Institution: Medium Public School, California, US
Major(s):Computer Science
Minor(s):Math
GPA:3.52 (4.0 Math)
Type of Student: Domestic Mixed Race Male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: ~80%
V: ~70%
W: ~92%
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: see user name

TOEFL Score: N/A
Program Applying: Pure Math Phd, Mathematical Sciences PhD

Research Experience: 1 semester Machine Learning / Deep Learning, 2 semesters independent study (1 Dynamical Systems, 1 Mathematical Physics)
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Two Departmental Scholarships
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 2 years Teaching Associate, 2 years grading upper division (proofs, complex analysis)
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Masters Degree in Pure Math, GPA: 3.95. 12 years industry experience in software/tech/programming languages
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:12 year math gap between undergrad and masters, so I'm probably older than the average applicant.

Applying to Where:
Binghamton University- Admitted (12/17/2018). Fellowship (tuition waiver + stipend) granted after a separate essay/application. Declined offer 2/22/2019.
Emory - Rejected (02/19/2019)
Rutgers - Withdrawn
Stony Brook - Withdrawn
Tulane - Admitted (01/30/2018) + TA-ship/(tuition waiver + stipend). Accepted offer (02/22/2019) super excited.
University of California, Irvine- Withdrawn
University of California, San Diego- Rejected (02/22/2019)
University of California, Santa Barbara- Withdrawn
University of Florida, Gainesville- Withdrawn
University of Houston- Withdrawn
University of Nevada, Las Vegas- Withdrawn. Came back with counter-offer after withdrawing application. Declined counter-offer.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill- Withdrawn
University of Southern California- Withdrawn
University of Tennessee, Knoxville- Withdrawn
University of Texas, Austin- Withdrawn
Vanderbilt- Withdrawn

[Oscar 1995]

Undergrad Institution: Asian well-known university
Major: Mathematics (B.S.)
Minor: none
GPA: 3.45/4.0 major: 3.6/4.0
Type of Student: International Asian Male

grad Institution: Big State
Major: Mathematics (M.A.)
Minor: none
GPA: 3.87/4.3
Type of Student: International Male

GRE:
Q: 168 (94%)
V: 150 (47%)
W: 3.0 (17%)
Math Subject Test: 840 (85%)

Program Applying: Mathematics Ph.D.

Research Interest: Algebraic Geometry, Algebraic Combinatroics, Representation Theory
Research Experience: Did one Math REU in second year undergrad, Doing an combinatroics project with one famous professor now in grad study
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Passed one PhD qualify exam
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Gave two talks in combinatroics seminar, joined in a national Algebraic Geometry conference, was a grader for two semesters, was a tutor in Mathlab, was a course assistant for undergraduate classes(modern algebra). (P.S. all activities were in grad study)
Any Other Info: 15 graduate math class, several reading courses and seminars in Design Theory, Lie Algebra, K-theory, Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry. Finish most fundamental courses in Algebra, Topology and Geometry. Not the top student in my department and my profile isn't exceptional. Not prepared the application well and was distracted by texas holdem.

Applying to Where:
Reach:
Bonn - rejected on 01/29/2019
Brown - rejected on 02/07/2019
Cornell - rejected on 02/07/2019
UChicago - rejected on 03/14/2019

Match:
UBC
UIUC - admitted on 01/30/2019
UW-Madison - admitted on 02/14/2019
Utah - rejected on 02/07/2019
UCSD - rejected on 03/07/2019
UPenn
U Washington - rejected on 03/14/2019
UIC -
Northwesten - rejected on 02/07/2019
Ohio - rejected on 02/15/2019
Washington St. Louis
Rutgers - rejected on 02/07/2019
Purdue

Others:
Brandies
Mcgrill
University of Georgia
UC Santa Barbara - rejected on 02/07/2019
UC Irvine - unofficially admitted on 02/22/2019 - declined on 03/04/2019
UC Davis - rejected on 02/07/2019
Emory - rejected on 02/19/2019
Stony Brook - rejected on 03/01/2019
Notre Dame - declined on 02/07/2019
Indiana - unofficially admitted on 02/17/2019
Penn State - rejected on 02/07/2019

[User12]

Undergrad Institution: Somewhere
Major(s):Math
GPA:3.5
Type of Student: White male

GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
Bad

Program Applying: Pure Math Phd, Algebraic Geometry

Research Experience: N/A
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: N/A
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: A decent number of graduate classes taken officially including but not limited to Algebraic Topology, Riemannian Geometry, Lie Theory, Etale Cohomology. Also multiple graduate classes taken unofficially.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: idk

Applying to Where:
Brown-Rejected
Wisconsin-Rejected 2/12
Minnesota-
UIUC-Rejected
UMD-
Utah-Rejected 2/9
Notre Dame - Waitlisted
Oregon - Accepted w/ funding 1/29
Georgia - Rejected
Kansas State - Accepted w/ funding
ALGANT - Accepted w/ partial funding

[IvanBliminse]

Oh brother I feel that we are applying for almost the same programs everywhere except you apply for many more than me!

Just out of curiousity, are you looking to do some stochastic analysis in mathematical finance?

Thanks!

Haha yeah more or less! Where did you apply, if you don't mind my asking?

I'm applying for Chicago/Columbia/Toronto stats and CMU/Michigan math.
I'm really fidgeting as it seems Chicago stats and CMU math are already giving offers out.
By the way, I'm just an undergraduate student!

Good luck to you bro!

[patrickstar]

Undergrad Institution: UK university
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Statistics
GPA: 4.0
Type of Student: International white male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 170 (97%)
V: 163 (93%)
W: 4.5 (82%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: 890 (92%)

Research Experience: Applied math REU for 9 weeks. Summer project in interacting particle systems for 6 weeks with Prof at home institution.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2 awards for top score in math/stats department
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Software engineering internship at small company in London.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: References know me well.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Although there is conflicting info about whether this is a good thing to do, I had 5 letters of recommendation.
Good luck everyone!

Applying to Where: (all PhD)
MIT - (Applied) Mathematics / Admitted (January 31)
Stanford - Statistics / Admitted (February 5)
Berkeley - Statistics / Admitted (February 8 )
Princeton - ORFE / Admitted (February 18)
Oxford - Statistics / Interviewed February 14, Accepted March 5
Cambridge - Mathematics of Information CDT / Interviewed January 23, Rejected March 5
ETHZ - CS / Pending

[CCCWWW]

Undergrad Institution: International
Major(s): mathematics
Minor(s): N/A
GPA: major: 3.8-3.9
Type of Student: International Male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 168 (94%)
V: 152
W: 3.5
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 99%

TOEFL Score: (99 : S23)

Program Applying: Pure Math

Research Experience: (One REU. No publications... )
Awards/Honors/Recognitions:N/A
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: N/A
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: (3 famous recommenders, strong recommendations)
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where: (all Ph.D. programs)
Rutgers - pure math / Accepted on 2.2.2019
Utah - pure math / Waitlisted on 2.16.2019
UChicago - pure math / Pending on 2.20.2019
UCSD - pure math / Pending on 2.20.2019
Emory - pure math / Rejected on 2.20.2019
LSU - pure math / Accepted on 2.19.2019 /Declined

[emecece2]

Undergrad Institution: International
Major(s): Math
GPA: 10.8/12 (average raw score, not GPA)
Type of Student: (International Male)

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 162 (80%)
V: 164 (94%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 760 (72%)

TOEFL Score: 117 = R30/L29/S28/W30

Program Applying: Pure Math PhD.

Research Experience: None.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA at my school for a year, TA at the Engineering school for one semester.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Senior thesis on Topology and Dynamics which involved quite a bit of self study, took several graduate/advanced courses: Algebraic Topology, Hyperbolic Dynamics, Algebraic Geometry, Differential Topology as well as the standard courses on real/complex analysis and algebra, also my undergraduate thesis advisor (who wrote one of my recommendation letters, probably the strongest of my letters) works with/knows people at the schools I applied to. One of my letter writers attended one of those schools for his PhD.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I'm interested in topology/geometry.

Applied only to a few universities, most of them quite reach-y to be honest.

Applying to Where:
UCLA - Rejected
Brown - Rejected
Cornell - Admitted
U of Michigan - Rejected
Ohio State - Admitted

[stressed123]

Undergrad Institution: small liberal arts schol
Major(s): math
Minor(s): n.a
GPA: 3.97 (math), 3.85 everyhere else
Type of Student: Domestic male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 162
V: 4.5
W: 161
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 750 (70th percentile

TOEFL Score: n/a

Program Applying: pure math phd

Research Experience: two REU's one published paper, one preprint one in the works.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: school excellence, a few travel grants
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: tutor for three years
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: quite a few grad classes.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: cant think of anything

Applying to Where:

Columbia- waiting
Upenn- Offered to visit open house
UCLA-waiting
CUNY- waiting
Stony Brook (accepted early)
Brown- Accepted unofficially

[ribbit]

Undergrad Institution: Medium state school, not known for a strong math department
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA: 3.7
Type of Student: Domestic White Female

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 167 (91%)
V: 163 (93%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 650 (48%) - Took twice, first time was 17%

Program Applying: Pure Math

Research Experience: Numerical Analysis REU, talks at YMC and JMM but no publications.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Departmental awards
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Three years as a tutor, a semester of being in a similar role to a TA
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Haven't taken many math courses. Although some classes were mixed with grad students, none were listed as a grad class on my transcript.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Changed my major halfway through, so I don't have a strong math background. One of my letter writers ended up being unable to write me a letter, so one letter is coming from my employer instead of a faculty member.

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
University of Michigan - Accepted with funded master's offer 4/12 - now attending
University of Wisconsin-Madison - Rejected 2/18
Northwestern - Rejected 2/9

Purdue - Accepted with TA offer 1/28
Notre Dame - Accepted with TA offer 2/6
Michigan State University - Waitlisted, then accepted with TA offer 4/12 - [Declined 4/12]
University of Oregon - Accepted with TA offer 2/4 - Declined 2/8
University of Pittsburgh
Ohio State - Waitlisted 2/20

I did not send a third letter of recommendation to Ohio State, although I did send one to every other school except Northwestern.

[notthatmolly]

Undergrad Institution: Private Liberal Arts in CA
Major(s): Math
Minor(s): STEM Education
GPA: 4.00
Type of Student: Domestic White Female

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 166 (90%)
V: 167 (97%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: Yikes let's not talk about that


Program Applying: Math or Applied Math-- very interested in Math Biology and math modeling in general

Research Experience: REU in Statistical Genetics in Summer 2018; gave one conference poster presentation about it, but we didn't get published... Also did some research with a prof at my undergraduate institution that is leading up to submitting for publication; gave a talk about it plus 2 poster presentations
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Got a full-ride for my senior year (scholarship criteria was academic excellence as a woman in STEM)
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Grader and Tutor/TA for the Math Dept.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: One of my recommenders is world-renowned and probably wrote a decent letter about me; I also helped found my university's chapter of AWM last year

Applying to Where:
University of California-Davis - Applied Mathematics / Admitted on 1/25 / Declined 2/25
University of Colorado-Boulder -Applied Mathematics / Admitted on 2/06 with $21.4k TAship + remission + $3k fellowship Declined 3/26
University of Utah - Mathematics / Waitlisted on 2/15 /Declined 2/16
University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Mathematics / Admitted on 2/11 with $16k TAship + remissionATTENDING!!!!
University of Hawaii-Manoa - Mathematics / Admitted on 2/23 with $18.6k TAship + remission/Declined 2/25
Texas A&M - Mathematics / Admitted on 1/25 with $16.8k TAship + remission/ Declined 2/06
Texas Tech - Mathematics / Admitted on 1/29 with $16.6k TAship + remission / Declined 2/06
Baylor - Mathematics / Admitted on 1/18 with TAship $24k + $8k additional scholarship + remission / Declined 2/06
George Washington University - Mathematics / Admitted on 2/01 with no funding / Declined 2/02
Oregon State University - Mathematics / Admitted on 2/01 with $17.7k TAship + remission/ Declined 2/25
New Jersey Institute of Technology - Applied Mathematics Track / Admitted on 1/28 with $26k TAship + remission / Declined 1/29\


***'My choice isn't the one my professors advised me to make, but in the end, I truly feel as though UNL is the best place for me

[gentzen]

Undergrad Institution: University of Arkansas Little Rock
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Physics
GPA: 4.0
Type of Student: Nontraditional Domestic White Male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 169 (96%)
V: 170 (99%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 650 (48%)

Program Applying: Pure Math (declared interest in logic at applicable schools)

Research Experience: 600+ hours with semiconductor research group (undergraduate), 800+ hours with NASA Langley Formal Methods group (2 NIFS internships), one NASA Technical Memorandum published, coauthor of a NASA formal mathematics library, a few presentations and smaller projects

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: NSF GRFP 2018, Outstanding Graduating Senior, Outstanding Achievement by an Undergraduate, Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (Physics)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 4 semesters leading supplementary instruction for Physics 1 & 2 and Modern Physics (as an undergraduate), instructor of record for 6 math classes (as MS student)

Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: I began reaching out to faculty and recent graduates at schools in 2015 and have maintained a few relationships. Visited my POI at Indiana in Fall 2017 and attended his course (and others) for NASSLLI 18 at CMU. Recommendation letters from my MS math advisor, a mentor in my school's computer science dept, a mentor at NASA, and a former NASA mentor now at Amazon. I will graduate with an MS in Applied Mathematics from my undergrad school in May, with a 4.0 grad GPA. I have passed my comprehensive exams in Linear Algebra, Ordinary Differential Equations, Numerical Analysis, and Mathematical Statistics. When I entered my MS program two years ago I was also granted entrance into our PhD program in Computational Science/Applied Mathematics.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I have tried to be transparent with the schools I applied to that there are family medical and financial concerns (even with my fellowship) that could limit my ability to pursue a PhD out of state.


Applying to Where: In no particular order

University of Arkansas - Mathematics (my other in-state option): 2/6 Accepted; 2/8 $14.6k support offer; 2/26 selected for Doctoral Academy Fellowship, additional $12k for 4 years; 3/8 campus visit; 3/29 declined

Notre Dame - Mathematics (indicated preference for logic): 2/6 Informal offer, $25k support; 2/7 Invitation to visit; 2/11 official offer; 3/4 selected for Notebaert Premier Fellowship, $40k for 5 years; 3/22 campus visit/recruiting weekend; 4/7 Accepted offer and will attend

Indiana University - Mathematics (SOP specifically indicated my desire to study under the director of the logic program): 2/22 unofficial acceptance; 3/7 official offer $18k; 3/21 campus visit; 4/1 declined


Other options:

University of Arkansas Little Rock - Computational Science/Applied Mathematics: This is my current program. I would take candidacy exams this fall and pursue my research for 3 years under my NSF fellowship.

Senior Mathematician - Defense contractor, $100k/yr. declined 3/29


A bit of context:
I started back to school in 2012 at a tiny community college, working maintenance to get free classes. I have been rejected for summer programs, REUs, awards, etc, more times than I care to remember. I caught my break after emailing a guy at NASA because I thought the work his group was doing was really cool. That opened up one opportunity ... which helped open another ... and so on.

I've read these acceptance postings for years and I've often felt discouraged (I really need an +70% on the subject exam to get into a good school?? I'm doomed...). For readers applying for grad school in the future -- don't freak like I did. Just keep working hard and doing interesting things.

[MG10896]

Undergrad Institution: Small Liberal Arts College
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Chemistry
GPA: 3.50
Type of Student: Domestic Female

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 159
V: 151
W: 3.0
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: very low, only submit to two schools


Program Applying: Math PhD

Research Experience: REU Summer 2018, Presentation at MathFest 2018
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List for two years
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 2 semesters of math tutoring


Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
Notre Dame (03/01) - Rejected
Brandeis
Bryn Mawr (03/21) - Rejected
University of Iowa
University of Nebraska (03/25) - Rejected
SUNY Buffalo (03/08) - Rejected
University of Vermont (02/03) - Admitted without funding
University of Hawaii (03/29) - Admitted with funding!
Montana State University (02/15) - Admitted to masters with funding!

[smiledaniel]

[deleted]

Keep up

[fruitsalad]

Undergrad Institution: Ivy League school
Major(s): (Pure) Mathematics
GPA: 3.91
Type of Student: Domestic, non-binary/genderqueer, white

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 165 (88%)
V: 165 (96%)
W: 4.5 (82%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 700 (59%)

Program Applying: Pure Math (geometry and topology, surface topology, geometric group theory)

Research Experience: One REU in surface topology, research experience this year with recommender
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Undergraduate TA for math courses for three years, co-organizer of yearly conference, leader of math student group
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Took a bunch of graduate courses both in and outside of my areas of interest

Applying to Where:
Boston College - Mathematics Ph.D. / Pending on 02/09
Cornell University - Mathematics Ph.D. / Admitted on 02/04
Stanford University - Mathematics Ph.D. / Pending on 02/09
Tufts University - Mathematics Ph.D. / Invited to recruitment event on 01/19
UC Davis - Mathematics Ph.D. / Pending on 02/09
University of Chicago - Mathematics Ph.D. / Pending on 02/09
University of Michigan Ann Arbor - Mathematics Ph.D. / Admitted on 02/01
UT Austin - Mathematics Ph.D. / Pending on 02/09
University of Washington - Mathematics Ph.D. / Pending on 02/09
University of Wisconsin-Madison - Mathematics Ph.D. / Pending on 02/09

[Oscar]

Undergrad Institution: Asian well-known university
Major: Mathematics (B.S.)
Minor: none
GPA: 3.8/4.3
Type of Student: International Asian Male

grad Institution: Big State
Major: Mathematics (M.A.)
Minor: none
GPA: 3.87/4.0
Type of Student: International Male

GRE:
Q: 168 (94%)
V: 150 (47%)
W: 3.0 (17%)
Math Subject Test: 840 (85%)

Program Applying: Pure Mathematics Ph.D.

Research Interest: Algebraic Geometry, Algebraic Topology
Research Experience: One Math REU in second-year undergrad. An undergraduate thesis. Doing an algebraic combinatorics project with a well-known professor in grad study.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Passed one PhD qualify exam
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Two talks in combinatorics seminar, participated in a national Algebraic Geometry conference.
Any Other Info: 10+ graduate math class. Was a grader for two semesters, a tutor in Mathlab, and a course assistant for undergraduate classes(modern algebra). Nothing else special.

Applying to Where:
A lot, but only post some of them
Reach:
UChicago - Pending
Bonn - rejected on 01/29/2019
Cornell - rejected on 02/07/2019
UCB - rejected on 02/08/2019
Yale - rejected on 01/29/2019
UCLA - Pending

Match:

UIUC - admitted on 01/30/2019
UW-Madison - admitted on 02/14/2019 Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Utah - rejected on 02/07/2019
UCSD - Pending
UPenn - Pending
U Washington - Pending
Northwestern - rejected on 02/07/2019

Others:
UC Santa Barbara - admitted on 02/15/2019
UC Irvine - Pending
UC Davis - admitted on 02/08/2019
Purdue - unofficially admitted on 01/28/2019
Emory - Pending
Stony Brook - Pending
Notre Dame - declined on 02/07/2019, good luck!
Penn State - rejected on 02/07/2019

[seed]

-

[gracie1729]

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts college
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): English
GPA: 3.97/4.0
Type of Student: Domestic white female

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 165 (88%)
V: 157 (76%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 460 (7%)

Program Applying: Pure Math Ph.D.

Research Experience: REU outside of my institution and senior thesis in mathematics at my home institution.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Four mathematics departmental awards through my home institution, three monetary mathematics departmental awards through my home institution, high class ranking
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Mathematics teaching assistant, mathematics grader, president of the mathematics club at my home institution
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: I know my recommenders extremely well. Also, I took one graduate level course in mathematics.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

Brown University - Rejected Feb. 15
Dartmouth College - Rejected Mar. 4
Cambridge - Rejected Mar. 17
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Rejected Feb. 18
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities - Accepted 4/8 with funding. Attending!
University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Waitlisted March 5
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill - Waitlisted March 8
University of Pennsylvania - Rejected Mar. 8
University of Washington - Rejected Mar. 14

[hachiryu]

...
Match:

UIUC - admitted on 01/30/2019
UW-Madison - will decline
Utah - rejected on 02/07/2019
UCSD - Pending
UPenn - Pending
U Washington - Pending
Northwestern - rejected on 02/07/2019
...

You should think carefully before declining Wisconsin, everyone I know would agree that it's a better school than UIUC.

[deadlyco2]

...
Match:

UIUC - admitted on 01/30/2019
UW-Madison - will decline
Utah - rejected on 02/07/2019
UCSD - Pending
UPenn - Pending
U Washington - Pending
Northwestern - rejected on 02/07/2019
...

You should think carefully before declining Wisconsin, everyone I know would agree that it's a better school than UIUC.

It seems like they want to do combinatorics or something related to discrete math, which UIUC is way better for. Also, who cares about rank! It's all about whether you're a good fit for the program and the offer they give you

[PosingWhale]

Undergrad Institution: Top public
Major(s): Applied Mathematics
GPA: 3.94
Type of Student: DWM

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 166 (90%)
V: 164 (94%)
W: 5.5 (98%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 730 (66%)

Program Applying: Applied Math PhD

Research Experience: Independent work while abroad, one decently well known REU resulting in publication under review
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: GPA related stuff
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Worked for 1.5 years after graduating
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: I think my recommenders are kinda well-known and I took two classes with each, did well in multiple grad classes related to what I want to study (numerical solutions for PDE)

Applying to Where:
Stanford - ICME / Interviewed on 01/18, Rejected on 02/04
Columbia - APAM / Pending on 04/17 lol
Harvard - SEAS / Rejected on 02/22
MIT - CSE (AeroAstro) / Admitted on 02/22 , Attending
Rice - CAAM / Invited to visit on 01/14, Admitted on 02/11
Stony Brook - AMS / Admitted on 02/13
Tufts - Math / Invited to visit on 01/18, Admitted on 02/15
UCLA - Math / Rejected on 03/14
UMN - Math / Rejected on 04/15
UT Austin - ICES / Admitted on 01/30
UC Berkeley - Math / Waitlisted on 02/15, Admitted on 04/08
Northwestern - ESAM / Admitted on 02/09
Brown - Applied Math / Rejected on 02/06
NYU - Courant / Offered unfunded masters on 03/29
UMD - ASMC / Admitted on 02/14
Carnegie Mellon - Math / Admitted on 02/08

I found this site useful during undergrad but have tried to stay off it during the application season for my own sanity...best of luck to everyone!

EDIT: Overall really happy and surprised with my results. Quick reflections for applied math people specifically: meh GRE scores aren't necessarily a deal breaker and be open to looking into other departments. I think my personal statements were all pretty clear on why I wanted to keep studying and who I wanted to study with. Try to cultivate relationships with professors and clarify to yourself what you're doing and then just roll the dice...there's a certain element of randomness so don't use the stats on these profiles as gospel. Good luck!

[coati]

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.82
Type of Student: DWF

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 169 (96%)
V: 170 (99%)
W: 4.5 (82%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 570 (29%)


Program Applying: Pure Math, PhD where offered, otherwise Masters
Research Experience: None
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Standard academic honors
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Good relationship with my recommenders.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I graduated several years ago, which I addressed in my personal statement and may either help or harm.

Applying to Where:

Georgia Tech / Rejected 2/26
Vanderbilt
University of Washington
University of Oregon / Rejected 2/4
Oregon State University / Admitted 2/7 - pending funding
Penn State
University of Pittsburgh
University of Nebraska Lincoln / Admitted 2/11 + 16k GTA
University of Missouri / Admitted 2/11 + 16.4k GTA and 2k for first year MA program, PhD pending qualifying exams
University of Wyoming Admitted 2/27 + 16.8k GTA
University of Tennessee Knoxville
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Maine Admitted 2/27 + 15.5k GTA MA
University of North Dakota

[daavv]

Undergrad Institution: Top 30 Liberal Arts University
Major(s): Math
Minor(s): Education
GPA: 3.917 overall, 3.909 in major
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 168 (94%)
V: 162 (91%)
W: 5.5 (98%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 610 (39%)

Program Applying: Pure math Ph.D. (mostly Algebra/Number Theory), but also some programs in mathematics education.

Research Experience: Honors Senior Thesis in mathematics education over the course of two semesters. Also, an independent study in my school's physics department over the course of 3 semesters and one summer (full time) doing statistical analysis and Matlab coding
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Merit-based scholarship for excellent achievement in mathematics awarded by my department. Dean's list each semester
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor in our department's math center since spring sophomore year (5 semesters total) and undergraduate TA for four semesters (intro statistics, advanced calculus-based probability, and intro calculus). Also spent two summers working as a camp counselor / teaching assistant at an advanced math summer camp for middle schoolers from NYC, as well as one summer working full time on independent research project mentioned above. Active member for my school's math club and AWM chapter.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: I know my rec letter senders very well (one was my research adviser, another I've had in three different linear algebra classes, and the third is a professor I'm fairly close with). Also taking two grad courses in Algebra and Analysis this spring.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Can't really think of anything important

Applying to Where:
Stanford GSE - Mathematics Education Ph.D. / Rejected
Tufts - Math Ph.D. / Rejected
Johns Hopkins - Math Ph.D. / Rejected
UC Irvine - Math Ph.D. / Pending
Emory - Math Ph.D. / Rejected
Vanderbilt - Math Ph.D. / Pending
UVA - Math Ph.D. / Waitlisted.
Boston University - Math Ph.D. / Pending
Northeastern - Math Ph.D. / Pending
UC Santa Barbara - Math Ph.D. / Pending
UC Santa Cruz - Math Ph.D. / Pending
UC San Diego - Math Ph.D. / Rejected
University of Northern Colorado - Educational Mathematics Ph.D. / Admitted! Waiting to hear about funding.
Teachers College Columbia - Mathematics Education Ed.D. / Admitted! Waiting to hear about funding.

[ma17c045@iitm]

Undergrad Institution: NITK, India (Premier institute)
Major(s): B.Tech, Electrical and Electronics Engineering
GPA: 8.07/10
Type of Student: Indian Male

Graduate Institution: IITM, India (Premier institute)
Major(s): M.Sc Mathematics
GPA: 9.23/10

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 170 (96%)
V: 153 (61%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 760 (72%)
TOEFL Score: 105(R29/L28/S20/W28)

Program Applying: Pure Mathematics (Analysis) PhD

Research Experience: Studied various papers under the guidance of my professor. Presented on Toeplitz Operator in a Student seminar @ IITM.

Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Class Rank- 1/45 in M.Sc.
All my recommenders knew me well( for about a year or more, and had taught min 2 courses). Also, I was a very active guy in their class. So the recommendations were good.

Applying to Where:
Texas A&M University - Pure Math - Admitted with TA funding 2/11
Univ Florida - Pure Math - Pending
University of Pittsburgh - Pure Math - Pending
Northeatern University - Pure Math - Pending

[Starchild]

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts college
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Mathematics Education and Statistics
GPA: 3.55
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

Graduate Institution: Small private college
Major(s): Mathematics
GPA: 3.81

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 170 (96%)
V: 154 (64%)
W: 3.5 (41%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 680 (55%)

Program Applying: Pure Math PhD (Algebraic Geometry/Mirror Symmetry)

Research Experience: 1 preprint, 1 poster, and 2 conference talks during masters
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: top math student award at undergrad
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for 2 years, grader for 4 years, university tutor for 2 years
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 9 grad courses
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: few withdrawals in random non-math courses during undergrad

Applying to Where:
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor - Rejected on 3/20
University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign - Rejected on 2/18
University of Minnesota--Twin Cities - Rejected on 4/2 after inquiry
Northwestern University - Rejected on 2/9
University of Utah - Rejected on 2/9
Boston University - Rejected on 3/27 after inquiry
University of Oregon - Rejected on 1/30
Colorado State University - Unofficially admitted on 3/14 after inquiry. Officially admitted on 3/18.
Kansas State University - Admitted on 2/12. Awarded additional scholarship on 2/22 of $5k/yr for first two years.
International School for Advanced Studies - Pending

[Duoduo]

Undergrad Institution: Small Liberal Arts College
Major(s): Mathematics; Physics
Minor(s):
GPA: 4.00
Type of Student: International Female

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 170 (96%)
V: 159 (83%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 830 (83%)

TOEFL Score: NA

Program Applying: Applied Math PhD / Math PhD (some are in applied math department and some in pure math department)

Research Experience: Two research projects in senior year (right now), one in math and one in physics. The math one is about applying braid groups to maypole dances, and the physics one is about the experimental realization of coupled logistic maps. I am going for math honors. Nothing has been published yet, but the plan is to present at APS March meeting and publish the paper with my professor before graduation... Hope this could be achieved...
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: ALD; Phi Beta Kappa; Pi Mu Epsilon; Sigma Pi Sigma; Dean’s List... and many scholarships and prizes but all are just from my home institution
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Have been working as a teaching assistant for math courses for three semesters, a quantitative reasoning tutor for three semesters and a Japanese writing tutor for six semesters(I guess this is unrelated, but I am proud that I am tutoring a language that is not my native one )
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Went to Budapest program for a summer; Hope that my research advisors have mentioned some good things...
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I am not sure...

Applying to Where:
Cornell - Applied Math - Waitlisted on 2/11 - Declined
MIT - Rejected on 2/12
Princeton - ACM- Rejected on 2/14
Duke - Pure- Rejected on 1/30
Brown - Applied Math - Admitted on 1/30 - Attending!
Caltech - CMS - Rejected on 4/2
University of Michigan - AIM - Admitted on 2/27 - Declined
Penn State - Pure- Admitted on 1/30 - Declined
University of Maryland - AMSC - Rejected on 2/20
Colorado Boulder - Applied Math - Admitted on 2/6 - Declined
UT Austin -Pure- Admitted on 2/25 - Declined
Clemson - Mathematical Science - Admitted on 2/17 - Declined

[Frobenius]

Undergrad Institution: Unknown Asian (CIS region) university
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): N/A
GPA:3.91
Type of Student: International male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 165 (88%)
V: 159 (83%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 750 (70%)

TOEFL Score: (104 = R29/L30/S22/W23) (if applicable)

Program Applying: Pure mathematics with interest in biology

Research Experience: Doing research from 2017 on PDE to be publish soon (I hope), Capstone project in commutative algebra
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's lists
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: None particular, peer-tutor
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Nothing special I think
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: My 2 recommendators are my supervisors, other 2 taught me at least 2 courses.

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
MIT - Pure / Rejected on 12.02
UMich - Pure / Rejected on 20.03
UIUC - Pure / Rejected on 18.02
UC Davis - Pure / Probably rejected
Ohio state - Pure / Rejected on 6.03
Penn state - Pure / Probably rejected
Iowa - Pure / Accepted on 12.03. Denied on 1.04
Boston college - Pure / Probably rejected
McMaster - Pure / Probably rejected
Simon Fraser - Pure / Accepted on 20.03
Western Ontario - Pure / Accepted on 12.03. Denied on 25.03.

[cater99]

Undergrad Institution: Top 30 Liberal Arts University
Major(s): Math
Minor(s): Education
GPA: 3.917 overall, 3.909 in major
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 168 (94%)
V: 162 (91%)
W: 5.5 (98%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 610 (39%)

Program Applying: Pure math Ph.D. (mostly Algebra/Number Theory), but also some programs in mathematics education.

Research Experience: Honors Senior Thesis in mathematics education over the course of two semesters. Also, an independent study in my school's physics department over the course of 3 semesters and one summer (full time) doing statistical analysis and Matlab coding
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Merit-based scholarship for excellent achievement in mathematics awarded by my department. Dean's list each semester
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor in our department's math center since spring sophomore year (5 semesters total) and undergraduate TA for four semesters (intro statistics, advanced calculus-based probability, and intro calculus). Also spent two summers working as a camp counselor / teaching assistant at an advanced math summer camp for middle schoolers from NYC, as well as one summer working full time on independent research project mentioned above. Active member for my school's math club and AWM chapter.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: I know my rec letter senders very well (one was my research adviser, another I've had in three different linear algebra classes, and the third is a professor I'm fairly close with). Also taking two grad courses in Algebra and Analysis this spring.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Can't really think of anything important

Applying to Where:
Stanford GSE - Mathematics Education Ph.D. / Rejected
Tufts - Math Ph.D. / Rejected
Johns Hopkins - Math Ph.D. / Rejected
UC Irvine - Math Ph.D. / Pending
Emory - Math Ph.D. / Rejected
Vanderbilt - Math Ph.D. / Pending
UVA - Math Ph.D. / Pending
Boston University - Math Ph.D. / Pending
Northeastern - Math Ph.D. / Pending
UC Santa Barbara - Math Ph.D. / Pending
UC Santa Cruz - Math Ph.D. / Pending
UC San Diego - Math Ph.D. / Rejected
University of Northern Colorado - Educational Mathematics Ph.D. / Pending
Teachers College Columbia - Mathematics Education Ed.D. / Admitted!

So nice. I got in TC too, on 2/15. I guess you were the other post on gradecafe under "A" type. I made the "U" post. Did you apply to the general EdD or EdDCT?

[DiscoVolante]

Undergrad Institution: Medium unknown public school
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Business
GPA: 3.27, 3.81 Major
Type of Student: dwm

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 162 (80%)
V: 161 (88%)
W: 4.5 (82%)

GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: Poor, only WPI required

Program Applying: Pure math Ph.D. except where noted
Research Experience: Independent
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Lots of honors lists, Pi Mu Epsilon
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor and substitute for the last several years at local community college and high schools
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Veteran
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Older applicant with poor grades the first time out to college but good since, community college transfer, former nursing major

Dartmouth` - QBS / Rejected (12/10)
Florida - Waitlisted, 21k TA (4/15) ATTENDING!!!
Auburn - Admitted (3/27), Waitlisted for funding Declined
Rensselaer^ - Admitted (1/4), 23k TA (2/21) Declined; damn that was difficult to do
FSU - Financial Mathematics / Interview (1/31), Admitted to M.S. with majority tuition waiver (2/6), Visit (2/23) Declined
Wake Forest* - M.A. / Admitted with 30k Scholarship (4/9), Waitlisted for TA Declined
Vermont - M.S. / Admitted (2/3), Waitlisted for funding Declined
Lehigh^ - Rejected (3/12)
Worcester Polytech^ - Waitlisted Withdrew
MUSC` - Biostatistics/Epidemiology / Funded Visit (2/7-2/9), Waitlisted Withdrew
Virginia Tech* - M.S. / No response
LSU* - Rejected (2/27)
UCF - Admitted to M.S. (2/11), Waitlisted for funding Declined
USF - Admitted to M.S. (4/11), Waitlisted for funding Declined
Yeshiva^ - M.A. / Admitted with 10k Scholarship (2/20) Declined
Wayne State* - Admitted (1/5) Declined
New Hampshire* - IAM / Admitted to M.S. (3/21) Declined
Georgia Southern^ - M.S. / Admitted (3/13), 10k TA (3/18) Declined
Denver - MCE M.A.^ - Admitted with 28k Scholarship (4/8) Declined

* Veteran Fee Waiver (Lots of other schools provide these as well)
^ Surprise Fee Waiver
` Free to Apply

I wanted to be as informative as possible for future applicants with irregular backgrounds and bad marks like mine. I applied to as many realistic programs as I could due to the low likelihood that I would be offered full funding anywhere, which was a good strategy it seems.

[PokemonMaster]

Undergrad Institution: Well-known in Asia
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): None
GPA: Less than 3.9 /4.3
Type of Student: Asian Male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 96%
V: 97%
W: 41%
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 94%

TOEFL Score: 105, S 23 (if applicable)

Program Applying: Pure Mathematics

Research Experience: Two small REU's in my school, no publication.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Some prizes(not near the top) in math competitions, only one of them international.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: None
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 8 Grad Courses, one of them B(ouch).
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I visited many conferences/workshops/summer schools and actively participated in some of them.

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
Brown - Rejected
Columbia - Rejected
Cornell - Rejected
Duke - Waitlisted - Rejected after 4/15
Georgia Tech - Rejected
MIT - Rejected
Ohio State - Waitlisted
Penn State - Accepted - Declined
Purdue - Waitlisted
Rutgers - Accepted - Attending
SUNY Stony Brook - Rejected
UC Berkeley - Rejected
UCLA - Rejected
UCSD - Rejected
UIUC - Rejected
U of Michigan-Ann Arbor - Rejected
U of Minnesota - Rejected
U of Pennsylvania - No Response
U of Washington - Rejected
U of Wisconsin-Madison - Rejected

[mathdiva]

Undergrad Institution: State School
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s):History
Undergrad GPA: 3.0
Grad Institution: State School
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s):History
Grad GPA: 3.91
Major(s): Mathematics
Type of Student: Domestic Minority Female

GRE Revised General Test:
V: 159 (83%)
Q: 153 (50%)
W: 3.5 (41%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: xxx (xx%) I chickened out and didn't take it


Program Applying: (Pure Math)

Research Experience: Rice (REU), Carnegie Mellon(REU), U of AZ(REU), CSU - Program funded by NASA
Awards/Honors/Recognitions:
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA at CSU, Studied Abroad in Math in Moscow Program (3 semesters), and The International Conference and PhD-Master Summer School on Graphs and Groups, Representations and Relations (in Novosibirsk, Russia, 8/18)
Applying to Where:
U of Minn Twin Cities - Pure Math PhD Program /Accepted 3/7/19 with TA-ship Funded visit to campus
UC Riverside - Pure Math PhD Program / Pending
Brandeis - Pure Math PhD Program / Pending
U Pitt - Pure Math PhD Program / Waitlisted
University of Iowa - Pure Math PhD Program / Accepted on 2/27/19 with TAShip Funded invitation to campus
University of New Mexico - Our Math PhD Program / Accepted on 2/22/19Declined
Kent State - Pure Math PhD Program / Accepted on 2/02/19 / Declined
CU Denver - Pure Math PhD Program / Accepted with TA-ship 2/20/19 Funded invitation to campus
Harvard - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected
Purdue - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected

[yso6]

Undergrad Institution: Large Public School, pretty well known for math
Major(s): Mathematics
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (3.96 in math)
Type of Student: International Asian Male

GRE Revised General Test:
V: 156 (73%)
Q: 170 (96%)
W: 3.5 (41%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 970 (99%)


Program Applying: Pure Math PhD with interest in combinatorics

Research Experience: Two REUs at home institution, resulted in one paper accepted up to revision by a decent journal.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Putnam top 200(barely) both sophomore and junior year, a few departmental scholarship
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Grader for a year, tutor for a year
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 6 grad courses, 4 of them in combinatorics, also did two independent reading on some advanced combinatorics topics, know all three letter writters pretty well.
Applying to Where:
Princeton - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Jan 30
MIT - Applied Math PhD Program /Rejected Feb 12
UC Berkeley - Pure Math PhD Program /Rejected Feb 8
UCLA - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Mar 14
Cornell - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 19
Brown - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 15
UCSD - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted on Jan 29, $2.4k stipend per month + 12k James B. Ax Stipend + reduced teaching for the first year
UIUC - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted on Feb 1, unsure about funding information
U Minnesota - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Apr 11
U Washington - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted Mar 10, $2.4k per month, $10000 scholarship
GA Tech - Pure Math Phd Program / Admitted Jan 25, $2185 per month, declined

[ad1996]

Undergrad Institution: UC Berkeley
Major(s): Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics
Undergrad GPA: 3.8 (3.97 in math)
Type of Student: Domestic South Asian Male

GRE Revised General Test:
V: 156 (73%)
Q: 169 (96%)
W: 3.5 (41%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 720 (63%)


Program Applying: Applied Math PhD with interest in machine learning / theoretical CS

Research Experience: None, really.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's list, distinction in scholarship, honor society, departmental award
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 2 internships in tech, currently working as a software engineer, was a TA and grader for a bunch of math and cs courses.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 1 recommender is a big name (graded / TA for him for 4 semesters). Managed to finish 3 majors in 4 years so hoping that helps haha

Applying to Where:
Princeton - PACM PhD Program / Rejected Feb 14
Harvard SEAS - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 15
Stanford - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 15
MIT - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 12
UC Berkeley - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 8
UCLA - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected Mar 13
Columbia - APAM PhD Program / Rejected April 18
Umich - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected Mar 19
Yale - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected Jan 25
Johns Hopkins - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected Mar 10
NYU - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected April 11
CMU - ACO PhD Program / Rejected April 9
Cornell - Applied Math PhD Program / Waitlisted Feb 12 Rejected April 9
Brown - Applied Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 4
GA Tech - Machine Learning Phd Program / Admitted Jan 25, $2185 per month. Attending!

[decaf_americano]

Undergrad Institution: private, usn top 30
Major(s): math
Minor(s): none
GPA: well, 3.0
Type of Student: international

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 170 (~95%)
V: 162 (~90%)
W: 4.5 (~80%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: ~70%, didn't report

TOEFL Score: waived

Program Applying: mostly math/stat master programs

Research Experience:
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: dean's list
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: math grader
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:
columbia - ma stats / rejected
wake forest - ma math/stats / waitlisted then rejected
umich - ms applied stats / admitted
nyu - ms scientific computing / admitted for fall 20
uiuc - ms stats / never heard back
umass amherst - applied math masters / admitted
and some others

I had bad to failing grades in certain cs/math classes and worked hard to raise my GPA to the minimum requirement for most programs, but was somehow admitted to my top choices. So, low GPA applicants for master programs should not lose hope: just apply to a bunch of different ones.

[pythag123]

Undergrad Institution: Top 75-Math School. Private
Major: Mathematics & Economics
GPA: 3.36 (But, 3.6 in Math & haven't made below a B+ in a math course since the generic calculus sequence)
Type of Student: DWM

GRE:
Q: 167 (91%)
V: 158 (80%)
W: 5.0 (90%)
Math Subject Test: Below 20th percentile... (big yikes) only submitted to places that required it

Program Applying: Pure Mathematics Ph.D.

Research Experience: Doing an ongoing "expository" research senior thesis with one of my recommenders.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List the semester before I applied.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I have been working as a Calculus SI (basically like being a TA but for undergraduates).
Any Other Info:
- Did some sports analytics research remotely w/ an ivy league school. Idk if this is worth anything.
- I feel like schools may respect that I graduated in 3 years with double major, again idk if its worth anything
- Likely have 2 excellent letters of recommendation, and one decent one.

Applying to Where:

Reach:
Minnesota rejected
Ohio State rejected
Carnegie Mellon rejected
North Carolina (Chapel Hill) waitlisted

Less of a Reach/Match:
Brandeis waitlisted, withdrew
NC State rejected
Georgia rejected
Northeastern never heard back
Virginia Tech attended visitor's day but then was never actually accepted lol
Florida Accepted, full funding ATTENDING
Florida State Accepted, full funding

Safe:
South Carolina Accepted, full funding
Vermont Accepted, awaiting funding
Wake Forest (Master's) pending, had a phone interview with them though

Idk, small schools are hard to read:
- Bryn Mawr rejected
- Tufts rejected

[sacamano]

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts college
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Mathematics Education and Statistics
GPA: 3.55
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

Graduate Institution: Small private college
Major(s): Mathematics
GPA: 3.81

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 170 (96%)
V: 154 (64%)
W: 3.5 (41%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 680 (55%)

Program Applying: Pure Math PhD (Algebraic Geometry/Mirror Symmetry)

Research Experience: 1 preprint, 1 poster, and 2 conference talks during masters
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: top math student award at undergrad
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for 2 years, grader for 4 years, university tutor for 2 years
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 9 grad courses
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: few withdrawals in random non-math courses during undergrad

Applying to Where:
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor - Pending, "We hope to give you a yes or no by March 20."
University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign - Rejected on 2/18
University of Minnesota--Twin Cities - Waitlisted on 3/9 after inquiry
Northwestern University - Rejected on 2/9
University of Utah - Rejected on 2/9
Boston University - Pending, "There is a chance we may be able to make some more offers, but unfortunately, I can’t really estimate at this point how likely it is that we will be able to make you an offer."
University of Oregon - Rejected on 1/30
Colorado State University - Pending, "we hope to have final decisions made by the end of this week." email sent March 4th ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Kansas State University - Admitted on 2/12, $17k stipend + $3k for summer. Awarded additional scholarship on 2/22 of $5k/yr for first two years.
International School for Advanced Studies - Pending

Did BU email you or did you reach out?

[Starchild]

Undergrad Institution: Small liberal arts college
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Mathematics Education and Statistics
GPA: 3.55
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

Graduate Institution: Small private college
Major(s): Mathematics
GPA: 3.81

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 170 (96%)
V: 154 (64%)
W: 3.5 (41%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 680 (55%)

Program Applying: Pure Math PhD (Algebraic Geometry/Mirror Symmetry)

Research Experience: 1 preprint, 1 poster, and 2 conference talks during masters
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: top math student award at undergrad
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: TA for 2 years, grader for 4 years, university tutor for 2 years
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 9 grad courses
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: few withdrawals in random non-math courses during undergrad

Applying to Where:
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor - Pending, "We hope to give you a yes or no by March 20."
University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign - Rejected on 2/18
University of Minnesota--Twin Cities - Waitlisted on 3/9 after inquiry
Northwestern University - Rejected on 2/9
University of Utah - Rejected on 2/9
Boston University - Pending, "There is a chance we may be able to make some more offers, but unfortunately, I can’t really estimate at this point how likely it is that we will be able to make you an offer."
University of Oregon - Rejected on 1/30
Colorado State University - Pending, "we hope to have final decisions made by the end of this week." email sent March 4th ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Kansas State University - Admitted on 2/12, $17k stipend + $3k for summer. Awarded additional scholarship on 2/22 of $5k/yr for first two years.
International School for Advanced Studies - Pending

Did BU email you or did you reach out?

I reached out.

[ochandra]

Undergraduate institution: Small liberal arts
Major: Math
Minor: None
GPA: 3.85
Type of Student: Domestic bi-racial female

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 161
V: 168
W: 5.0
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: didn't take

Program Applying: Pure Math/some Applied Math PhD

Research Experience: "REU" equivalent at my home institution, resulting in one published paper and a senior thesis. Research was in algebra, current interest is analysis and PDEs.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Phi Beta Kappa, Dean's List, funding from school for conference travel, etc.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor, grader
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Know my letter writers well, female, probably had a fairly well-written SOP?
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: I took time off between undergraduate and applying to graduate school and worked in industry. I highlighted this time away from school as one of the reasons why I was sure graduate school was the right path for me and I definitely wouldn't be dropping out. Also, I didn't take the MGRE and this limited my list of schools.

Applying to Where:
University of Washington - Applied Math PhD/Rejected/ Accepted to unfunded Master's/Declined
CU Boulder - Applied Math PhD/ Interview 1/31/ Admitted 02/06 /Declined 03/12
University of Utah - Math PhD/Waitlisted 02/15/Asked to be removed from the waitlist 03/12
UNC Chapel Hill - Math PhD/Interview 1/11/Invited to recruitment weekend 1/17/Accepted with full funding 3/1/Attending!!!
NC State - Math PhD/Accepted with full funding 1/28/Declined 03/12
UC Riverside - Math PhD/ Withdrew application from consideration 03/13
Arizona State - Math PhD/ /Accepted 12/31, never heard about funding

Posting this because these profiles were helpful to me throughout my application process (if not a little toxic). Best of luck to everyone!

[mook713]

Undergrad Institution: Big State School
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Piano
GPA: 4.00
Type of Student: DWM

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 167 (91%)
V: 164 (94%)
W: 4.5 (82%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 720 (63%)

TOEFL Score: NA

Program Applying: Pure math: Representation theory and geometry.

Research Experience: Two preprints from an REU in combinatorics at an outside institution, ongoing home institution research in Kazhdan-Lusztig theory.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Home University A&S Undergrad Research Fellowship
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor, grader.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Grad classes in algebraic geometry, algebra, topology, and analysis. Very good recommendations.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Switched majors from music education to mathematics 1st semester of my sophomore year.

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
MIT - PhD / Rejected on Feb. 12.
Harvard - PhD / Rejected on Feb. 6.
Berkeley - Phd / Rejected on Feb. 8.
Columbia - Phd / Rejected on Feb. 7.
Yale - PhD / Rejected on Jan. 16.
Chicago - PhD / Rejected on March 14.
Minnesota - PhD / Admitted on March 6. Attending!!!
Maryland - PhD / Admitted on Feb. 14.
Utah - PhD / Admitted on Feb. 5.
Oregon - PhD / Admitted on Jan. 29.
Louisiana State - PhD / Admitted on Feb. 18.
Northeastern - PhD / Admitted on March 20.

I'm very happy with my results.

[superstarlala]

Undergrad Institution: Private, small university
Major: Math and Chem
Type of Student: DWF

GRE:
Q: 167
V: 157
W: 4.0

Program Applying: Pure Mathematics Ph.D.

Research Experience: None really
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None really
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Math tutor for a couple years, representative for my math dept., Americorps member teaching math current
Applying to Where:

GWU - PhD / Accepted
Syracuse - PhD / Accepted

Tufts - PhD / Rejected
Buffalo - PhD / Rejected
Dartmouth - PhD / Rejected
Rochester - PhD / Rejected
Boston University - PhD / Rejected

Binghamton - PhD / pending
UMD - PhD / pending probably rejected
CUNY - PhD / pending probably rejected
UMass Amherst - PhD / pending
Bryn Mawr - PhD / pending
UNiversity if Wisconsin PhD / pending

[scotter236]

Undergrad Institution: Big State School
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): None
GPA: 3.94/4.00 Cumulative, 3.90/4.00 Major
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 94%
V: 83%
W: 98%
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 640

Program Applying: Pure Math

Research Experience: REU at Rutgers in 2018
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List, departmental scholarships, typical stuff
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Grader for 2 years, teaching assistant for 1 years
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Will graduate with only 4 grad classes. I expect my rec letters are very good, since I have a very close bond with my professors and I performed very well in their classes (although none are famous). I got five letters (although I only intended to get three) and I submitted 3 to some schools, 4 to some, and 5 to a few.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Went to community college for three years, not sure if some schools view this as a plus or a minus.

Should have been more conservative in where I applied to, too many top tier considering my GRE, but reasonably happy with my results so far.

Applying to Where:

Literally just donated money:
University of Chicago - Rejected 3/14
Cornell - Rejected 2/7
New York University - Rejected 4/9 (accepted into unfunded Master's, instantly declined)
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - Rejected 3/20

High Reach:
University of Pennsylvania - Withdrew 4/15 (They never answered me)
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign - Waitlisted 2/18 - Accepted 4/12 - ATTENDING
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities - Waitlisted 3/20 - Withdrew 4/15
Rutgers University - Rejected 3/15
Ohio State University - Rejected 3/6

Reach/Match:
University of Washington - Waitlisted 3/7 - Withdrew 4/12
University of Maryland - Waitlisted 4/8 - Withdrew 4/12
Penn State - Accepted 2/28 - Withdrew 4/14
University of Illinois at Chicago - Accepted 2/16 - Withdrew 4/4
Purdue University - Accepted 1/28 - Withdrew 3/31

Final thoughts: please don't stress about your math GRE score too much. Mine was not good at all and I got very good offers from good schools.

[mmw]

Undergrad Institution: Small Liberal Arts College (NESCAC)
Major(s): Mathematics, Urban Studies
Minor(s): Models & Data, Russian Language
GPA: 3.90
Type of Student: DWF

GRE Revised General Test: (doesn't matter that much but you still wan't a respectable score for university-wide fellowships. Magoosh has a ton of free stuff ... which I def should've reviewed more)
Q: 167 (91%)
V: 162 (91%)
W: 5.5 (98%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: bombed the practice tests ... cancelled my registration

Program Applying: Applied Math mostly (no specific research interests)

Research Experience: RIPS @ UCLA (Applied/Math Modeling) after sophomore year ... would totally recommend! Pays well, you learn a lot, good mix of research & internship experience. Resulting long-form talk at JMM & internship for following summer in the aerospace industry (and for grad school summers)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Top academic scholarship at my college (full tuition), college academic honors each semester, PME membership, excellence in foreign language award
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor for underprivileged youth for 2 years, then tutor at my college math center for 2 years, lots of summer jobs before RIPS
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Math in Moscow program (loved it!) w/ one recommendation, one recommender from RIPS, two from my current institution (one thesis advisor, one academic advisor). I speak Russian fairly well since my mom is from Russia. My Urban Studies second major was either going to help or hurt me - I didn't take that many math classes since my first three years I was also taking architecture/urban planning courses. In hindsight I think this made me an interesting applicant, but when I was applying I was worried schools would think that what makes me ~interesting~ is unattractive for an applicant.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: When I was a junior and senior in high school, I took all my classes at a community college - where I took from Calculus to DiffEq & Linear Analysis (like intro PDEs). I had academic honors from my time at the community college. Also, I'm a pretty good essay writer - if anyone needs a proofreader I'd be happy to help! I think I sold my dual interests well in my essays.

Applying to Where:
Tufts Univ - Mathematics / Unofficial Acceptance on 1/18/2019 (fully funded TAship $24k + $5k fellowship for first 2 summers)
CU Boulder - Applied Math / Unofficial Acceptance on 1/31/2019 (my thesis advisor went here & does research with the department. expected fully funded)
Harvard - Applied Math / Rejected on 2/22/2019
Columbia - Applied Math / Pending on 3/25/2019
Washington State Univ - Mathematics / Admitted on 3/4/2019 (TAship $16.9k)
Univ of Washington - Applied Math / Accepted to on-campus masters lol what a joke on 1/23/2019 (but the first line of the email said "Congratulations" then later "we know this isn't exactly what you wanted")
Johns Hopkins - Applied Math & Stats / Admitted on 3/25/2019 (from my research I think they do their first round super late??)
Arizona State Univ - Applied Math for the Life and Social Sciences / Pending (app was due 3/1)
Brown - Applied Math / Rejected on (date) (lowkey the email was rude)
RIT - Math Modeling / Admitted on 2/18/2019 (TAship $18k)
Northwestern - Applied Math / Admitted on 2/9/2019 (fully funded, $2.7k/mo for first year no TAing)

[mgf]

Undergrad Institution: Small Liberal Arts College (NESCAC)
Major(s): Mathematics, Urban Studies
Minor(s): Models & Data, Russian Language
GPA: 3.90
Type of Student: DWF

GRE Revised General Test: (doesn't matter that much but you still wan't a respectable score for university-wide fellowships. Magoosh has a ton of free stuff ... which I def should've reviewed more)
Q: 167 (91%)
V: 162 (91%)
W: 5.5 (98%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: bombed the practice tests ... cancelled my registration

Program Applying: Applied Math mostly (no specific research interests)

Research Experience: RIPS @ UCLA (Applied/Math Modeling) after sophomore year ... would totally recommend! Pays well, you learn a lot, good mix of research & internship experience. Resulting long-form talk at JMM & internship for following summer in the aerospace industry (and for grad school summers)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Top academic scholarship at my college (full tuition), college academic honors each semester, PME membership, excellence in foreign language award
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Tutor for underprivileged youth for 2 years, then tutor at my college math center for 2 years, lots of summer jobs before RIPS
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Math in Moscow program (loved it!) w/ one recommendation, one recommender from RIPS, two from my current institution (one thesis advisor, one academic advisor). I speak Russian fairly well since my mom is from Russia. My Urban Studies second major was either going to help or hurt me - I didn't take that many math classes since my first three years I was also taking architecture/urban planning courses. In hindsight I think this made me an interesting applicant, but when I was applying I was worried schools would think that what makes me ~interesting~ is unattractive for an applicant.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: When I was a junior and senior in high school, I took all my classes at a community college - where I took from Calculus to DiffEq & Linear Analysis (like intro PDEs). I had academic honors from my time at the community college. Also, I'm a pretty good essay writer - if anyone needs a proofreader I'd be happy to help! I think I sold my dual interests well in my essays.

Applying to Where:
Tufts Univ - Mathematics / Unofficial Acceptance on 1/18/2019 (fully funded TAship $24k + $5k fellowship for first 2 summers)
CU Boulder - Applied Math / Unofficial Acceptance on 1/31/2019 (my thesis advisor went here & does research with the department. expected fully funded)
Harvard - Applied Math / Rejected on 2/22/2019
Columbia - Applied Math / Pending on 3/25/2019
Washington State Univ - Mathematics / Admitted on 3/4/2019 (TAship $16.9k)
Univ of Washington - Applied Math / Accepted to on-campus masters lol what a joke on 1/23/2019 (but the first line of the email said "Congratulations" then later "we know this isn't exactly what you wanted")
Johns Hopkins - Applied Math & Stats / Admitted on 3/25/2019 (from my research I think they do their first round super late??)
Arizona State Univ - Applied Math for the Life and Social Sciences / Pending (app was due 3/1)
Brown - Applied Math / Rejected on (date) (lowkey the email was rude)
RIT - Math Modeling / Admitted on 2/18/2019 (TAship $18k)
Northwestern - Applied Math / Admitted on 2/9/2019 (fully funded, $2.7k/mo for first year no TAing)

if you don't see yourself going to JHU, please decline the offer since I am wait-listed

[NaN]

Undergrad Institution: Small American Liberal Arts College
Major(s): Mathematical Science
Minor(s): Physics, History
GPA: 4.0
Type of Student: DWM

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 165 (88%)
V: 158 (80%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 490 (12%) (Never going to report this.)

TOEFL Score: Native Speaker

Program Applying: Masters in Statistics

Research Experience: Poster presentations for the MAA regarding PIC Math
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Various honor societies
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: College tutor for statistics, probability, and calculi
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:
Oregon State University - MS Statistics / Admitted on 2/21 (TA offer of $18,002.25/year on 4/23)
University of Vermont - MS Statistics / Admitted on 2/27 (TA offer of $9,000/year + health insurance on 4/18)
Virginia Tech - MS Statistics / Pending on 4/5
Virginia Commonwealth University - MS Statistics /Admitted on 3/5 (TA offer of $12,500/year on 3/5)
George Mason University - MS Statistics /Going/Admitted on 1/22 (TA offer of $17,500/year on 3/20)
Auburn University - MS Statistics / Admitted on 3/27

[1773520685]

Undergrad Institution: UK university
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s): Statistics
GPA: 4.0
Type of Student: International white male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 170 (97%)
V: 163 (93%)
W: 4.5 (82%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: 890 (92%)

Research Experience: Applied math REU for 9 weeks. Summer project in interacting particle systems for 6 weeks with Prof at home institution.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2 awards for top score in math/stats department
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Software engineering internship at small company in London.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: References know me well.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Although there is conflicting info about whether this is a good thing to do, I had 5 letters of recommendation.
Good luck everyone!

Applying to Where: (all PhD)
MIT - (Applied) Mathematics / Admitted (January 31)
Stanford - Statistics / Admitted (February 5)
Berkeley - Statistics / Admitted (February 8 )
Princeton - ORFE / Admitted (February 18)
Oxford - Statistics / Interviewed February 14, Accepted March 5
Cambridge - Mathematics of Information CDT / Interviewed January 23, Rejected March 5
ETHZ - CS / Pending

Hi there, do you mind telling me which exact undergrad uni you were in? I am also in the u.k, and I want to have some more info about applying from the u.k. If you don’t mind pls reply or pm me (just registered, not sure if there actually is a pm function). Thanks you!!!

[CTVK]

Undergrad Institution: Ivy
Major(s): Mathematics (Intensive)
Minor(s):
GPA: 3.42
Type of Student: Domestic White Male

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 168 (94%)
V: 170 (99%)
W: 4.0 (59%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 790 (77%)

Program Applying: Pure Math

Research Experience: One summer REU at Yale; we put our paper on arXiv after I had already submitted apps.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: One positive "end of term" report from my Complex Analysis professor
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Peer tutor for Linear Algebra for 3 semesters; Undergraduate Learning Assistant for Vector Calculus & Linear Algebra
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: I took only math classes starting junior year (if you count Quantum Mechanics, Algorithms, & Mathematical Game Theory). I am bad at writing so my personal statements were not necessarily compelling--I recommend starting early on these!
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Co-president of the math club, for what it's worth.

Applying to Where: (Color use here is welcome)
Rutgers University - Mathematics PhD / Admitted on (4/12/19) / ATTENDING
New York University Courant - Mathematics PhD / Rejected on (4/10/19) / (Offered an unfunded Master's; declined :X)
Temple University - Mathematics PhD / Rejected on (4/14/19)
University of Pennsylvania - Mathematics Masters / Pending
CUNY Graduate School and University Center - Mathematics PhD / Rejected on April 3 after I emailed an inquiry
Stony Brook University - Mathematics PhD / Rejected on (3/1/19)
Johns Hopkins University - Mathematics PhD / Rejected on (3/22/19)
University of Maryland - College Park - Mathematics PhD / Told I was "in the strong applicant bundle" as of April 9
Penn State University - Mathematics PhD / Admitted on (1/30/19). I really appreciated this early offer! Declined
Carnegie Mellon University - Mathematics PhD / Rejected on (4/9/19)
University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign - Mathematics PhD / Rejected on (2/18/19)
University of Illinois - Chicago - Mathematics PhD / Pending
Northwestern University - Mathematics PhD / Rejected on (2/9/19)
Georgia Institute of Technology - Mathematics PhD / Admitted on (4/10/19) Declined

[billionaire]

Undergrad Institution: Large Public School, pretty well known for math
Major(s): Mathematics
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (3.96 in math)
Type of Student: International Asian Male

GRE Revised General Test:
V: 156 (73%)
Q: 170 (96%)
W: 3.5 (41%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 970 (99%)


Program Applying: Pure Math PhD with interest in combinatorics

Research Experience: Two REUs at home institution, resulted in one paper accepted up to revision by a decent journal.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Putnam top 200(barely) both sophomore and junior year, a few departmental scholarship
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Grader for a year, tutor for a year
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 6 grad courses, 4 of them in combinatorics, also did two independent reading on some advanced combinatorics topics, know all three letter writters pretty well.
Applying to Where:
Princeton - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Jan 30
MIT - Applied Math PhD Program /Rejected Feb 12
UC Berkeley - Pure Math PhD Program /Rejected Feb 8
UCLA - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Mar 14
Cornell - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 19
Brown - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 15
UCSD - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted on Jan 29, $2.4k stipend per month + 12k James B. Ax Stipend + reduced teaching for the first year
UIUC - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted on Feb 1, unsure about funding information
U Minnesota - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Apr 11
U Washington - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted Mar 10, $2.4k per month, $10000 scholarship
GA Tech - Pure Math Phd Program / Admitted Jan 25, $2185 per month, declined

I just cannot help but wonder, why would anybody reject a guy with 970 (99%) percentile on GRE Subject Test in Mathematics ??

It just makes no sense to me.

Can anybody offer sensible explanation ??

The rest of your profile seems just fine.

Shame on you Princeton, MIT, Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell, Brown. (U Minnesota )

Also, can somebody elaborate this scholarships (12 and 10k from UCSD and U Washington, do they cover all per year ??), shouldn't tuition and fees be waived for PhD, via TA/RA assistantships or whatever, which leaves only to question how much is stipend ?



Good Luck yso6

[young556646]

Undergrad Institution: Large Public School, pretty well known for math
Major(s): Mathematics
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (3.96 in math)
Type of Student: International Asian Male

GRE Revised General Test:
V: 156 (73%)
Q: 170 (96%)
W: 3.5 (41%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 970 (99%)


Program Applying: Pure Math PhD with interest in combinatorics

Research Experience: Two REUs at home institution, resulted in one paper accepted up to revision by a decent journal.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Putnam top 200(barely) both sophomore and junior year, a few departmental scholarship
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Grader for a year, tutor for a year
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 6 grad courses, 4 of them in combinatorics, also did two independent reading on some advanced combinatorics topics, know all three letter writters pretty well.
Applying to Where:
Princeton - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Jan 30
MIT - Applied Math PhD Program /Rejected Feb 12
UC Berkeley - Pure Math PhD Program /Rejected Feb 8
UCLA - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Mar 14
Cornell - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 19
Brown - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 15
UCSD - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted on Jan 29, $2.4k stipend per month + 12k James B. Ax Stipend + reduced teaching for the first year
UIUC - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted on Feb 1, unsure about funding information
U Minnesota - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Apr 11
U Washington - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted Mar 10, $2.4k per month, $10000 scholarship
GA Tech - Pure Math Phd Program / Admitted Jan 25, $2185 per month, declined

I just cannot help but wonder, why would anybody reject a guy with 970 (99%) percentile on GRE Subject Test in Mathematics ??

It just makes no sense to me.

Can anybody offer sensible explanation ??

The rest of your profile seems just fine.

Shame on you Princeton, MIT, Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell, Brown. (U Minnesota )

Also, can somebody elaborate this scholarships (12 and 10k from UCSD and U Washington, do they cover all per year ??), shouldn't tuition and fees be waived for PhD, via TA/RA assistantships or whatever, which leaves only to question how much is stipend ?



Good Luck yso6

GRE Subject is by no means a complete measure of mathematical ability. It is more of a measure of simple problem-solving techniques usually focused on calculus and linear algebra, which is of course fundamental but not even close to materials covered in upper division math courses. Thus, GRE Subject is just for checking whether a student meets the minimum requirement. Many top graduate schools will be totally happy with score 800 or above, and lower scores are often acceptable in lower ranked schools. The difference between students with 800 and 990 in GRE Subject is just their familiarity with that kind of quick problem solving, and it has nothing to do with research. Since graduate schools usually focus on the potential research ability of students, they will look for students who can provide more reliable evidences of their potentials rather than high GRE score.

[billionaire]

Undergrad Institution: Large Public School, pretty well known for math
Major(s): Mathematics
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (3.96 in math)
Type of Student: International Asian Male

GRE Revised General Test:
V: 156 (73%)
Q: 170 (96%)
W: 3.5 (41%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: 970 (99%)


Program Applying: Pure Math PhD with interest in combinatorics

Research Experience: Two REUs at home institution, resulted in one paper accepted up to revision by a decent journal.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Putnam top 200(barely) both sophomore and junior year, a few departmental scholarship
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Grader for a year, tutor for a year
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: 6 grad courses, 4 of them in combinatorics, also did two independent reading on some advanced combinatorics topics, know all three letter writters pretty well.
Applying to Where:
Princeton - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Jan 30
MIT - Applied Math PhD Program /Rejected Feb 12
UC Berkeley - Pure Math PhD Program /Rejected Feb 8
UCLA - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Mar 14
Cornell - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 19
Brown - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Feb 15
UCSD - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted on Jan 29, $2.4k stipend per month + 12k James B. Ax Stipend + reduced teaching for the first year
UIUC - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted on Feb 1, unsure about funding information
U Minnesota - Pure Math PhD Program / Rejected Apr 11
U Washington - Pure Math PhD Program / Admitted Mar 10, $2.4k per month, $10000 scholarship
GA Tech - Pure Math Phd Program / Admitted Jan 25, $2185 per month, declined

I just cannot help but wonder, why would anybody reject a guy with 970 (99%) percentile on GRE Subject Test in Mathematics ??

It just makes no sense to me.

Can anybody offer sensible explanation ??

The rest of your profile seems just fine.

Shame on you Princeton, MIT, Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell, Brown. (U Minnesota )

Also, can somebody elaborate this scholarships (12 and 10k from UCSD and U Washington, do they cover all per year ??), shouldn't tuition and fees be waived for PhD, via TA/RA assistantships or whatever, which leaves only to question how much is stipend ?



Good Luck yso6

GRE Subject is by no means a complete measure of mathematical ability. It is more of a measure of simple problem-solving techniques usually focused on calculus and linear algebra, which is of course fundamental but not even close to materials covered in upper division math courses. Thus, GRE Subject is just for checking whether a student meets the minimum requirement. Many top graduate schools will be totally happy with score 800 or above, and lower scores are often acceptable in lower ranked schools. The difference between students with 800 and 990 in GRE Subject is just their familiarity with that kind of quick problem solving, and it has nothing to do with research. Since graduate schools usually focus on the potential research ability of students, they will look for students who can provide more reliable evidences of their potentials rather than high GRE score.

Hello young556646

Thanks for offering your thoughts.

I respect your view, however I disagree.

What will be upper division of math for you ?

GRE Mathematics subject test, covers : differential and integral calculus, linear and abstract algebra, number theory, real analysis, topology, discrete mathematics, combinatorics, algorithms, probability and statistics, numerical analysis etc. , what kind of math you had on mind as upper/advanced ?

What would be top graduate schools totally happy with 800 for you ? U Chicago, Columbia, Berkeley, Harvard,Yale, UCLA, Duke, Cornell, Brown ?

Or Rutgers, Penn State, GTech, UCSD, ?

Btw, congrats on 900/94%

None of standardize tests, has much to do with research or research potential.

Then, what about (general test) GRE Math which is high school math joke ??

How is that relevant ?

Or GRE verbal, which is just like advanced TOEFL ???

As far as I can see yso6 had high GPA, two REUs resulted in one paper accepted up to revision by a decent journal...a decent profile overall.

How you evaluate more reliable evidences research potential ??

Just publication in journal or ?

Does somebody really needs publication in journal to be awesome PhD candidate ?


Thanks in advance...and congrats on admission to Rutgers and Penn State

[young556646]

Hello young556646

Thanks for offering your thoughts.

I respect your view, however I disagree.

What will be upper division of math for you ?

GRE Mathematics subject test, covers : differential and integral calculus, linear and abstract algebra, number theory, real analysis, topology, discrete mathematics, combinatorics, algorithms, probability and statistics, numerical analysis etc. , what kind of math you had on mind as upper/advanced ?

What would be top graduate schools totally happy with 800 for you ? U Chicago, Columbia, Berkeley, Harvard,Yale, UCLA, Duke, Cornell, Brown ?

Or Rutgers, Penn State, GTech, UCSD, ?

Btw, congrats on 900/94%

None of standardize tests, has much to do with research or research potential.

Then, what about (general test) GRE Math which is high school math joke ??

How is that relevant ?

Or GRE verbal, which is just like advanced TOEFL ???

As far as I can see yso6 had high GPA, two REUs resulted in one paper accepted up to revision by a decent journal...a decent profile overall.

How you evaluate more reliable evidences research potential ??

Just publication in journal or ?

Does somebody really needs publication in journal to be awesome PhD candidate ?


Thanks in advance...and congrats on admission to Rutgers and Penn State

GRE Math is just for checking the minimum required knowledge for beginning graduate students. High score of GRE does not mean higher research potential, but a too low score in GRE means that the student is not ready for the graduate school and likely to fail in quals. That's why schools require, but not heavily rely on, the GRE Math. GRE verbal is, in many cases, a university-level requirement for graduate students and I believe that math departments do not put heavy weight on it.
Also, I don't mean that yso6 is not an awesome PhD candidate. I just said GRE Math does not mean everything. But remember that yso6 is not the only awesome candidate- there are hundreds of such awesome candidates with perfect GPA or amazing letters of recommendation/SOP or wonderful research experience (of course some have all of them in addition to 990 in GRE Math). It is not strange that someone with near perfect GPA and GRE Math together with great research experience, just like yso6, get rejected from some programs, because those programs can easily fill their class with students with even better scores and better(in their perspective) letters of recommendations/SOP.