Profile evaluation: low-ish GPA from top school
Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2019 9:01 pm
I'm curious to know if the schools I'm looking at are realistic, so here's my profile (I'm being somewhat vague for privacy reasons).
Undergrad Institution: Top 5 overall & for math, private, notorious for grade deflation and rigor
Major(s): Mathematics
GPA: 3.5
Type of Student: DWF
GRE Revised General Test: 169Q/170V, don't remember writing score
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: Taking this month
TOEFL Score: Waived
Program Applying: Applied math mostly
Research Experience: Plentiful and unique, about 10 substantial projects over the past 5 years. Almost all of these involved applied math. At first, my research was mostly related to physics. Lately, I have exclusively done research on the applications of math/computation in public health & policy, which I'd like to continue in grad school.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Some merit scholarships, some research grants, one leadership award.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I'm really into activism and have done data science internships with several political organizations.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:
- I think my PhD research interests are pretty unique (not sure if this will help).
- I've taken a really diverse set of classes (changed my major three times ha).
- I will probably have four reference letters. I've read two of them - they are extremely positive, detailed, and LONG (both are 3 pages). I expect the
other two will be strong as well. All but one are from research advisors.
- I've been told my personal statement is especially well-written and convincing.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:
- Personal/family issues (which I will discuss in my apps) led to one bad quarter that brought down my GPA quite significantly.
- While academic research is my primary career goal, I'd like to run for office and I'm quite clear about this in my personal statement.
Schools I like:
Northwestern (ESAM) - I was told by the admissions director that I'm very likely to be accepted
UChicago (CAM)
Stanford (ICME)
Berkeley (Applied Math)
Harvard (SEAS - Applied Math)
Harvard (Statistics)
MIT (CSE)
MIT (Social & Engineering Systems)
Columbia (APAM)
NYU (Applied Math)
Yale (Applied Math)
Princeton (PACM)
Caltech (CMS)
Undergrad Institution: Top 5 overall & for math, private, notorious for grade deflation and rigor
Major(s): Mathematics
GPA: 3.5
Type of Student: DWF
GRE Revised General Test: 169Q/170V, don't remember writing score
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics: Taking this month
TOEFL Score: Waived
Program Applying: Applied math mostly
Research Experience: Plentiful and unique, about 10 substantial projects over the past 5 years. Almost all of these involved applied math. At first, my research was mostly related to physics. Lately, I have exclusively done research on the applications of math/computation in public health & policy, which I'd like to continue in grad school.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Some merit scholarships, some research grants, one leadership award.
Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I'm really into activism and have done data science internships with several political organizations.
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help:
- I think my PhD research interests are pretty unique (not sure if this will help).
- I've taken a really diverse set of classes (changed my major three times ha).
- I will probably have four reference letters. I've read two of them - they are extremely positive, detailed, and LONG (both are 3 pages). I expect the
other two will be strong as well. All but one are from research advisors.
- I've been told my personal statement is especially well-written and convincing.
Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:
- Personal/family issues (which I will discuss in my apps) led to one bad quarter that brought down my GPA quite significantly.
- While academic research is my primary career goal, I'd like to run for office and I'm quite clear about this in my personal statement.
Schools I like:
Northwestern (ESAM) - I was told by the admissions director that I'm very likely to be accepted
UChicago (CAM)
Stanford (ICME)
Berkeley (Applied Math)
Harvard (SEAS - Applied Math)
Harvard (Statistics)
MIT (CSE)
MIT (Social & Engineering Systems)
Columbia (APAM)
NYU (Applied Math)
Yale (Applied Math)
Princeton (PACM)
Caltech (CMS)