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Developing a school list

Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2020 11:47 pm
by gandalf-and-persi
I'm in progress of developing a school list! I'm not quite sure what would be good fits in terms of my interests, application profile. Figured I'd post here to crowd source some ideas!
Interests:
  • Convex/Asymptotic geometry (e.g. Brunn-Minkowski, estimating volumes in high dimensions, polytopes, concentration of measure)
  • Geometric/linear functional analysis (e.g. Hilbert spaces, orthogonal polynomials, applications to approximation theory)
  • Probability (e.g. high-dimensional probability, probability on geometric structures and groups, connections with functional analysis)

Applicant profile:
  • BA in Math; 3.9 GPA; have yet to take the GRE or Subject GRE (will be taking them in Sept/Oct)
  • Eleven graduate courses (incl. 2 semesters of probability, measure theory/functional analysis sequence, differential geometry, Gaussian quadrature)
  • Three semesters of independent study/reading course in convex geometry with professor (no publications); also frequently attended graduate seminars/colloquiums (i.e. well networked with professors and fairly confident in my rec letters)
  • Senior project in geometry for gerrymandering (no publications, did attend a related conference afterwards though but didn't present)
  • Grader for undergraduate analysis sequence
  • Three years of work as a software engineer; have a recommender who can speak to mathematical rigor (he has PhD in Computer Science/Computational Game Theory)
School list (and what I think in terms of potential reach/match; without formal research/pubs I doubt any could be a safety)
  • New York University (reach)
  • University of Alberta (I think a reach, not exactly sure)
  • University of Minnesota (reach)
  • Georgia Tech (reach)
  • Texas A&M University (reach/maybe match?)
  • University of California, Irvine (reach)
  • Berlin Mathematical School (match? not quite sure... mainly applying because it gives access to Berlin scene which includes lots of convex geometry research)
  • Case Western Reserve University (match)
  • Kent State University (match)
I've also been looking at some schools outside the US/Canada (e.g. Warwick, Tel Aviv) but can't seem to find good sources of funding for them. Any good information on non-USA school funding would also be super helpful!

Re: Developing a school list

Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2020 3:25 pm
by lucasmiranda
I'm starting my PhD at Warwick this fall as an international student. I got funding from the Maths department, which is very scarce for international students, but certainly possible! Warwick also has a scholarship scheme for int. students, the Chancellor's International Scholarship, which would be your best chance to get funding. Other than that, you can check on their website whether there is funding available for students from the USA (I'm assuming you're American...).

This is the situation in most British universities. Some have more sources of funding, such as Oxford and Cambridge, but are also more difficult to get in... If you do apply to British/European universities, be prepared for some very technical interviews. Good luck!

Re: Developing a school list

Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 11:05 pm
by ThrowawayName
If you have a serious interest in geometry, Stony Brook should be there. Northwestern and UT Austin should be heavily considered for probability.

Re: Developing a school list

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2020 8:05 pm
by gandalf-and-persi
lucasmiranda wrote:
Mon Apr 27, 2020 3:25 pm
I'm starting my PhD at Warwick this fall as an international student.....
Thanks for the info! I'll dig into it more! mind if I send you a PM if I have Warwick specific questions? Also what's your research field?
If you have a serious interest in geometry, Stony Brook should be there. Northwestern and UT Austin should be heavily considered for probability.
I'll take a deeper look at Stony Brook (though I'm not broadly interested in geometry, just the asymptotic geometry/convexity/local
Banach space theory interactions). I hadn't looked at Northwestern/UTA - I'll check them out!