Advice on how to approach graduating early

Forum for the GRE subject test in mathematics.
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bucknuggets
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Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2024 6:42 pm

Advice on how to approach graduating early

Post by bucknuggets » Sun Feb 02, 2025 3:18 am

Hi everyone,

I've noticed that it seems to be common wisdom that graduating early is generally a bad idea, and that spending an extra year taking upper/graduate-level courses will fare you better with graduate applications. I was wondering if similar advice would apply in my case: I am a first-year at a low-ranked state school with a rather small math department, but by credits, I'm a junior thanks to AP/dual enrollment from high school. I have taken calc I-III, diff eq, discrete math (essentially intro to proofs), linear algebra I & II (LADR as textbook for latter), probability theory, and a course in Lie groups thus far. This semester, I am taking real analysis I, complex analysis, and dynamical systems. Next year, I plan on taking a yearlong sequence in graduate complex analysis, as well as abstract algebra I and graduate topology in the fall (among other courses). I'll be doing research this summer under a well-known program that will be fully funded (about ~8k in total) in the area of stability theory. My math GPA should be around 3.9 by the time I apply.

I was wondering if I should pursue PhD applications next fall, or if I should wait another year and complete a master's at my school through a 4+1 program. I have no apprehensions in the slightest about cheapening the college experience, and my main concern is whether or not I'd have a chance with apps this fall. My full-ride scholarship (the main reason I'm here) won't cover a year of a master's, and course offerings are rather limited and aren't too rigorous. I've talked to one masters student who told me that graduate analysis 1 was essentially a review of his undergraduate analysis at a top school. Of course, I'm planning on taking the math GRE, and I'm confident I can get a very good score (have always been a great test taker and I self-study well).

Open to any opinions on if I'd be good to apply next semester, or at least what I can do to maximize my chances. Thank you all!



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