Selecting colleges for application based on profile

Forum for the GRE subject test in mathematics.
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Krutika
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2014 5:08 am

Selecting colleges for application based on profile

Post by Krutika » Thu Nov 06, 2014 5:25 am

Hi everyone, I've been following this forum for a while and have been looking for advise to apply to pure math PhD programs.

I have some good semester-long projects but no papers yet, and my mGRE wasn't exceptional : I could attempt about 48 questions so not expecting a huge score.

I could do some advise as to where to apply, and what Universities might accept my profile as decent - someone who doesn't focus too much on subject GRE and is known to accept foreign students.

Undergrad Institution: BITS Pilani, India (well known in the country)
Major(s): Mathematics
Minor(s):
GPA: WES estimate should be close to 3.5/4 - don't know yet- but 2 semesters left which would boost this figure a lot
Type of Student: International (India), Female

GRE Revised General Test:
Q: 165 (90%)
V: 154 (%)
W: x.x (xx%)
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics:
M: xxx (xx%) - Gave in October : waiting for results; attempted about 48 without guesses, hoping to be around the 75th percentile+

TOEFL Score: 109

Program Applying: Pure Math PhD.

Research Experience: 3 semester long pure math projects(DE and analysis) at home university, presented and evaluated within college with all As, Summer project with a well-known Mathematician at a renowned institute(IMSc). Will be pursuing a Masters thesis in NUS next semester under a Professor.
Writing a paper, but no publications yet.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions:
Pertinent Activities or Jobs:
Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: Did several courses which are usually grad-level in some universities : including PDE, ODE, FA,Number Theory, Complex Analysis, Measure&Integration, Point set topology, Numerical Analysis of ODEs, diff geometry

Some colleges I have been considering are UCSD, UCLA, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Brown, MIT, Univ of NC and University of Iowa - how do you think my chances are for them and which else should I apply to?

Thanks a lot

MathCat
Posts: 187
Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2014 12:17 am

Re: Selecting colleges for application based on profile

Post by MathCat » Thu Nov 06, 2014 3:14 pm

You should pick schools based on research interest fit. That is an important part of them accepting students - if you seem interested in something that they don't have anyone doing, they're not going to take you. Figure that out and then pick your schools.

That being said, the ones you have mentioned are all strong programs. Definitely apply to a few like that, but you also probably want to apply to some back up ones, that is, ones that are easier to get in to. It's harder when you're international. Maybe look at some of the bigger state schools? Big private ones can also be easier to get into if you are international.



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