HELP ME WITH SOME INFO..

Forum for the GRE subject test in mathematics.
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bishutech
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:39 am

HELP ME WITH SOME INFO..

Post by bishutech » Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:44 am

I am new to this group and doesn't know any thing about gre.. so i would like to have some ans.
1) being an b.tech electrical engineer can i give gre mathematics??
2) do i need to give gre general test also or gre mathematics is enough.
3) Is there any institute in india which takes B.tech students for M.Sc or Phd mathematics.

vonLipwig
Posts: 52
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2012 9:58 am

Re: HELP ME WITH SOME INFO..

Post by vonLipwig » Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:12 am

1) Yes, you can take the exam. There are no prerequisites. Make sure that you have done enough undergraduate mathematics courses to be able to do the questions - the past papers can assist you here.

2) Most places requiring the Mathematics subject test also require the general test, in my experience. Check with the universities you are applying or considering applying to.

3) I don't know - asking mathematicians in India (eg, at your current institution) will likely get you better answers than online.

bishutech
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:39 am

Re: HELP ME WITH SOME INFO..

Post by bishutech » Sat Mar 24, 2012 8:26 am

thank you for your reply....
look i dont have any extra ordinary credits in under graduates... But i think i have enough concept in mathematics of graduation level pursued by own interest. so which universities will you advice me to search???

vonLipwig
Posts: 52
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2012 9:58 am

Re: HELP ME WITH SOME INFO..

Post by vonLipwig » Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:00 am

I have no idea what your mathematical background is like, and so can't give you sensible advice about how it would compare. I would advise you to find a mathematician at your university and ask them what sort of study you should do and what sort of universities to look at.

Good luck!

bawaji
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 9:27 pm

Re: HELP ME WITH SOME INFO..

Post by bawaji » Sat Mar 24, 2012 12:02 pm

Hi, Bishu,

Most of us are not not from India and can not really give good advice about Indian universities. It would help us if you tell us more specifically what mathematical background you have ("mathematics of graduation level" could mean anything) and what you want to do with your degree (serious research? teach in a small college in India?). Do you have an idea as to what kind of math you like (applied, pure, statistics?)

Here is what little I know about mathematics in India. You should take everything I say with a pinch of salt, as I have never lived in India and have no mathematical contacts there. As far as I know, the best place in India to pursue graduate studies in mathematics is probably the Tata Institute for Fundamental Sciences (TIFR) in Bombay. The Chennai Mathematical Institute is also very good, I am sure. For statistics, and possibly applied math, the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata has a good reputation, I think. You should also consider the IIT's, the Harish Chandra Institute (I don't really know about their mathematics, but they have a very famous string theorist there: Ashoke Sen), and Bhaskaracharya Pratishthana in Pune. There might be others, that I have missed. TIFR is probably the best, by far. You should find out if these institutions really require GRE scores before taking the tests. I suspect that they do not.

If you want to do your Masters or PhD outside of India, you might have to take the GRE tests, you will have to find out from the institutions you are applying to. Scoring well on the subject test might help convince people that you know your stuff, despite having a non-math background. You could also do your MA/MSc in Germany (you can also do your PhD there, but your chances of getting in are extremely slim without even a math background. After doing a masters there your chances are much better, depending on how you fare). GRE scores are not required and education for foreign citizens or nonresidents, while not free as it is for residents and citizens, is very cheap compared to the US and UK.

You should also check out the Abdus Salam Institute for Theoretical Physics in Trieste. They have a program in math and have an excellent reputation.

Good luck,

Bawaji

bishutech
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:39 am

Re: HELP ME WITH SOME INFO..

Post by bishutech » Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:14 pm

thank you bawaji for your reply.
actually i didnt wanted to know about indian universities. i have already scanned over all universities in india. I wanted to know which universities outside india provide chances to students like us(non math background).
And for my back ground. I have been studying analysis(real/functional/complex), algebra(abstract/linear),topology from standard books(like artin, munkres,rudin,etc.) on my own.... But my main interest is in group theory.. I have contacted all the professors in india who are in this subject from past two years.. In spite of being rejected by almost all finally one of them has agreed to take me in his summer program... So in this last 2 years i have understand that in india there is no going back after choosing a subject.. (though for some colleges people like us are eligible but intake is practically tending to zero.. past record makes witness for that)so i was asking about if there is any university outside india which takes students like us.. to speak frankly i will be in my final year next summer and for i am studying in a nearly reputed college i will get a job for sure but i dont know any thing of electrical engineering. even once our HOD warned of sacking me out. What i do is only pure maths..

bawaji
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 9:27 pm

Re: HELP ME WITH SOME INFO..

Post by bawaji » Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:40 am

Hi, Bishu,

Your background sounds quite strong, if you have really internalized most of the material in the books you mentioned. US universities do not cover very much math in undergrad, so you should be well qualified for a MA. With good preparation you should also be able to get a decent GRE subject test score.

My perspective is that of a student from Germany applying to grad schools in the US, so I just want to warn you that my experience is limited. I am sure however, that you could have a very good shot at getting into a masters program, though certainly not at the very top programs. It might be easier to get into a computational or applied math program at first, though. After getting a Master degree you could then move to pure math, if you wanted to, and also move up to more prestigious universities. At my university in Germany I met several students with backgrounds from outside of mathematics (e.g. computer science) who were doing a masters in math heavy computational science, and I am sure that the same is possible in the US or UK. Receiving a good score in the GRE should help. Submit the scores even if not needed (which I hear is often the case for Masters degrees), that way you can show that you are qualified. However I would guess that most graduate admissions committees will think that it does not reflect well on you if you do badly in your undergraduate studies in electrical engineering. Also, you will need good recommendation letters from your professors. These will be hard to come by if you do not do well in your studies. So you should also focus on your university studies.

My advice would be to apply broadly to several schools and not the top ones at first. You will also have to take the TOEFL if you want to apply in the US, so you should study for that too.

You should consider Germany (there are english language masters programs) and ICTP Trieste (the programs is also in english). They are good places to do math and you can always go to the US after that for your PhD, if you want to.

Good luck,

Bawaji


Last bumped by bishutech on Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:40 am.



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