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applying to grad schools | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)

[new] Grad school advice (none / 0) (#1)
by kristimeyer on Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 08:16:21 AM PDT

I don't have knowledge of any of those specific schools, but I'm wondering what you want to do with your Ph.D. Are you interested in teaching or research? Do you want a job at a smaller liberal arts school where teaching is (usually) your first priority and research is second, or would you rather be at a large university where you teach less and concentrate on research more? Knowing where you want to end up should influence your grad school decision.

If you are more interested in teaching, look for a school where many grad students have TAs. Look also at whether TAs are able to teach their own classes when they have more experience or whether they are always doing grading or supervising recitation sections. If you are more interested in research, look for a school where fellowships are available.

Knowing what you want to specialize in is probably not a huge concern at this point in time. You will likely choose your field of specialization based at least partly on who you want as your adviser, and that isn't something that can be decided until you are actually in grad school. Since you don't seem to be in love with any particular subject, I wouldn't make that count too heavily in your decision-making process.

As for general grad school advice, I would highly recommend working with other students. When I was an undergrad, I worked almost exclusively by myself, and it worked just fine for me then. Once I got to grad school, I think I would have killed myself if I had continued to be a math student island. (It took me a semester to figure that out, but it eventually sunk in.) This also ties in with your desire for a friendly atmosphere.

Good luck in making the decision! Hopefully someone else with more knowledge of any of these specific schools will also be able to comment.

[new] Chances (none / 0) (#2)
by Cotati on Sun Nov 16, 2008 at 04:46:18 PM PDT

Ditto on Kristi's comments.

From the sounds of it, you should be able to get accepted somewhere. I would not lay odds one way or the other on Princeton, Harvard, or MIT, since I have no idea how they make their decisions, and they get many, many more applicants than they have openings. But that does not mean you should not apply to them. You never know.

You talk about paring down your list, but you only list nine schools. Why not apply to them all? My own mentor advised me to apply to "at least a dozen" schools. One disincentive is the application fees, which can add up. Are you financially strapped? Can someone float you a loan for the fees if necessary?

If you indeed have as much energy and drive as your post suggests, you should have no trouble succeeding wherever you go.

[new] More advice from locals? (none / 0) (#3)
by overconvergent on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 08:30:21 AM PDT

Have your letter-writers suggested any "safety schools" as well as Princeton and MIT? They presumably think quite highly of you if they are suggesting that you should apply there.

Good luck!

applying to grad schools | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)

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