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desimba · 05-16-2008, 04:58 AM

Well you are certainly thinking ahead and that's good. You can and should check these forums occasionally over the next 1-2 years as you develop your application strategy and submit your applications. Beyond that, you certainly can do a couple of things to increase your chances of getting into a good program:

#1- Math- I am not sure what all courses are included in your Math courses, but I would say that they at least include Calculus I-III & Linear Algebra. That is really the bare bones minimum for you to submit a serious application. Beyond that real analysis is a very useful course. You should explore options at your school in that regard. Beyond that other math courses which honors students take such as abstract algebra, differential equations, to name a few can be helpful.

#2-Letters of recommendation (LORs): There is a big difference between good LORs and super duper LORs. For instance, if your recommender were to say- "This is the best student I have had in the last 10 years that I have been teaching the course and these are the 5 reasons why I believe that is so." it is a lot more powerful than a lukewarm letter saying "XYZ was a good student in my class and secured an A in the course." You can work hard on getting those LORs. Share your future plans with potential recommenders and see who of them might mentor you in the process. Try and be a TA/ RA for some of them. Build a relationship with them. If they are teaching a course, put additional effort in the assignments for their classes. Go to their posted office hours. It really helps!

#3-Ace the GRE- in particular the Quant part. Without 780 or more, it is hard to believe that one can be a competitive candidate at a top 10 school irrespective of one's other credentials.

Hope this is useful. Keep hard at it. The process while not perfect and somewhat random, is still fairly robust and efficient.

05-16-2008, 04:58 AM	#2 (permalink)
desimba Within my grasp! Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 243	Well you are certainly thinking ahead and that's good. You can and should check these forums occasionally over the next 1-2 years as you develop your application strategy and submit your applications. Beyond that, you certainly can do a couple of things to increase your chances of getting into a good program: #1- Math- I am not sure what all courses are included in your Math courses, but I would say that they at least include Calculus I-III & Linear Algebra. That is really the bare bones minimum for you to submit a serious application. Beyond that real analysis is a very useful course. You should explore options at your school in that regard. Beyond that other math courses which honors students take such as abstract algebra, differential equations, to name a few can be helpful. #2-Letters of recommendation (LORs): There is a big difference between good LORs and super duper LORs. For instance, if your recommender were to say- "This is the best student I have had in the last 10 years that I have been teaching the course and these are the 5 reasons why I believe that is so." it is a lot more powerful than a lukewarm letter saying "XYZ was a good student in my class and secured an A in the course." You can work hard on getting those LORs. Share your future plans with potential recommenders and see who of them might mentor you in the process. Try and be a TA/ RA for some of them. Build a relationship with them. If they are teaching a course, put additional effort in the assignments for their classes. Go to their posted office hours. It really helps! #3-Ace the GRE- in particular the Quant part. Without 780 or more, it is hard to believe that one can be a competitive candidate at a top 10 school irrespective of one's other credentials. Hope this is useful. Keep hard at it. The process while not perfect and somewhat random, is still fairly robust and efficient.