- #1
yenchin
- 543
- 3
Hi. I am a mathematics major and will graduate soon in a few months time. I came into the university 4 years ago with a dream of obtaining a good degree and pursue a PhD afterwards. Unfortunately things did not go smoothly, and I basically screw my grades up because of emotional problems and all that, with a D+ in my Ordinary Differential Equations and subsequently another D in my second course in Algebra (I have average of B in most mathematics courses, with a few A) 
In my third year I took Differential Geometry and realized that my main interest lies in geometry and geometrical aspects of physics, but unfortunately my department does not have much courses in these areas.
I will be graduating soon with at best, only a Second Lower Honours, and as expected I had been rejected by the graduate school in my own university.
Anyway I am better off getting a job first because I have accumulated lots of debts from my undergraduate study loan which does not allow me to defer even if I get into graduate school. However I have a strong interest in geometry and mathematical physics which refuses to die
... so I figure that I should continue to study anyway and perhaps do some research on my own when I am ready, whether or not I go into graduate school. I will still be able to consult my professors whenever necessary, but I am not sure how feasible self-study is when I have a job to do 
Also, I am not sure what subjects should I master. I should probably re-learn algebra first since I barely passed the second course. My main interests are in black holes and cosmology, but I have not done any physics courses except Relativity and basic astronomy. How much should I master, say, Classical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Electrodynamics, Quantum Field Theory etc.? As for mathematics, I have background in Functional Analysis, Differential Manifolds, Complex Analysis and the standard undergraduate courses, and I did my Honours Project on Riemannian Geometry. I am thinking of learning Hyperbolic Geometry and Lie Groups. In what order should I learn all these? For example, should I learn Lie Group and Lie Algebra before Quantum Mechanics? And is there any other subject that I should definitely learn?
I would appreciate any suggestion.
Maybe after I clear my debt in a few years time I will try applying to graduate schools again... though I am not sure whether I can go anywhere with my lousy transcript. 
In my third year I took Differential Geometry and realized that my main interest lies in geometry and geometrical aspects of physics, but unfortunately my department does not have much courses in these areas.I will be graduating soon with at best, only a Second Lower Honours, and as expected I had been rejected by the graduate school in my own university.
Anyway I am better off getting a job first because I have accumulated lots of debts from my undergraduate study loan which does not allow me to defer even if I get into graduate school. However I have a strong interest in geometry and mathematical physics which refuses to die
... so I figure that I should continue to study anyway and perhaps do some research on my own when I am ready, whether or not I go into graduate school. I will still be able to consult my professors whenever necessary, but I am not sure how feasible self-study is when I have a job to do Also, I am not sure what subjects should I master. I should probably re-learn algebra first since I barely passed the second course. My main interests are in black holes and cosmology, but I have not done any physics courses except Relativity and basic astronomy. How much should I master, say, Classical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Electrodynamics, Quantum Field Theory etc.? As for mathematics, I have background in Functional Analysis, Differential Manifolds, Complex Analysis and the standard undergraduate courses, and I did my Honours Project on Riemannian Geometry. I am thinking of learning Hyperbolic Geometry and Lie Groups. In what order should I learn all these? For example, should I learn Lie Group and Lie Algebra before Quantum Mechanics? And is there any other subject that I should definitely learn?
I would appreciate any suggestion.
Maybe after I clear my debt in a few years time I will try applying to graduate schools again... though I am not sure whether I can go anywhere with my lousy transcript.