Geometry & Topology REU Programs - Williams, Cornell, Tennessee, Indiana?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the search for and experiences with Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) in the fields of geometry and topology. Participants share information about specific programs, application experiences, and the competitive nature of these opportunities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a desire to work in geometry or topology REUs, noting the rarity of such topics in available programs.
  • One participant mentions that topology may not be a common focus due to undergraduates' limited exposure to the subject beyond basic concepts.
  • Experiences from past REU participants highlight differences in program rigor, with some describing their experiences as serious academic endeavors compared to others that felt more like summer camps.
  • Concerns about the competitiveness of REU applications are raised, with participants discussing the importance of strong letters of recommendation and personal connections with professors.
  • Participants share strategies for obtaining effective letters of recommendation, including the need for professors to highlight specific qualities and experiences.
  • There is a discussion about the logistics of requesting letters of recommendation, including the process of mailing and deadlines.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the competitive nature of REU applications and the importance of letters of recommendation, but there are differing opinions on the significance of specific qualities in those letters and the overall experience of different programs.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about their qualifications and the effectiveness of their letters of recommendation, indicating a reliance on personal relationships with professors and past experiences.

Who May Find This Useful

Students interested in applying to math REUs, particularly in geometry and topology, as well as those seeking advice on the application process and letter of recommendation strategies.

  • #91
shuichinho said:
What math background qualified you for that position?

Thanks!
I am currently a Junior, and have taken analysis as my highest level math class. I have a 3.9GPA, but 4.0 if you count only math major classes. I am also a math peer tutor, math grader, and female, but the SMALL application didn't ask for these things, so they had no way of knowing.
I got contacted by a SMALL Advisor a couple days after the deadline to schedule a phone call since I had made the short list. The call was more like a 10 min chat. I was having lunch at a restaurant when he called.
The email offer from Texas A&M said that my records were outstanding and that my recommendations were highly complimentary.
I think that the level of classes you take is important as are your grades in them but your recommendations are what really makes you stand out.
 
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  • #92
mc15 said:
Thanks!
I am currently a Junior, and have taken analysis as my highest level math class. I have a 3.9GPA, but 4.0 if you count only math major classes. I am also a math peer tutor, math grader, and female, but the SMALL application didn't ask for these things, so they had no way of knowing.
I got contacted by a SMALL Advisor a couple days after the deadline to schedule a phone call since I had made the short list. The call was more like a 10 min chat. I was having lunch at a restaurant when he called.
The email offer from Texas A&M said that my records were outstanding and that my recommendations were highly complimentary.
I think that the level of classes you take is important as are your grades in them but your recommendations are what really makes you stand out.

Congratulations for getting into SMALL! I was about to ask you the same question, but you already answered it. I also applied to SMALL, but being an international student my chances of getting in are really slim, since they accept international students only if funding is available.
My background is not too different from yours. I am 1st semester Junior. I am a math tutor, and i also grade for two classes; gpa 4.0. Upperdivision classes i have taken(currently taking) include Real Analysis I,II, Abstract Algebra I, Topology. I am still kind of hoping, but not really, especially now, knowing that they have already started sending offers out.

Also, did they contact you only through phone, or through email as well...because i actually do not have a cell phone at all ?:(

Congrats again!

EDIT: One more question to people who have similar experiences: Do you think it would be wise to send them an email and ask them about my application status, or simply wait?

I am inclined to email them and let them know that i would be more than willing to attend the program even if i do not receive any funding, as long as housing is for free! This way i might at least not get knocked out due to lack of funding. What do you guys think?
 
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  • #93
blackfedora said:
I also applied to SMALL, but I didn't have much hope of getting in.
Have you been contacted by anyone from SMALL or simply no answer yet?
 
  • #94
The only international student I know at my college gave up on REUs for exactly this reason and is hoping to get something here at our school since the college has a fund for student researchers that is independent of the NSF, but I don't know if that's an option for you.

As for sending an email, I've been told it's a good idea to check up on your application status. Plus, email's free and I can't imagine they'd NOT take you because you bothered to send an email asking about the possibility of researching for free.

then again, I have no experience with applying to things like this, so maybe I'm not the one who should be commenting ><

Edit: I haven't heard from them, and at this point I assume that means I didn't get in. I haven't check on my status though because I'm still writing up my other apps and I don't want to get too down about it.
 
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  • #95
Congrats mc15!
 
  • #96
The only reason that i am not too enthusiastic to inquire about my application's status and tell them that i would attend their REU even if it means only free housing, is because the deadlines for the three other REU's i am applying are either late this month or early March. Specifically, although i would be extremely happy to get into SMALL, my top choice is still BYU, of course if i would theoreticaly be accepted for the project in Non-commutative Algebra...and i also think i have a much better chance to get in there than SMALL. I guess i will wait until tomorrow and see what i will do!
 
  • #97
It seems like no one is applying to the ones I am applying to, and it is making me wonder if they are reputable or not.

Canisus, UNC at Greensboro, Oregon State, UNC Ashville, Clairmont, James Madison, University of Utah, or University of Arizona anyone?
 
  • #98
Snitse said:
It seems like no one is applying to the ones I am applying to, and it is making me wonder if they are reputable or not.

Canisus, UNC at Greensboro, Oregon State, UNC Ashville, Clairmont, James Madison, University of Utah, or University of Arizona anyone?

A fellow algebraist? I've applied to UNC Greensboro and Asheville and James Madison out of those.
 
  • #99
Does anyone know what it means if I haven't received an answer from either SMALL or Duluth yet? From my understanding, it's bad for SMALL but good for Duluth, but really I have no clue.
 
  • #100
Apparently Small has contacted it's top choices, while I suppose there's always the possibility that you'll be called later when someone turns down the position, I think it's pretty safe to assume you didn't make the cut if you haven't been contacted. (you could always email them and ask though)
 
  • #101
This is what I figured. Thanks!
 
  • #102
Dear Physicists out there,

Please invent a time machine so I can fast forward a few weeks to find out which REU's accepted me. Thanks.

Regards,

Newtime
 
  • #103
blackfedora said:
The only international student I know at my college gave up on REUs for exactly this reason and is hoping to get something here at our school since the college has a fund for student researchers that is independent of the NSF, but I don't know if that's an option for you.

.
Can you send me the link to your math dept. web page?
 
  • #104
Newtime said:
Dear Physicists out there,

Please invent a time machine so I can fast forward a few weeks to find out which REU's accepted me. Thanks.

Regards,

Newtime

I concur.

sutupidmath said:
Can you send me the link to your math dept. web page?

I go to a small liberal arts college with no graduate program, so the school provides funding for the students to do research with faculty. While this isn't limited to US citizens, it is limited to students enrolled at my school AFAIK. I was suggesting that you should talk to your own department and see if they themselves or someone they know might be looking for a student assistant. I don't know if this is something unique to my school, or perhaps to smaller liberal arts schools, but the departments here tend to take applicants from the pool of international students and kids who couldn't get into an REU starting in late March.
 
  • #105
blackfedora said:
Apparently Small has contacted it's top choices, while I suppose there's always the possibility that you'll be called later when someone turns down the position, I think it's pretty safe to assume you didn't make the cut if you haven't been contacted. (you could always email them and ask though)

I have information that SMALL has not yet contacted all of its top choices! :) In other words, they haven't yet decided who their top candidates are, at least not for all positions. So, i guess there is still hope for some of us!
 
  • #106
It looks like the NSF shot down the Tennessee REU.
 
  • #107
sutupidmath said:
I have information that SMALL has not yet contacted all of its top choices! :) In other words, they haven't yet decided who their top candidates are, at least not for all positions. So, i guess there is still hope for some of us!

Sweet! Do you know which problems are still being looked at?
 
  • #108
blackfedora said:
Sweet! Do you know which problems are still being looked at?

No, i don't know that! I contacted them through email, and they only told me that they were still in the process of making final decisions. So, i am assuming i am still part of the game, otherwise they would have told me right away that i have been disqualified.
 
  • #109
being "in the process of making final decisions" might mean they're waiting to hear back from people who they have given offers to.
 
  • #110
Those people might wait as long as they can before reporting back if their favorite program has a later deadline.
 
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  • #111
jeffasinger said:
being "in the process of making final decisions" might mean they're waiting to hear back from people who they have given offers to.

Sadly, that might be the case, indeed! But, they could have told me that they are waiting to hear back from their top candidates, like they did last year when i had emailed them.
 
  • #112
I wonder if any of them are on this forum... watching us right now O.O
 
  • #113
blackfedora said:
I wonder if any of them are on this forum... watching us right now O.O

Watching how pathetic we look >< That, indeed, would be interesting! Sigh!
 
  • #114
Or maybe they are seeing how dedicated and enthusiastic we are! Or pathetic...
 
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  • #115
union68 said:
It looks like the NSF shot down the Tennessee REU.

I applied there. Bummer!
 
  • #116
belle said:
Those people might wait as long as they can before reporting back if their favorite program has a later deadline.

When I got my offer from SMALL they gave me about 3 days to respond. They did say that if it was impossible they could work something out. But still, you don't have as long as you want for this program. For another program they gave me three weeks.
 
  • #117
For those interested, SUNY Potsdam should be sending out offers (to their top choices) at the end of this coming week and UNC Greensboro should be doing the same toward the beginning of this coming week. I just thought that for those of you like me out there (impatient) it would be good to keep tabs on when you'll be hearing back. Good luck to those who applied!
 
  • #118
zpconn said:
I applied there. Bummer!

Yeah, they had a project in metric space theory that looked kinda cool. Pretty much all of the programs that had a project related to analysis or general topology I applied for.
 
  • #119
Uh-oh, stupid mistake on my part!

For UNC Greensboro I emailed my transcript instead of having it mailed. I noticed this today. The post office unfortunately is not open today, so I couldn't mail it with express or priority mail. I put the transcript in an envelope and put it in the outgoing mail box at my dorm. Hopefully it will get postmarked today. If so, I really hope this will be okay; the website does technically say that application materials have to be postmarked by the deadline.

Dang, this was even one of my top choices because of its blend of mathematics and computer science.

I guess this is what happens when I apply to 12 programs...
 
  • #120
zpconn said:
Uh-oh, stupid mistake on my part!

For UNC Greensboro I emailed my transcript instead of having it mailed. I noticed this today. The post office unfortunately is not open today, so I couldn't mail it with express or priority mail. I put the transcript in an envelope and put it in the outgoing mail box at my dorm. Hopefully it will get postmarked today. If so, I really hope this will be okay; the website does technically say that application materials have to be postmarked by the deadline.

Dang, this was even one of my top choices because of its blend of mathematics and computer science.

I guess this is what happens when I apply to 12 programs...

Geeeeeeezzzzzz. Twelve? I thought getting 6 applications together was work enough...
 

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