Nontraditional candidate for Cambridge part III

[zazerbayev]

Hi all,

I am currently an undergraduate at a top 10 US university majoring in mathematics. It is common for undergrads at my institution to do a year abroad, and I think that by my junior year I will be prepared to take part III of the mathematical tripos at Cambridge. Here is a list of some relevant courses I will have done by the end of my sophomore year.

- Linear Algebra at the level of Axler
- A year of graduate analysis at the level of Big Rudin and Lax
- A year of graduate commutative and homological algebra (with plenty of category theory).
- A course in measure theoretic probability.
- Maybe algebraic topology.
- A semester each of classical mechanics and quantum mechanics (I don't plan on doing any physics in part III).

Is this enough background for part III, and would I stand a realistic chance of being admitted? If I were to take this path, I would return to my US institution senior year and take some easy classes while focusing on research. I'd then apply for a Phd in math, statistics, or a mathematical area of computer science.

Edit: I would also be happy to consider other taught masters in Europe if there is one that is a better fit.

 

[Infrared]

I don't have personal experience with the Cambridge tripos but my understanding is that part III is a masters program and that you should have a bachelors first. Maybe look at the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics and Math in Moscow programs. You also likely have advising services in your department that can help more than us- they should be able to offer more personalized advice and better know which programs would be a good fit for you.

 

[zazerbayev]

I don't have personal experience with the Cambridge tripos but my understanding is that part III is a masters program and that you should have a bachelors first. Maybe look at the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics and Math in Moscow programs. You also likely have advising services in your department that can help more than us- they should be able to offer more personalized advice and better know which programs would be a good fit for you.

A small but nontrivial number of students at my university are nominally undergrads, but function basically as graduate students. This is to say they take graduate courses in math/physics and devote a significant amount of time to research. I figure that since it is realistic for me to be doing graduate level work by my third year, what's stopping me from formally doing a masters? A bachelors being a hard requirement could certainly be such an obstacle, but then again I know people who entered my university without a high school diploma.

I am reluctant to go to my academic advisers right now for fear of sounding crazy.

 

[Infrared]

Why would you sound crazy? Isn't this exactly the sort of situation they're supposed to be able to help with?

Anyway, the tripos attracts strong applicants. You'd be competing against people who have their bachelors and also graduate coursework/some research in undergrad. I suppose there's no reason not to apply but my guess is that you'd be at a disadvantage.

 

[CrysPhys]

I am reluctant to go to my academic advisers right now for fear of sounding crazy.

This is bizarre. Your advisors certainly know your school's academic program better than we do, and, presumably, know you better than we do. Yet you would rather be guided by us (strangers on the web) than them. I can see asking us for second opinions, or asking us whether we've had experience with the Cambridge program you're considering. But bypassing your advisors as a first step is crazy (not just sounds crazy).