Please suggest grad schools for pure mathematics

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around suggestions for graduate schools in pure mathematics, with a particular focus on number theory and algebra. Participants share advice on selecting schools, resources for research, and personal experiences related to faculty backgrounds and program strengths.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant requests suggestions for good graduate schools for pure mathematics, specifically on the east coast of the United States, and mentions having a list of top-tier schools.
  • Another participant suggests consulting professors who know the requester personally, as they can provide tailored recommendations based on the requester's interests and strengths.
  • A participant questions the reliability of rankings in mathematics, drawing a parallel to physics rankings, and seeks information on resources similar to the AIP register for mathematics programs.
  • One participant shares their experience of browsing faculty lists to identify schools attended by professors, noting that many professors are from foreign institutions.
  • Another participant recommends the University of Georgia for its strong group in number theory.
  • Some participants mention specific schools like Brandeis and Rutgers based on faculty connections, while also noting the University of Michigan as a strong program, despite it not being on the east coast.
  • Resources such as phds.org and the AMS website are suggested for further exploration of graduate programs.
  • A participant expresses anxiety about the decision-making process regarding graduate school, highlighting the perceived stakes involved.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the importance of personalized advice from professors and the usefulness of exploring faculty backgrounds. However, there is no consensus on the reliability of rankings or a definitive list of recommended schools, indicating multiple competing views remain.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty regarding the best resources for evaluating graduate programs in mathematics, and there are mentions of varying experiences with faculty backgrounds influencing school recommendations.

ArcanaNoir
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I'm sure everyone gets tired of this question, but it's important, so I'll ask anyway. Can anyone make suggestions for good grad schools for pure mathematics? Especially number theory or algebra. I already have a list of about ten of the top tier schools, but it would be especially helpful to receive suggestions for mid-level schools. I have all A's in math, but I want to have some realistic options, not just optimistic ones. I will only consider schools on the east coast of the united states. Thanks for your help :)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
This might be useful.
 
You should ask your professors that know you (especially if they work in the areas that you're interested in). They will be best equipped to suggest schools for you to apply to and will know who is strong in what areas. Rankings can be a good baseline but they are an amalgamation of many factors, some of which will be important to you and some that won't be.
 
For physics USNews World Report is useless, and even looking at the rankings should be avoided. Can someone from the math world tell about whether the same is true for math or not?

Also for my reference, is there something in mathematics that's similar to the AIP register of physics and astronomy programs?

http://www.aip.org/pubs/books/graduate.html
 
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Thanks for the ideas so far. I've recently taken to browsing the faculty lists to see what schools everyone went to. Too bad most of my profs went to foreign schools... Like Armenia... It is helping some, though.
 
ArcanaNoir said:
Thanks for the ideas so far. I've recently taken to browsing the faculty lists to see what schools everyone went to. Too bad most of my profs went to foreign schools... Like Armenia... It is helping some, though.

That's not a problem if they work or interact with other faculty of American institutions. Ask them what they think with regards to places you can look into for algebra and number theory.

Also try to get a list of where people who graduate with Mathematics degrees from their department ended up. (quite a few persons on here and elsewhere have mentioned that this can be useful and it is)
 
The University of Georgia has a strong group in number theory.

http://www.math.uga.edu/research/number_theory.html
 
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I don't know much about the schools myself, but there's a professor at my school who went to Brandeis and one who went to Rutgers, so I assume they must be good programs. The number theorist here did her PhD at the University of Michigan, which is an amazing school but not, as you say, on the east coast.

Have you tried poking around on phds.org or the student section of the AMS (American Mathematical Society) website? They're both good resources.
 
20Tauri said:
I don't know much about the schools myself, but there's a professor at my school who went to Brandeis and one who went to Rutgers, so I assume they must be good programs. The number theorist here did her PhD at the University of Michigan, which is an amazing school but not, as you say, on the east coast.

Have you tried poking around on phds.org or the student section of the AMS (American Mathematical Society) website? They're both good resources.

Yeah, U-M is good, but if you did want to go there make sure it's the Ann Arbor Campus.
 
  • #10
Thanks for the input. This is scary stuff! Like, decisions that will affect the rest of my life scary stuff! It was so much easier coming out of high school. The stakes just seem to keep getting higher as approach "real life". Too many choices...
 

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