<p>silver-rose, yes studying on your own will be looked upon quite favorably, especially if opportunities were limited. try to find some very challenging math problems in books and/or online and write up the best solution you come up with (it should be interesting to, say, a caltech student). that will give concrete evidence of your studies.</p>
<p>youknowme – unfortunately, this is a legal kind of issue that I have no expertise in. you would be best off calling the admissions office and you’ll be transferred to someone who specializes in that kind of thing.</p>