Math P.H.D Chances: Is All Lost Because I Screwed Up Freshman Year?

[apumic]

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Keep in mind that different schools are different (also, that tautologies are tautological; nevertheless, a surprising number of people seem to miss this particular tautology). The OP is coming out of a top-10 university that is at least, I would say, a top-25 math program. His/her classmates are likely to be an unusually talented bunch. Some of my MIT friends who were nowhere <em>near</em> the top 5-10% of their classes went on to be successful PhD students at good programs in their fields.

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<p>I agree. By top 5-10% I am speaking across the board, regardless of the school. Obviously, a top 25 UG math program is likely to have a skewed population, but since Ph.D. programs generally take only a few students (varies by field, but in mine it’s usually around 6-8…12 if it’s a very large program…less if it’s a small dept) and likely only the top 25% of students apply to grad school from any given program, being outside the top 10% of students in your field nationally (when all factors are taken into account) is probably going to make your chances at Ph.D. admissions fairly low. I’m not saying your GPA needs to be the 90th percentile or better, but simply that if you’re in the 60th percentile across the board, you may want to reconsider your post-college career choices.</p>