<p>“starting your list at 0.” </p>
<p>I’m not sure what you mean.</p>
<p>Anyway, I got about $10,000 per year, which makes the total cost about $35,000 per year, which is more than three times as expensive as what my current school is costing.</p>
<p>I spoke with my advisor, and he told me upfront that Rice was a better school and that I’d fit in there better, but he also said he didn’t believe I’d be at a disadvantage here. He seemed really willing to help me out and suggested trying to set up some reading courses to cover differential geometry, algebraic topology, and maybe some commutative algebra (his research specialty), since these are important foundational topics that aren’t covered at my current school. He also told me I had a “very good” chance at getting a math scholarship next semester if I stay here.</p>
<p>So I’m going to see if I can set up a reading course in algebraic topology for next semester and see how plausible it is to get reading courses in the other subjects in the future, and if the chances look good I think I’ll stay here. Frankly, I didn’t know the math department here even offered reading courses to undergraduates, so this sounds to me like it’s a pretty neat opportunity.</p>