I can't believe this
Well, after all the time and money I put into reapplying, it looks like it's been completely shot down. I asked Professor Rosen if he'd recommend me again. Here was his response:
"Hi Adam,
I must admit to being surprised by your letter. I understand your
disapointment about not getting into your "dream school", but you did get into UCLA which has an excellent program in mathematics. In my opinion, you shoud concentrate your efforts in doing well there and expanding your mathematical horizons within a first rate graduate program.
It is very unlikely that reapplying to Harvard and Princeton will result in any change in the end result. Even a near perfect result on the Graduate Exams is unlikely to make any difference. This is not the way admission to graduate school works. The only way I can see where there may be a chance is if you begin to do significant research in some area and the leading expert in that area is at another schoo. Then you might apply to transfer on those grounds. If the expert is interested in you at that point, you stand a chance.
So, my advice is to attend to the subject matter and not to worry about the prestige of the institution. IF UCLA were somehow second rate, I might advise a different course of action. But, UCLA has a first rate math department. So, once again, my advice is to stay put and concentrate on your work.
Yours, Michael"
Translation: No Adam, I understand you wanted Princeton and Harvard but you're not going because you never had the talent to get in in the first place. So stay at piddly little UCLA and fade away like any good P.O.S. math student should.
I'll never be able to do anything in academia now. And even if I do, I'll always hate those schools for snubbing me and will always be jealous of the students that actually GOT the chance.
This is not a good day....and what's worse is I've now blown $400 on putting together materials for reapplying and now it won't happen.
"Hi Adam,
I must admit to being surprised by your letter. I understand your
disapointment about not getting into your "dream school", but you did get into UCLA which has an excellent program in mathematics. In my opinion, you shoud concentrate your efforts in doing well there and expanding your mathematical horizons within a first rate graduate program.
It is very unlikely that reapplying to Harvard and Princeton will result in any change in the end result. Even a near perfect result on the Graduate Exams is unlikely to make any difference. This is not the way admission to graduate school works. The only way I can see where there may be a chance is if you begin to do significant research in some area and the leading expert in that area is at another schoo. Then you might apply to transfer on those grounds. If the expert is interested in you at that point, you stand a chance.
So, my advice is to attend to the subject matter and not to worry about the prestige of the institution. IF UCLA were somehow second rate, I might advise a different course of action. But, UCLA has a first rate math department. So, once again, my advice is to stay put and concentrate on your work.
Yours, Michael"
Translation: No Adam, I understand you wanted Princeton and Harvard but you're not going because you never had the talent to get in in the first place. So stay at piddly little UCLA and fade away like any good P.O.S. math student should.
I'll never be able to do anything in academia now. And even if I do, I'll always hate those schools for snubbing me and will always be jealous of the students that actually GOT the chance.
This is not a good day....and what's worse is I've now blown $400 on putting together materials for reapplying and now it won't happen.