Speak with your professors. Ask if they have projects you might be able to join. There are also a wide variety of summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs). A (not necessarily comprehensive) list of nation-wide REUs is maintained by the American Mathematical Society (AMS). At Sacramento State, we also have opportunities like the SURE Award.

Don't know where to start—check out the Sacramento State Math Club.

There are many scholarships offered at Sacramento State by the Math|Stat department as well as the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

The information in this journal will be very useful when writing a personal statement for your application—many graduate schools require one. A good personal statement may include a discussion of your research experiences, participation in academic clubs, and service to the community. For more information on keeping an achievement journal, see the additional remarks in our Advice on Applying to Graduate School document.

Your professors can help clarify things like: why go to grad school, what are the expectations in graduate school, and what are some of the big day-to-day differences between life at grad school and undergraduate life. If you plan to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation (of which you will need about three for your applications), this is a good time to bring that up.

There are many things to consider: specific mathematical strengths of a program, the teaching-research balance, level of competitiveness, location, general quality of life, etc. Try not to limit your choices too much based on geography—you'll probably "only" be there for 5–7 years. There are excellent graduate programs in math and stats all over the USA. And don't forget to consider other countries too!

For each school you are considering, make notes on what is required to apply to that school. Three important things to note are

• what tests are required (nearly all programs will require the GRE General Test and many will also require the GRE Math Subject Test),
• is a personal statment required,
• when is the application deadline?

If you have only researched PhD programs, consider looking at a handful of master's programs as well. (See Develop a Backup Plan below.)

Information on how to register can be found on the GRE website. A link to a list of the testing centers (which includes Sacramento State) and a list of the test dates for the upcoming academic year can be found on the GRE website here:

• www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/register/centers_dates (General Exam)
• www.ets.org/gre/subject/register/centers_dates (Math Subject Exam)

Note that you have almost daily options for taking the GRE General Test, but the GRE Math Subject Test is only offered twice each fall! Take a look at our timeline.

A good place to start is with the review material provided by ETS, which is the organization that creates the GRE exams.

• Links to preparation material for the GRE General Test can be found here:
• A practice book for the GRE Math Subject Test can be found here:

Ask for feedback on your personal statement from others (such as a professor), and revise accordingly.

You will need about three letters. Former instructors and academic mentors are good choices.

Do this as early as possibly in the semester!!

Begin the application process for each university you will apply to. When you do this, you will enter the names of your letter writers, and typically, each university will then email your letter writers a link to upload their letter of recommendation.

About one month before the first application is due, send an email to each of your letter writers with a friendly reminder of the particular date(s) that their letters must be uploaded. (Until the letter writer uploads their letter, a weekly reminder through email can be helpful as they are likely busy with various tasks.)

This may include applying to master's programs even if you were only considering PhD programs. You never know how the application process will play out, and there is some amount of "luck" at play. There are many exciting paths one can pursue with a degree in math|stats—graduate school is just one.

Continue to reminder letter writers until they have uploaded their letter. After the last letter writer has uploaded their letter, check to make sure all of your applications are complete.