Accounts of choosing programs, preparing applications and taking mathematics entrance exams.
Study advice · Application experiences · Reading a mathematics text
A substantial guide to advanced coursework, research opportunities, letters, personal statements and funding. It also discusses master's and bridge routes for students who need more preparation before applying to a doctorate.
Start planning with the preparation and letters sections, then make a separate checklist for each target program.
The personal-statement section asks applicants to describe mathematical preparation, contributions and independent study with substance. It gives concrete advice on relevance, explaining setbacks briefly and obtaining honest feedback on a draft.
Read the personal-statement questions as prompts for evidence, not as a template to copy.
A long discussion of research experience, recommendation letters, earlier weak grades and returning to study after employment. Read replies as well as the opening post to see where experiences and opinions differ.
Useful for identifying questions to ask faculty who know your mathematical work.
2022申请季：纯数学与数学物理（导读标题）
A first-person diary covering preparation, recommendation letters, interviews, rejections and alternatives across US and European programs. The account follows interests in mathematical physics toward a reported decision to study algebraic geometry at Warwick.
Read the timeline and changes of plan rather than treating the reported grades or individual results as an admissions bar.
马马其关于法国留学的经验与信息分享
A signed account by a student who reports studying a funded M1 in Toulouse in 2023–24. It describes master's applications, separate scholarship applications and the later search for doctoral supervision and funding.
Use the experience to build questions about your own M1/M2 route, scholarship process and doctoral plans.
Several alumni describe studying across countries, choosing courses, writing a master's thesis and finding their place in mathematical research. The accounts illustrate different experiences within a joint mathematics program rather than a single admissions recipe.
For understanding the academic and personal experience of a mobile European master's program.
Conseils pour candidater
A department's concrete advice for presenting a CV and motivation letter, with good and bad examples. One example shows how to explain a change of university rather than leaving the reader to guess why it happened.
English reading guide: focus on explaining your academic path and reasons clearly; the examples are not a ready-made motivation letter.
Choix de master 2 (mathématiques fondamentales)
A student weighs mathematical interests, institutional reputation, moving costs and doctoral ambitions after receiving M2 offers. Replies discuss course content, potential supervision and everyday experience, sometimes disagreeing.
English reading guide: compare the reasoning behind the choices rather than taking commenters' rankings as facts.
東大数理(修士) 院試体験記(2026年度入学)
A writer identifying as a Tokyo mathematics undergraduate describes application questions, mathematics and English preparation, past-paper seminars and oral-exam preparation. The specialized discussion is particularly relevant to a geometry-oriented candidate.
English reading guide: distinguish basic-paper practice, specialist-paper strategy and oral explanation; this is a domestic undergraduate's experience.
東大/東工大 数学科 院試体験記
An algebra/number-theory-oriented writer compares written and oral exams at two institutions and describes a staged past-paper study group. The account includes differences between the basic and specialist papers rather than only listing a final result.
English reading guide: look at how practice changed over the months and how the writer revised weak areas alongside the chosen specialty.
東大数理の院試に落ちました――数学科B4の大学院入試体験記
A writer identifying as a Hiroshima mathematics undergraduate recounts preparation and exam-day experiences at Tokyo and Osaka Metropolitan, with interests in mathematical statistics. Including an unsuccessful Tokyo attempt offers a different perspective from success-only accounts.
English reading guide: read for preparation gaps and choices under time pressure, not for a numerical prediction of admission.