Fall 2011 New Student Information

If your permanent address, phone number, or email address has changed since you were admitted, you must update https://www.ursa.ucla.edu/ and notify Maggie Albert. Email is an official form of communication in UCLA Mathematics and most communications to students from the Graduate Office use this medium. Please check your Math email account daily.

Orientation

New Student Mini-Orientation will be held the first day of the "Boot Camp" Summer Program, Monday, August 8, 9:00-9:30 AM in Math Sciences 6620.  Breakfast will be served. Students who arrive late or do not attend the Boot Camp should meet with Martha Contreras in MS 6356 when they arrive on campus.  For the few students not attending the summer program, they can meet with Maggie Albert upon their arrival to campus.

Enrollment & Registration

Enrollment

Students will be assigned a faculty advisor to assist with course selection. Course enrollment typically occurs mid-to-late September. Enrollment is on-line through URSA. Advisers must approve the study plan by signing a form that will be provided. Students are expected to follow the guidelines for first year study given in the Graduate Handbook unless the Qualifying Exam in the area of a recommended first year course has been passed on entry.

Registration
Billing statements will be emailed on September 1.  The deadline to pay fees for the fall quarter is Tuesday, September 20.  UCLA Health Insurance is included in the registration fees.  Health insurance can be waived with proof of other insurance.  Approximate fee amounts - registration fee $4,516.63, and non-resident tuition is $5,034.  Processing of fees will be handled by the math department for students receiving departmental or university support.

Qualifying Exams

It is highly recommended that incoming Ph.D students take the Basic Examination on Thursday, September 15. This is an exam on undergraduate material and is normally taken and passed on entry. You may also take Ph.D qualifying exams, to be given Monday, September 12 - Friday, September 16, but should only do so if you have prepared adequately for the exams. To sign-up for a qualifying exam, please see Martha in MS 6356 or email her by Wednesday, September 7. If you have questions regarding qualifying exams, please contact the Graduate Vice-Chair, Itay Neeman.

Information on the Basic exam and other qualifying exams can be found on the math department website - www.math.ucla.edu/grad/handbook/hbqex.html.  Old exams can be downloaded via this link.

TA Training
Participation in fall quarter departmental TA training is mandatory for all incoming PhD students who will be teaching at any period in 2011-2012.  This applies to all students, even those not TA-ing in the Fall, and those with prior teaching experience. There are no exceptions. This training is offered in the Fall quarter only.  

Participation includes:  

• TA Conference, Monday September 19, 2011. See http://www.oid.ucla.edu/units/tatp/conference/afterconf
• Enrollment and attendance in Math 495, Teaching College Mathematics, in the fall quarter.  Training will be on Tuesday, September 20, 10AM-5PM and Wednesday, September 21, 2PM-5PM. Lunch, cookies, plus coffee/tea will be served on Tuesday, and cookies plus coffee/tea will be served on Wednesday.  Training continues throughout the quarter. No exceptions to the rules.  

Master degree students who want to TA must also participate in the TA training.  Students who do not complete TA training are ineligible for Math Department TA-ships. 

Summer Program (August 08 - September 15, 2011)

The Mathematics Department offers a summer program for all entering graduate students.  The program lasts 6 weeks.  It begins Monday, August 8 and ends Thursday, September 15.  Summer Basic Bootcamp courses are taught August 8 thru September 9, followed by a week of Exam preparation and study, and ending with the Basic Exam on September 15.

The program covers the material for the Basic Exam. The program has two main courses, linear algebra and analysis, which are carefully coordinated. Topics in Applied Math relevant to the Basic syllabus may also be presented. The lectures are Monday-Thursday 10:30-12:30 and 2:00-4:00, with analysis in the morning and algebra in the afternoon. Additional sessions will include problem solving and practice exams.  

The instructors for 2011 are Professors Robert Greene and Dimitri Shlyakhtenko.

All students who attend the program must take the Basic Exam, which is offered Thursday, September 15, 2-6 pm.  

Recommended Texts for Summer 11 Boot Camp:

Analysis:

Introduction to Topology, by Theodore W. Gamelin and Robert Everist Greene

Analysis I and Analysis II, by T. Tao

Introduction to Analysis, by Maxwell Rosenlicht

Linear Algebra:  

Graduate Summer course Linear Algebra Lecture Notes, by P. Petersen. ( also on-line at: http://www.math.ucla.edu/~petersen/.

Books are available at UCLA Bookstore and purchase is required.

Housing

UCLA owned off-campus apartments are available in limited numbers.  If this is your preference, you should submit the housing application as soon as possible.  Assignment of housing is first-come, first serve.  Students not assigned housing immediately may be put on a wait-list.  

For the summer program, some students have stayed on-campus in Sunset Village.  For temporary housing, see the University Guest House and “Hotels near UCLA” under Popular Housing Options below.  This is a good option for several days while searching for an apartment.  

Useful web pages for housing search:  

University on-campus housing (summer only):  www.housing.ucla.edu/housing_site/oncampus/index.htm

University off-campus housing (all year):  www.housing.ucla.edu/housing_site/apartments/UASouth.htm

University Cooperative:  www.geocities.com/uchaonline/ucha_home.htm

University Guest House:  www.hotels.ucla.edu/