About the DRP
Questions or comments? Email drp@math.
General information
The Directed Reading Program is an initiative to pair undergraduate students with graduate student and junior faculty mentors to undertake independent study projects of various sizes and scopes. Each DRP project is for the duration of one academic quarter, which is roughly ten weeks. Undergraduates can apply for DRP positions and those who are selected will be paired with mentors according to their mathematical interests and availability.
Projects must be approved by the DRP committee of graduate students and faculty. Many are based around the self-paced reading of a particular book or article with substantial guidance by the mentor. Past and current project titles can be viewed here (look here for breakdown by quarter and math area). However, most frequently, the project is arrived upon by discussion of common interests of the mentor and mentee, rather than being limited to this menu.
Requirements
The DRP student is required to have an hour-long weekly meeting with his or her mentor to discuss progress towards the goal of the project. Approximately four hours of independent work by the student is expected between meetings. At the end of the quarter, the group of DRP participants meets, and each DRP student gives a 10-20 minute presentation on the quarter's work.
Benefits of program
Students participating in the Directed Reading Program:
Learn to work independently through studying a topic of their choice, well-suited to their interests.
Develop relationships with graduate student mentors and receive a good deal of personal attention focused on their mathematical studies.
Gain valuable experience in mathematical communication by giving a presentation on their work to an audience of their peers.
Qualifications
Any sophomore, junior, or senior is eligible to apply if he or she has a strong background in mathematics, including at least the completion of a year-long calculus sequence, or Math 11200. (First-years and others with unusual background will be considered on a case-by-case basis.) Factors such as course grades, recommendations, work experience, performance in past projects, as well as the student's specific interests are taken into account when assigning mentors and projects.
Applying to the program
Applications for the Directed Reading Program are sought and considered on a quarterly basis. Shortly before the beginning of the quarter, applications from students are sought. Students can apply in three simple steps:
Create an account at the DRP website if you do not already have one.
Log in to the account, and click "apply" under "student tasks" in the right sidebar (or follow this link).
Fill in the form and submit it. The form asks for course grades, recommendations, work experience, as well as specific interests and what you hope to gain from the DRP.
Students who have already applied in previous quarters should use the account already created to apply.
The deadline for applications for the Fall Quarter is typically Friday of the first week of the quarter. For the Winter and Spring Quarters, the deadline for applicants is typically the Friday of the finals week of the previous quarter.
Funding
The Directed Reading Program is currently funded through the VIGRE grant. See the University of Chicago Mathematics Department VIGRE grant page for more details.
Questions or comments?
Please email drp@math with any questions or comments about the program and/or application process.