Where did you top out in math classes?
geebee: In retrospect, I topped out in my upper division coursework for the math major.  I still got B's and even some A's in those courses (Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra), but I was reduced to studying solution sets rather than mastering the material creatively.  This was when I got more interested in applications (optimization, scientific programming, etc).I figured I'd pick a grad program in Industrial Engineering so that I could get away from math and more into applications.  Unfortunately, I picked Berkeley.  A graduate intro to optimization was pretty much a series of proofs about convex sets.  Same deal for stochastic processes (it might be different with different professors, though).  BTW, this isn't meant as a knock on Berkeley - this theory focus is a big part of why it's such a powerhouse program.  But it probably wasn't the right choice for me.  I've heard Stanford is more flexible (I've also heard the grass is greener, so who really knows).At this point, I topped out in grades as well as understanding, because I didn't have the motivation to continue.  I tanked, and squeaked by with a MS.  I actually missed problems that I would have gotten right as an undergraduate.  I was thinking "I've had enough of proofs, I just don't want to do this anymore."In a way, I got a lot out of the experience.  My interest in academics waned, and I pretty much just started hacking with like-minded students.  In other words, I finally, belatedly arrived at the process of becoming self-educated, which is really the only kind that sticks, right?