Intro-So today I saw the post on TRP by u/30fretibanezguy about focusing on quality of life (more specifically college education) than getting into the rat-race of accumulating currency asap. And it was very relevant to my current life's situation and the dilemma that it presents to me.

Background on me-I'm 22, living in India. Majored in math, started lifting recently. Currently in my fifth year (getting a Master's and a Bachelor's degree simultaneously after this semester).

The dilemma I have-My GPA is just 5.3 out of 8 which is the US equivalent of 2.72 out of 4 (more or less). Yeah, in my pre-TRP days, comprising my first three years in college, I wasted my time gaming, online chatting and doing more cringy shit. The sins of my past still haunt me in the form of my GPA. Under ideal circumstances, with better GPA I could have quite easily gotten into a US grad-school for a PhD, but with this GPA, obviously I'm getting nowhere. So from here on, I have two options:

  • Either pursue a PhD in India: Grad-schools in India-even the best ones-don't look at GPA in previous institutions as long as it's above a minimum threshold (mine is above). They hold an admission test which I can prepare for and with a 90% probability can pass. However, of course, a PhD in India, even in the best Indian universities, isn't nearly as good as that in the US.

  • Or do another Master's in India: Investing two more years, in a trial to get a better GPA. The admission process is the same-via an admission test for all Indian universities. It will be almost completely be on scholarship. If all goes well, I might get a GPA of above 3.0 out of 4 and can apply to US grad schools for a PhD after that.

In other words, I'm stuck between either going for a PhD right away in my country (and not as good in quality) or investing two more years and getting a higher quality PhD in the US (obviously better but has higher risk in that I may not still be able to get a grad school in the US and hence two years would have been kind of wasted).

Other background stuff on me-I've mostly been on scholarship the entire time I've been in college. A complication that is there is that my younger brother is autistic and is a liability to me. Which is a reason my parents are wanting me to do a PhD in India right away and get a job ASAP. Also my professor is telling me the same thing-that history is likely to repeat itself and I will probably only end up with the same GPA once again, may be slightly better. Speaking of GPA, it might be low right now, but I have 'promising talent', as my professors like to put it.

My personal goals, thoughts and expectations-Like most other TRP-ers, I want to avoid marriage like the plague. Thus I personally have no hurry of getting a job.

I have always been interested in solving unsolved conjectures. That's why I had chosen to major in math. I want to leave behind a legacy of mine, some contribution to the mathematics known to man. A good PhD will certainly help a lot in that. Which is a big reason why I want to do another Master's myself, so I can then do a PhD in the US.

That being said, I have a side-interest-composing electronic songs on my computer. This might sound cheesy, but what I plan right now is to somehow get a high paying job some day and earn and save enough to later become a self-financed music producer and have my own gig and perform at music festivals. High status in the music party = more chance of getting HB8+ booty. Side-by-side working on whatever mathematical conjectures and theories I'm interested in. That would be my ideal life.

My question-So all that being said, what is TRP's suggestion to me-should I go for a PhD in my country right now, or another Master's here and then apply for grad schools in the US?

My apologies for the long post. I have done my best in explaining my situation as far as possible, but if you want any further insights into my situation to give better advice, please do ask!