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hmacneill
Admissions Expert
USA
496 Posts |
 Posted - 11/08/2007 : 17:45:44
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Based on your GPA and GRE - you have some of what it takes to be competitive. Much of your competitiveness will come from your letters of reference and your ability to convey your passion, motivation and understanding of the career and industry. Most schools will not make a decision based on GPA and GRE alone - these other elements are equally important.
Good luck in your search.
Heather
quote:
Originally posted by s1yoo
Hello.
I am planning to apply to top aerospace engineering schools.
I have overall gpa of 3.5/4.0 and major gpa of 3.7/4.0 from University of California, San Diego.
I also took GRE and received Verbal 680 and Math 790.
I am planning to apply for Master's program.
How are my chances?
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
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hmacneill
Admissions Expert
USA
496 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2007 : 16:50:44
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Thanks for your post. It sounds like you are in a good position to be competitive at some of the top schools. I do not think re-taking the GRE is required but it might show a determination to improve - if you have the time to commit to it. As for the decision of banking versus research for the next year - that might just depend on your long term goals. The research experience will certainly be helpful when applying to PhD programs - no doubt. However, the banking job will also look good on the application and may help if your long term goal is to work in banking - this will good reinforcement when defining your motivation in your application.
Taking more math classes falls in the same category as the GRE - it can only help your application. If you have time - it's worth it and it show determination.
Good luck.
Heather
quote:
Originally posted by mfea2009
Hi,
I am interested in getting a PhD in Economics from a top-5 program.
I have a 3.9 GPA overall at an ivy-league school, a 3.9 in my Economics Major, and have also taken Intro Calc and Intro Statistics. Calc was one of my B's. My GRE is a 760Q/720V (don't know AWA yet).
I think my recs will be decent, from profs who taught me in economics classes in which I made A's.
I am graduating this year and have an offer to work at an investment bank. Right now I plan to take it for a year and apply to grad school during that time, so starting now I have a year to prepare. I have a few questions:
1. What are my chances given my current profile? Would I get into a top-five with my current qualifications?
2. Is my GRE sufficient for a top-five school or should I retake?
3. My advisor mentioned that he might have a full-time research assistant job for me next year. Since I don't have any research experience, should I take this job instead of the investment bank? I'd rather work at the bank, and I have a feeling the real-world experience would help my apps a lot. Do you think this is true or should I reconsider the RA job?
4. Should I try to take some more math classes? I have one semester left here and could probably fit one in, or maybe I can take them on the side while working next year. If you think I should, which classes should I prioritize?
Thanks so much for your help!!
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
703.242.5885 |
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hmacneill
Admissions Expert
USA
496 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2007 : 16:54:36
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Thanks for your post. Your GPA and GRE score may very well be a barrier to your admission into a graduate program. Your application will come down to how well your references communicated their confidence in your academic abilities at the graduate level and how well you were able to communicate your understanding of the field and what you hope to do with your Masters degree. If you are not admitted - there is a good chance that re-taking the GRE will help add some confidence to your academic potential.
Good luck.
Heather
quote:
Originally posted by vulcanis
Hi there, I'm applying to a masters program at michigan state in telecommunications. They don't really have any recommended scores for the GRE or anything so I was wondering if you could help me evaluate my chances.
Overall undergrad GPA 2.65, subject GPA around 2.9
verbal 490, quant 480, AWA 5.5
4 letters of recommendation
2 years of work in the field
1 personal statement essay (I did a pretty good job on that I think) I didnt do very well my first two years in school but definitely picked things up in my last two years at school. I find it odd that I got such a low score on my Verbal when my writing was a 5.5, as I find myself to have a pretty good grasp on the english language in general. Though, I do tend to get nervous during standardized tests, plus I hate math, and it kind of rattled me because the verbal was given after the math section, so I was a bit tense going into it. I probably would have done better on verbal had it been right after the writing section I bet.
Should I be worried about anything? Is it highly possibly they may say something like, "While we appreciate your interest in the masters program, we invite you to apply again in the fall."?
Thanks for the help.
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
703.242.5885 |
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CaliCheme
Underclassman
1 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2007 : 00:12:18
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Dear AdmissionsConsultants,
I am a not-so-recent graduate from UC Berkeley in Chemical Engineering (2005) and I am seriously considering applying to PhD programs in the same major. My gpa is roughly 3.3 (3.5 in my last two years) and I have GRE scores of 600v, 800m, 4.0aw.
My issues are threefold:
1. I have not kept in contact with my professors (and was never close with any of them to begin with,) and as a result have no letters of recommendation from academia. The letters I will have are from my boss (who has a PhD is ChemE) and the VP of product development (with no PhD) in the company I work for presently. Do I have any chance of obtaining a letter from my ungrad profs or do I need to take grad-level classes, and push back my applications for a year?
2. I have spent the last two years in the R&D department of a pharmaceutical company (plain pharma, no biotech). However, I would like to go back to school work in bioprocessing/biorefining. Will this transistion be hard for admissions groups to accept given my lack of work and research experience in bio-related processing?
3. My analytical writing score sucked. Do I need to retake the exam? I am not going for top-five schools here... |
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lhillary
Underclassman
1 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2007 : 20:35:26
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Dear Admissions Consultants,
I am a current undergrad at the University of Michigan Dearborn campus with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 and a major GPA (communications) of 3.6. The GPA in my last two years of study is 3.7, so there is a definite upward trend. Additionally, I have yet to take the GRE, but I have it scheduled and I've been studying for it for a while. My major track is electronic media, and I also study German language.
My extra-curricular activities include two internships at small media production companies, part-time work to fund my education, and independent learning in painting, drawing, and digital media creation/editing.
The thing is that I never really wanted to go to this school but my parents sort-of forced me because it was nearby and cheap (family financial situation), and as a result I was disillusioned and performed poorly in my first two years. However, as I matured and began to actually take an interest in my major (as the coursework became more interesting in the upper levels), my grades increased dramatically. Now, I have found the area of specialization that I would like to study, and I am interested in taking this up further in a graduate program.
The problem is that I think my low GPA, coming from a not-so-well-known undergrad program, will preclude me from gaining admission to any decent (t1 or t2) grad schools (or at least the grad schools with good programs in my desired specialty). What do you think?
PS- The specialty that I am referring to is cultural/rhetoric studies and critical theory, and there is only one professor at my school that even teaches this subject. I am getting a great LOR from this person, but I don't know who else I can get one from unless I start getting them from professors in unrelated fields. Also, the majority of the faculty are either adjuncts or lecturers (especially in my track), and I hear that this can also be a hindrance.
What is your advice? And what do you think my chances are of gaining admission to schools that are in the top 50? If none, are there any lower tier programs you could/would recommend?
Thanks in advance for your reply. |
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student156
Underclassman
5 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2007 : 22:04:37
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Hello Everyone,
I am looking for advice for my problem.
I have repeated the GRE four times and could not improve the verbal. The latest score is V340 and Q780 and AWA=4.0 . I am an international student trying to get a PhD in electrical engineering from one of top US engineering schools. I hold GPA of 4.0 and ranked first in my home country but I am worried that my application will be rejected just by my verbal. Please please guys any advice?
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Edited by - student156 on 11/14/2007 01:38:35 |
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Jason2441
Underclassman
3 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2007 : 12:17:02
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Not sure if I'm posted in the right place. I have a 3.6 undergrad GPA from NYU. If I were to get around a 1200 on the GRE, what would be my chances of getting into some of the better programs e.g. Penn, Yale (ranked around 10 and 20 respectively) and some of the second tiers e.g. University of Maryland, SUNY Albany etc.
Many thanks!! |
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s1yoo
Underclassman
6 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 08:45:00
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Hello,
I just received my GRE report and the result was V680/M790/W3.0.
I was very disappointed and planning to re-take the GRE to have writing score of at least 4.0.
Is it a good decision to re-take?
I know that my verbal and quantitative scores are very competitive but at the same time my writing score is way too low that it might have negative effects towards my admission.
I think that I can still get quantitative scores around 780 to 800 but I am not sure whether I will get a verbal score like I got on my first try.
So in your opinion which one is better for graduate admission, having lower verbal score (high 500's or low 600's) with higher writing score (3.5~4.0) or just keeping my original score? |
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hmacneill
Admissions Expert
USA
496 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 16:14:49
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Thanks for your post. I think you should take some time and contact each of the individual schools you plan to apply to see how strict they are with their reference requirements. It is possible that a letter from a PhD (work related) may be enough - provided he can speak to your potential in graduate study. It might be necessary to take some grad level courses for with the purpose of obtaining some recent grades and current references. As for the change in focus for study - it is up to you to convince the admissions committee through your essay that you understand and have an interest in studying the subject matter. Prior experience is not always a factor. If you do not feel you can do much better on the analytical writing score - then don't retake it. If, with some effort, you think you can improve - then it's worth a shot.
Good luck with your studies
quote:
Originally posted by CaliCheme
Dear AdmissionsConsultants,
I am a not-so-recent graduate from UC Berkeley in Chemical Engineering (2005) and I am seriously considering applying to PhD programs in the same major. My gpa is roughly 3.3 (3.5 in my last two years) and I have GRE scores of 600v, 800m, 4.0aw.
My issues are threefold:
1. I have not kept in contact with my professors (and was never close with any of them to begin with,) and as a result have no letters of recommendation from academia. The letters I will have are from my boss (who has a PhD is ChemE) and the VP of product development (with no PhD) in the company I work for presently. Do I have any chance of obtaining a letter from my ungrad profs or do I need to take grad-level classes, and push back my applications for a year?
2. I have spent the last two years in the R&D department of a pharmaceutical company (plain pharma, no biotech). However, I would like to go back to school work in bioprocessing/biorefining. Will this transistion be hard for admissions groups to accept given my lack of work and research experience in bio-related processing?
3. My analytical writing score sucked. Do I need to retake the exam? I am not going for top-five schools here...
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
703.242.5885 |
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hmacneill
Admissions Expert
USA
496 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 16:21:12
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Thanks for your post. I do not think your grades are THAT bad. Academic struggles in the first couple of years of undergraduate are not uncommon and if you can show improvement - then you are doing ok. To be competitive at some of your top choices you will need to do well on the GRE, obtain some letters of recommendation from faculty that can speak honestly about your potential for graduate study. I think you should ask for these letters from faculty that are somewhat related to your specialty but do not have to be exact. I would not recommend asking from adjunct profs. Most important will be how well you communicate your goals and motivation in your essays. This will help you stand out from the rest of the applicant field and make you more competitive. Good luck with your studies.
Heather.
quote:
Originally posted by lhillary
Dear Admissions Consultants,
I am a current undergrad at the University of Michigan Dearborn campus with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 and a major GPA (communications) of 3.6. The GPA in my last two years of study is 3.7, so there is a definite upward trend. Additionally, I have yet to take the GRE, but I have it scheduled and I've been studying for it for a while. My major track is electronic media, and I also study German language.
My extra-curricular activities include two internships at small media production companies, part-time work to fund my education, and independent learning in painting, drawing, and digital media creation/editing.
The thing is that I never really wanted to go to this school but my parents sort-of forced me because it was nearby and cheap (family financial situation), and as a result I was disillusioned and performed poorly in my first two years. However, as I matured and began to actually take an interest in my major (as the coursework became more interesting in the upper levels), my grades increased dramatically. Now, I have found the area of specialization that I would like to study, and I am interested in taking this up further in a graduate program.
The problem is that I think my low GPA, coming from a not-so-well-known undergrad program, will preclude me from gaining admission to any decent (t1 or t2) grad schools (or at least the grad schools with good programs in my desired specialty). What do you think?
PS- The specialty that I am referring to is cultural/rhetoric studies and critical theory, and there is only one professor at my school that even teaches this subject. I am getting a great LOR from this person, but I don't know who else I can get one from unless I start getting them from professors in unrelated fields. Also, the majority of the faculty are either adjuncts or lecturers (especially in my track), and I hear that this can also be a hindrance.
What is your advice? And what do you think my chances are of gaining admission to schools that are in the top 50? If none, are there any lower tier programs you could/would recommend?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
703.242.5885 |
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hmacneill
Admissions Expert
USA
496 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 16:24:14
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Thanks for your post. It is possible that some of the schools that you apply to will also look at your TOEFL scores and will look to your writing (essays) for your language skills. Keep in mind that the GRE is just one small part of the application. You have a strong GPA but that will need to be coupled with strong letters of recommendation and a convincing statement of purpose. quote:
Originally posted by student156
Hello Everyone,
I am looking for advice for my problem.
I have repeated the GRE four times and could not improve the verbal. The latest score is V340 and Q780 and AWA=4.0 . I am an international student trying to get a PhD in electrical engineering from one of top US engineering schools. I hold GPA of 4.0 and ranked first in my home country but I am worried that my application will be rejected just by my verbal. Please please guys any advice?
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
703.242.5885 |
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hmacneill
Admissions Expert
USA
496 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 16:25:46
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What kinds of programs are you applying to?
quote:
Originally posted by Jason2441
Not sure if I'm posted in the right place. I have a 3.6 undergrad GPA from NYU. If I were to get around a 1200 on the GRE, what would be my chances of getting into some of the better programs e.g. Penn, Yale (ranked around 10 and 20 respectively) and some of the second tiers e.g. University of Maryland, SUNY Albany etc.
Many thanks!!
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
703.242.5885 |
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hmacneill
Admissions Expert
USA
496 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2007 : 16:28:49
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This is hard to comment on without knowing anything else about your application and what you hope to study. In general I would not recommend sacrificing your verbal score to increase the writing. You have other opportunities to display your writing abilities in the application. Keep in mind, the GRE is just one small part of the application. The degree to which schools use these scores varies greatly.
Heather
quote:
Originally posted by s1yoo
Hello,
I just received my GRE report and the result was V680/M790/W3.0.
I was very disappointed and planning to re-take the GRE to have writing score of at least 4.0.
Is it a good decision to re-take?
I know that my verbal and quantitative scores are very competitive but at the same time my writing score is way too low that it might have negative effects towards my admission.
I think that I can still get quantitative scores around 780 to 800 but I am not sure whether I will get a verbal score like I got on my first try.
So in your opinion which one is better for graduate admission, having lower verbal score (high 500's or low 600's) with higher writing score (3.5~4.0) or just keeping my original score?
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
703.242.5885 |
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student156
Underclassman
5 Posts |
Posted - 11/18/2007 : 03:45:08
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Thanks a lot for the reply. In fact I am not going to submit a Toefl score since it is waived if I got a degree from US school. So my application will be without a TOEFL score. To be more acurate in my profile here is a summary of my profile:
1- Undergrad (non-US school) GPA 3.5 (First Rank out of 250)
2- MSc Grad US school GPA:3.76
3- MSc Grad US school GPA 4.0
4- 3 journals and 4 conferences and 1 patent.
5- GRE V340 ,Q780, AWA 4.0
I have an old TOEFL score of 250 CBT in 2004. Is the TOEFL the only source to compensate my low verbal? I am not sure if it is a wise decision to make use of the waiving right of TOEFL scores if I have low Verbal!! Please advise :(
quote:
Originally posted by hmacneill
Thanks for your post. It is possible that some of the schools that you apply to will also look at your TOEFL scores and will look to your writing (essays) for your language skills. Keep in mind that the GRE is just one small part of the application. You have a strong GPA but that will need to be coupled with strong letters of recommendation and a convincing statement of purpose. quote:
Originally posted by student156
Hello Everyone,
I am looking for advice for my problem.
I have repeated the GRE four times and could not improve the verbal. The latest score is V340 and Q780 and AWA=4.0 . I am an international student trying to get a PhD in electrical engineering from one of top US engineering schools. I hold GPA of 4.0 and ranked first in my home country but I am worried that my application will be rejected just by my verbal. Please please guys any advice?
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
703.242.5885
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Edited by - student156 on 11/18/2007 03:47:00 |
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mfea2009
Underclassman
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 11/18/2007 : 08:42:49
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Hi Heather and forum,
I feel obligated to respond to this. Before writing to this forum, I knew the basic answers to all my questions, but wanted to judge the quality of the AdmissionsConsultants firm as I was considering working with them. The advice given here is very poor. While I am most definitely not as knowledgeable as a member of an admissions committee, I've spent some significant time lately doing research on my chances at grad school. The conclusions I've drawn are based on the advice given to me by economics faculty members at my school and also here - http://kuznets.fas.harvard.edu/~athey/gradadv.html (advice from Harvard economist Susan Athey on getting into graduate school in economics) - and they directly contradict what Heather is saying.
Essentially, as my current record stands, I have almost no shot at the top schools, for a number of reasons, and your advice is wrong on almost every point. First, my level of math is inadequate for understanding first-year graduate economics, and will preclude my acceptance barring some outside evidence of mathematical genius (which I don't happen to have). I at least need multivariable calculus, calculus-based statistics, linear algebra, and differential equations to be able to handle the first year at any top-5 school. Here another Harvard economist, Greg Mankiw gives a list of math one should have taken as an undergrad - http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2006/05/which-math-courses.html . Also, not having at least one course in real analysis (considered a test of one's mettle in proofs, which are essential for economics) will be a problem, especially given that my math abilities will be in question. Only having taken two easy math classes, with one B in the more important of the two, will destroy my application at top-5 schools and most likely at many lesser-ranked schools as well. Taking more math is not a matter of "showing determination" if I "have the time" - maybe taking Topology II in my spare time after having completed a second major in math might show that - this is about meeting widely-known basic prerequisites for economics graduate school! Just have a look at any econ department's website!
Moving on, the advice to not urgently prioritize retaking the GRE is also poor. There is (unfortunately) an arms race in GRE quant scores for economics, and some people will tell you that you need an 800, whereas some will tell you that a 780 is probably okay. My 760 is most definitely not okay for a top-5 unless I had an amazing application otherwise (which we've already established I don't.) Retaking the GRE is not just a way to show I have "determination to improve" - but rather is absolutely essential, *especially* given that my weak math background will already have them questioning whether my quantitative abilities are up to scratch for surviving grad school.
On to banking versus research - more bad advice. Another (in my mind unfortunate) fact about economics graduate school is that only a very limited set of post-grad jobs can help an application, and many can hurt. The ones that help are the ones that get you doing substantial research (RAships, working at the federal reserve, etc.) and while it is possible that i-banking will not hurt my app, it certainly won't improve it. On the contrary, it very likely might signal to the admissions committees that I'm not all that serious about economics itself an am looking into a PhD to further a business career - which they won't be happy about as they see themselves as first and foremost training academic researchers.
On the other hand, the RAship is a golden opportunity - my current recs are decent but certainly not amazing because people who taught me an undergraduate economics class are not really going to be able to comment either on my quantitative ability or on my research ability - the two things admissions committees are really interested in. Working as an RA boosts my application in three ways - I will get much better recommendations, I will have research experience, and it will also give me time to take more math. As much as I'd like to take the i-banking job, if I'm serious about graduate school, I'd be pretty stupid to not take such a golden opportunity to improve a quite flawed record.
Here's one paragraph in Athey's advice that really seems to address people in my situation:
"Students from top universities who have the bare minimum coursework (an undergraduate major, no graduate economics or math classes, and only basic undergraduate math classes) will need something really outstanding -- like a thesis that is publishable in a top economics field journal--to get fellowships at the top two or three graduate programs. Typically the strongest applicants have some distinguishing feature, like scoring near the top of a graduate class at a top PhD program, very strong math (e.g. graduate level real analysis and topology), or an outstanding thesis or coauthored research."
And I don't even have the basic undergraduate math classes!
The bottom line for me, which I've concluded after a lot of heartbreak and discussions (that went something like - "what? an almost perfect GPA at a great school and I have almost no shot at graduate school?) is that if I really want to do grad school at a good place, then I have a lot of work left to do, but that I'm very lucky that I have a good GPA and undergrad institution to build on. My current plan is to take the research job and spend a lot of time on math classes. After a year or probably two, if I do well in both the job and the math, I can be a strong applicant for the top-5, but even then may have to settle for top-10.
This post is really long and it's a little weird that I've bothered to spend the time writing this down. I suppose I'm hoping that if another econ person stumbles by here, they 1) won't be misled by the original advice given to me and 2) will find useful the links to better resources.
Additionally, I am in no position to judge whether Heather's advice is quality for other fields, but I guess I'm saying to all the non-econ people - be careful with the advice on here. I appreciate that Heather spends so much time giving out free advice, but it seems that in some cases that it is bad enough that it could actually be damaging. This is the internet, so of course everything should be taken with a lot of salt, but this website certainly has the guise of professionality. Yet at least in my field, Heather seems to be uninformed about even the basics of the admissions process, which is particularly striking given the wealth of free information out there for economics applicants that can be found with just a little googling.
quote:
Originally posted by hmacneill
Thanks for your post. It sounds like you are in a good position to be competitive at some of the top schools. I do not think re-taking the GRE is required but it might show a determination to improve - if you have the time to commit to it. As for the decision of banking versus research for the next year - that might just depend on your long term goals. The research experience will certainly be helpful when applying to PhD programs - no doubt. However, the banking job will also look good on the application and may help if your long term goal is to work in banking - this will good reinforcement when defining your motivation in your application.
Taking more math classes falls in the same category as the GRE - it can only help your application. If you have time - it's worth it and it show determination.
Good luck.
Heather
quote:
Originally posted by mfea2009
Hi,
I am interested in getting a PhD in Economics from a top-5 program.
I have a 3.9 GPA overall at an ivy-league school, a 3.9 in my Economics Major, and have also taken Intro Calc and Intro Statistics. Calc was one of my B's. My GRE is a 760Q/720V (don't know AWA yet).
I think my recs will be decent, from profs who taught me in economics classes in which I made A's.
I am graduating this year and have an offer to work at an investment bank. Right now I plan to take it for a year and apply to grad school during that time, so starting now I have a year to prepare. I have a few questions:
1. What are my chances given my current profile? Would I get into a top-five with my current qualifications?
2. Is my GRE sufficient for a top-five school or should I retake?
3. My advisor mentioned that he might have a full-time research assistant job for me next year. Since I don't have any research experience, should I take this job instead of the investment bank? I'd rather work at the bank, and I have a feeling the real-world experience would help my apps a lot. Do you think this is true or should I reconsider the RA job?
4. Should I try to take some more math classes? I have one semester left here and could probably fit one in, or maybe I can take them on the side while working next year. If you think I should, which classes should I prioritize?
Thanks so much for your help!!
AdmissionsConsultants
www.admissionsconsultants.com/graduateschool/blog.aspx
703.242.5885
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Edited by - mfea2009 on 11/18/2007 08:48:16 |
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