Ask AdmissionsConsultants

[materialsguy]

Hi, thanks for helping so many people out! I hope maybe you can help me as well. I have been thinking about graduate school for a while but I have only just recently taken my GRE’s. Long story short..

GRE: 650 v, 800 q, awa:?
UC Berkeley B.S. Chemical Engineering, B.S. Materials Science (2004)
GPA: 3.4 overall, 3.4 ChE, 3.7 M.S.
Research Experience: one fruitless year at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs researching solid oxide fuel cells
Work: 6 months so far at BP as a chemical engineer

I want to study for my phd in Materials Science, but I have no idea where I can get in because the average GPA’s I see are sky high. I would like to know what kind of schools I can shoot for (tier 1, tier 2..) and what I can do in the meantime to make myself more attractive to a university.

[hmacneill]

Thank you for your questions. I apologize for the delay in responding to your post. Applying to a PhD program is a very distinct and personal decision and process. The best way to choose the best school for you is to review the top schools of your choice and then make sure there are professors studying your specific area of interest and that they will be accepting new students for that specific area. Your GPA and GRE scores will certainly not eliminate you from consideration. Keep in mind that grades and test scores are only part of the admissions process and the majority of the applicants accepted may not fit the specific criteria that you found on these schools. Your grades and test scores do make it important, however, for you to devote extra focus to the “other” areas of your application. Strong letters of recommendation and a convincing personal statement can make you a very competitive applicant for most any program. I believe it is also important for you to continue your work in the field to help you expand your professional contacts and experience. Best of luck to you.

Heather MacNeill

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

quote:

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Originally posted by materialsguy

Hi, thanks for helping so many people out! I hope maybe you can help me as well. I have been thinking about graduate school for a while but I have only just recently taken my GRE’s. Long story short..

GRE: 650 v, 800 q, awa:?
UC Berkeley B.S. Chemical Engineering, B.S. Materials Science (2004)
GPA: 3.4 overall, 3.4 ChE, 3.7 M.S.
Research Experience: one fruitless year at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs researching solid oxide fuel cells
Work: 6 months so far at BP as a chemical engineer

I want to study for my phd in Materials Science, but I have no idea where I can get in because the average GPA’s I see are sky high. I would like to know what kind of schools I can shoot for (tier 1, tier 2..) and what I can do in the meantime to make myself more attractive to a university.

---

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[JamieB]

Hello,

I have posted this message on the regular admissions board but would also appreciate the advice of an admissions expert. Thanks.

I am researching potential graduate programs in English and am slightly daunted by some of their requirements as well as the
C.V.’s of their accepted applicants. I have tried to maintain a solid record,but was wondering what I could do to increase my chances of acceptance in a solid program while I still have time.

I am currently a rising Junior in English (with minors in Political Science, Theatre, and potentially Renaissance Studies)at an average campus within a prestigious state system. I am on scholarship and I have a very high GPA and several E.C.s including membership in two honor societies, awards and participation in theatre, and leadership positions in an honor society and the Spanish Club (which I co-chartered) as well as work experience.

However, I have not taken the GRE and do not always test well (especially in math) and am worried that this, coupled with my school’s tendency of only sending students to regional graduates programs, will adversely affect my applications. In essence, what are the best ways to avoid or offset these pitfalls?

Thank you again for your time.

Jamie

[ms200fly]

Hi

I’m a senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, majoring in math of OR and computer science and with 40 credits(10 classes) worth of Economics classes. My school doesn’t offer an Economics minor. My GPA is 3.75. I have guided my schedule for the past 3 years to go into financial mathematics with computation. I have taken 1 graduate level class last year in mathematics and will be taking one in computer science this year. Ever since freshman year I’ve done an undergraduate research project, all in various topics that combined math with computer science. I have taken courses in Finance such as Risk Management and Derivative Markets. I have taken the GRE and my scores are 740q / 680v.

The schools I’m looking at are:

Carnegie Mellon University (computational finance)
Columbia University(financial mathematics)
NYU’s Courant Insitute (Financial Mathematics)
University of Toronto (Math of Finance)

I am particularly interested in CMU and NYU. What do you think are my chances at these schools?

[majikali]

I am a postbaccalaureate undergraduate working towards a second degree in Medieval/Renaissance Studies at a well known Public University. My first BA was from a private Liberal Arts college in New York. I am hoping to apply to Graduate school this fall (I have not taken the GREs yet) and want to go into a Comparative Literature program. My top choice schools are Columbia, UCLA, Yale, and UC-Berkeley (in that order). I know that these are very difficult schools to get into, and was wondering if you could advise me as to whether I might be a competetive candidate. I am 21 and in my 5 years of college have a cumulative GPA of 3.92; I am unenthusiastic about receiving my second BA, because I hate the University I am at.
With a GPA like mine, between 7-8 relevant classes taken (though I’ve never majored in Comp. Lit) and good recommendations (which I am confident I could obtain), do you think it’s necessary to complete one last year in order to be competitive at a school like Columbia?
Also: if I were to cease my current path of study, would taking a year off from classes hinder my chances?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

[Jnuss133]

I am cuurently going into my second year of undergrad as a biology major. I have been able to test out of nearly all of my core requirements and am seeing that it would be possible to finish my degree in three years by adding just a few summer classes. I would finish with far more science classes than are required as well. My grades and test scores are very high. I was just wondering how a graduate school would view this. I did not know if finishing early while taking a lot of difficult classes would look good, or if staying the extra year, taking a few more classes, and getting more experience would make me more compettetive. Thanks for your help.
-Justin Nussbaum

[zephryin]

quote:

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Right now I don’t know if I want to go to medical school or graduate school.

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what I meant to say in my earlier post was that I don’t know whether i want to get a Phd in biochemsitry or get an MD.Sorry about that.

thank you for your time and patience.

zeph

Code:

[hmacneill]

Hi Jamie,
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you on your post. It sounds like you have worked hard in your studies and college activities and you should feel good about your high GPA. This will certainly make a good impression on admission committees. The GRE is an area that is often required by graduate programs but may not be the most important factor in an admission decision. There are many ways to help the admissions committee focus on the most positive aspects of your application, if you are worried about a low test score. Two important aspects of an application that can help highlight your positive accomplishments are your essays and letters of recommendation. Through these, you can draw a focus towards your strengths and accomplishments and make the GRE scores less of a factor. These are the best ways to avoid the pitfalls that you mentioned.
Good luck.

Heather MacNeill

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

quote:

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Originally posted by JamieB

Hello,

I have posted this message on the regular admissions board but would also appreciate the advice of an admissions expert. Thanks.

I am researching potential graduate programs in English and am slightly daunted by some of their requirements as well as the
C.V.’s of their accepted applicants. I have tried to maintain a solid record,but was wondering what I could do to increase my chances of acceptance in a solid program while I still have time.

I am currently a rising Junior in English (with minors in Political Science, Theatre, and potentially Renaissance Studies)at an average campus within a prestigious state system. I am on scholarship and I have a very high GPA and several E.C.s including membership in two honor societies, awards and participation in theatre, and leadership positions in an honor society and the Spanish Club (which I co-chartered) as well as work experience.

However, I have not taken the GRE and do not always test well (especially in math) and am worried that this, coupled with my school’s tendency of only sending students to regional graduates programs, will adversely affect my applications. In essence, what are the best ways to avoid or offset these pitfalls?

Thank you again for your time.

Jamie

---

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[hmacneill]

Hi and thanks for your post. It sounds like you have worked hard and have a lot of what these schools will be looking for. Your GPA, diverse curriculum and GRE scores will help you in the admissions process. There are aspects of your application that are important during the review process that I can’t assess at this time. Your personal essays and letters of recommendation are key elements to your competitiveness. Your essay or personal statement and letters of recommendation are your opportunities to differentiate yourself from the other applicants and highlight why you are a worthy applicant for their program. It is important to highlight certain experiences and accomplishments that make you unique and draw you out from the rest of the applicant pool. These things, along with your GPA and GRE scores, help make someone a competitive applicant.

Heather MacNeill

Admissions Consultants
703.242.5885

quote:

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Originally posted by ms200fly

Hi

I’m a senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, majoring in math of OR and computer science and with 40 credits(10 classes) worth of Economics classes. My school doesn’t offer an Economics minor. My GPA is 3.75. I have guided my schedule for the past 3 years to go into financial mathematics with computation. I have taken 1 graduate level class last year in mathematics and will be taking one in computer science this year. Ever since freshman year I’ve done an undergraduate research project, all in various topics that combined math with computer science. I have taken courses in Finance such as Risk Management and Derivative Markets. I have taken the GRE and my scores are 740q / 680v.

The schools I’m looking at are:

Carnegie Mellon University (computational finance)
Columbia University(financial mathematics)
NYU’s Courant Insitute (Financial Mathematics)
University of Toronto (Math of Finance)

I am particularly interested in CMU and NYU. What do you think are my chances at these schools?

---

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[hmacneill]

Thank you for your post. It sounds like you have some of the elements of a competitive application with a strong GPA and curriculum. The tricky part of your situation is your decision of whether to complete your current course of study. Some schools may not look favorable at your decision to discontinue a determined course of study. To some committees, this may indicate a pattern of not finishing an academic program. This might cause them some concern. Certainly, finishing your degree in Medieval/Renaissance Studies will eliminate this as a concern and combined with strong letters of recommendation and essays will help make you a competitive applicant. If you choose to not finish the degree, there are ways to draw attention to all of the positives of your application, mainly through a strong personal statement and strong letters of recommendation. There are ways to highlight how your experience and academics to date make you a unique and competitive applicant for their program. You should, however, be prepared to address any questions regarding why you have chosen to not complete your current degree.
Best of Luck to you.
Heather MacNeill

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

quote:

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Originally posted by majikali

I am a postbaccalaureate undergraduate working towards a second degree in Medieval/Renaissance Studies at a well known Public University. My first BA was from a private Liberal Arts college in New York. I am hoping to apply to Graduate school this fall (I have not taken the GREs yet) and want to go into a Comparative Literature program. My top choice schools are Columbia, UCLA, Yale, and UC-Berkeley (in that order). I know that these are very difficult schools to get into, and was wondering if you could advise me as to whether I might be a competetive candidate. I am 21 and in my 5 years of college have a cumulative GPA of 3.92; I am unenthusiastic about receiving my second BA, because I hate the University I am at.
With a GPA like mine, between 7-8 relevant classes taken (though I’ve never majored in Comp. Lit) and good recommendations (which I am confident I could obtain), do you think it’s necessary to complete one last year in order to be competitive at a school like Columbia?
Also: if I were to cease my current path of study, would taking a year off from classes hinder my chances?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

---

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[hmacneill]

Hi Justin and thanks for your post. The answer to your question depends on several things. The type of graduate program you are applying to is the main factor. Many graduate programs highly value an applicants overall experience and maturity. For these you would need to show that your overall academic experience was well rounded and diverse. For any graduate program you will need to show that you are a unique applicant with a background and motivation that the program will value. For some, your ability to complete your coursework in 3 years with excellent grades, would be that unique and desirable quality. The best way to communicate these assets is through your personal statement and letters of recommendation. Through these aspects of your application you are able to differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicant pool and add even more value to your good grades and curriculum.
Best of Luck to you.
Heather MacNeill

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

quote:

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Originally posted by Jnuss133

I am cuurently going into my second year of undergrad as a biology major. I have been able to test out of nearly all of my core requirements and am seeing that it would be possible to finish my degree in three years by adding just a few summer classes. I would finish with far more science classes than are required as well. My grades and test scores are very high. I was just wondering how a graduate school would view this. I did not know if finishing early while taking a lot of difficult classes would look good, or if staying the extra year, taking a few more classes, and getting more experience would make me more compettetive. Thanks for your help.
-Justin Nussbaum

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AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[hmacneill]

Hi Zeph and thanks for your questions. I can really only answer your first question, you would be better served to post your medical school question on the med school site. As for your Masters, based on what you have done so far, I think you could apply to graduate programs now. It sounds like you have worked hard to get some research experience and I don’t think taking time off will add that much more experience to your resume to make a difference. You will have a challenge, however, overcoming your GPA. You will need to work hard to show an admissions committee that you able to complete the academic coursework at a high level. Many programs will look directly at your most recent coursework and some may focus more on the program specific GPA (in your case the math and science courses) when determining an applicants academic ability. I think you will need to focus most on highlighting your academic successes and on translating your research experience into academic potential. Good luck with your decisions.
Heather MacNeill

AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

quote:

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Originally posted by zephryin

I am confused. I am a cell biology major and I will be going into my senior year this fall. I have an overall GPA of 2.54GPA! and an even lower sci/math/phys GPA. My first year’s low grades(when i took a lot of my math/sci courses) were due to the sudden death of my little brother and my stubbornness of staying in school instead of taking time off. Since then my grades have been improving, especially recently in my upper level courses (but obviously it hasn’t been enough). I’ve recently took on a liking biochemistry and I even sought out a volunteer job in a laboratory to see what it would be like to work there. Over the course of my undergraduate career I have had A LOT of research experience(3 years). I just got two projects of my own, before I was just helping others out in the lab. Right now I don’t know if I want to go to medical school or graduate school. I am thinking of trying to get my master’s degree in biochemistry and deciding from there. Now to the question part:

1) Should I apply directly from undergrad to a grad school program, or should I wait awhile?

2) If I do decide that I want to go to medical school after I get my M.S., would I be competitive? Or would my uGPA still bring me down considerably?

thank you for your time and patience.

zeph

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AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

[MEckert84]

Hey, this seems like a great site and I’d like to thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

I am a rising senior at NC State majoring in Chemistry (BS) and Biochemistry (BS) with a minor in Genetics. I have a 4.0 GPA (both cumulative and majors) as well as Phi Beta Kappa, dean’s list, etc.

My problem, however, is that I only started doing research spring of my junior year. The research is in the analytical chemistry department and I have gained extensive experience with MALDI-MS and SPR. Additionally, I have presented a poster at the local ACS section meeting and have received a grant from the NC-ACS to fund my research. There is also a possibility of publishing a paper sometime this fall.

Although I have not taken the GRE yet I usually test well and have consistently gotten 1500+ on practice tests. Given this, what type of chemistry graduate schools would be likely to accept me? My first choice is definitely UNC-CH for analytical chemistry.

Thanks again,

Mark

[physicspostbac]

Hello,

I am searching for a postbac program.

I graduated with a BS in Communications in 2002. I am now interested in returning to school for a PhD in Physics. Before I apply for grad school, I need to meet all of the undergraduate requirements in physics.

Any suggestions on a postbac program for physics? I have found many premed programs, but few general postbac programs. Given these circumstances, would you suggest attending a highly-rated university for these undergraduate requirements, or would a local state university suffice?

Thank you!

[hmacneill]

Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comments and questions. I think your first step is to determine which graduate schools fit your particular interests best. I assume you are interested in pursuing your PhD. When selecting a PhD program, one of the most critical factors is finding a school and faculty member that fits your area of potential research (it does not hurt to make a connection with a faculty member personally). It sounds like you have done great scholastically so you will have no trouble selling yourself in that area (assuming your GRE scores come in well). Your focus, in your application, should be on how your research to date has prepared you for graduate study at their school. You will need to communicate your readiness and maturity for rigorous research and graduate study. I think you can certainly select a handful of your top choices of schools to apply to with confidence. Assuming you can put together a strong, well-rounded application that communicates your fit with the university and program, you will have a good shot at being a competitive applicant.

quote:

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Originally posted by MEckert84

Hey, this seems like a great site and I’d like to thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

I am a rising senior at NC State majoring in Chemistry (BS) and Biochemistry (BS) with a minor in Genetics. I have a 4.0 GPA (both cumulative and majors) as well as Phi Beta Kappa, dean’s list, etc.

My problem, however, is that I only started doing research spring of my junior year. The research is in the analytical chemistry department and I have gained extensive experience with MALDI-MS and SPR. Additionally, I have presented a poster at the local ACS section meeting and have received a grant from the NC-ACS to fund my research. There is also a possibility of publishing a paper sometime this fall.

Although I have not taken the GRE yet I usually test well and have consistently gotten 1500+ on practice tests. Given this, what type of chemistry graduate schools would be likely to accept me? My first choice is definitely UNC-CH for analytical chemistry.

Thanks again,

Mark

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AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

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