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Took couple years off, another year to retake PGRE?

Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 12:38 am
by crabkabob
Hi all

I've looked through the admissions profile threads, but wanted to make a post in case anyone has some additional advice.

I graduated in 2010 and took a couple years off for personal reasons. My GPA is ~3.2 from a top 10 school. I expected myself to do better than a 740 on the PGRE, but I just didn't manage my time properly. On the flip side, I've got really strong letters and research.

Question is, would it be worth it to take ANOTHER year off to boost my PGRE score? That's basically the only thing I can change. One of my professors said that I'd probably have a good shot at a place like UC Berkeley if I could get over 800 on the PGRE. Otherwise, I'd be looking at schools in the top 20 or 30. Would admissions committees think it's weird that I've taken so much time off to just work in a lab?

Re: Took couple years off, another year to retake PGRE?

Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 6:11 am
by bfollinprm
No, I doubt it. But I also think you should just apply. If you've been active in research (and it sounds like you have been), your application should be strong enough to get into several very active, top notch schools. They might not have the name recognition of Harvard or Berkeley, but I bet you can find a school in the 20's that's as good or better than the top 10's in the field you'll be pursuing.

Re: Took couple years off, another year to retake PGRE?

Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 7:46 pm
by crabkabob
Yep, I've been working in a lab for the past year. I think I'm digging condensed matter experiment, if that matters. Thanks for your suggestion.