Physics GRE Discussion Forums

Hello, I just got my pgre scores and freaked out when I saw the 540... I'm not apply to that many good schools but I am scared that I won't make it into any of them. I was hoping that you guys could give me your opinions on my chances at getting into these schools. Thank you

Here are my stats:

gpa: 3.1 (double major physics and math at uc, riverisde)
gre q: 800
gre v: 540
gre w: don't know yet, I think it should be around 4-5
pgre: 540 (I so thought I had done better then this...)

I also have 2 years research experience.

The schools I am applying to are:
UC, Riverside
UC, Irvine
UC, Santa Cruz
UC, Davis
UC, Merced
Umass, Amherst
U of Colorade at Boulder
Oregan State University

Honestly, I think your GPA is more likely to hurt you than your physics GRE score. I would compare your profile to others from previous years -- I'm not sure how hard it is to get into all the schools you mention.

EDIT: It occurs to me now that some of the schools you mention (e.g. Oregon State, Merced) may not have very high standards for admission. But you'd still need to convince them that you'd be able to pass qualifying exams and succeed in research. If you truly have a strong record of two years of research, then that should go a long way toward assuaging doubts based on your GPA and GRE scores.