Writing a justification for lower PGRE score--- good idea?
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 3:19 pm
Hi, thank you so much for reading my post!
I know that many of you are always trying to take your time to help people applying! We are all extremely grateful.
So, here is my concern.
I am planning on applying to many top 10s.
(for more detailed profile, http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=5264)
(BTW, I lived in US since 2001, but I am an international student by status)
I just took my general GRE yesterday, and I got Q: 169/170, V: 159/170, W: don't know yet, which I think is okay(?) for Top 10s.
I have 3.98 GPA, and have a great letter of recommendations and research experience.
The only thing that is definitely lower than the average compared to those applying to HEP-Theory in the top 10 is my PGRE score, 810 (73%).
I sincerely hope I do not sound arrogant, but I genuinely think PGRE questions are low-level, and I have no doubt that I can perform much better on the exam with a bit more studying. (of course taking a year is an option, but I really don't want to just for one exam.) I think I may have a valid justification for my lower score, and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to express this to grad schools.
I am currently taking 'E&M' (landau), 'Statistical Mechanics' (landau), and 'Quantum Mechanics' (Griffith) for the first time (of course, I took lower level general physics.). I am learning a great deal from those classes, but at the time of the exam, the only thing I was able to do was skim over some materials indepently (with very limited time). Do you guys think it would be advisable to tell the graduate schools that I did not take the relevant courses in a timely manner, and thus had a lower than average gre scores?
Thank you once again. Please give me your honest and harsh(if need be) opinions, they will come most useful.
I know that many of you are always trying to take your time to help people applying! We are all extremely grateful.
So, here is my concern.
I am planning on applying to many top 10s.
(for more detailed profile, http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=5264)
(BTW, I lived in US since 2001, but I am an international student by status)
I just took my general GRE yesterday, and I got Q: 169/170, V: 159/170, W: don't know yet, which I think is okay(?) for Top 10s.
I have 3.98 GPA, and have a great letter of recommendations and research experience.
The only thing that is definitely lower than the average compared to those applying to HEP-Theory in the top 10 is my PGRE score, 810 (73%).
I sincerely hope I do not sound arrogant, but I genuinely think PGRE questions are low-level, and I have no doubt that I can perform much better on the exam with a bit more studying. (of course taking a year is an option, but I really don't want to just for one exam.) I think I may have a valid justification for my lower score, and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to express this to grad schools.
I am currently taking 'E&M' (landau), 'Statistical Mechanics' (landau), and 'Quantum Mechanics' (Griffith) for the first time (of course, I took lower level general physics.). I am learning a great deal from those classes, but at the time of the exam, the only thing I was able to do was skim over some materials indepently (with very limited time). Do you guys think it would be advisable to tell the graduate schools that I did not take the relevant courses in a timely manner, and thus had a lower than average gre scores?
Thank you once again. Please give me your honest and harsh(if need be) opinions, they will come most useful.