Help me in Taking the Decsion !!

  • This has become our largest and most active forum because the physics GRE is just one aspect of getting accepted into a graduate physics program.
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walke
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:13 am

Help me in Taking the Decsion !!

Post by walke » Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:25 am

hi all, i am from india and i am hard time whether i should i apply for the grads .since my both gre scores are low should i apply for the uni. Last time i applied to stony brook , uni michigan and penn state and all of the three rejected and i applied in jan( was it too late).now i don't to waste my money another time so should i apply with the followin score to another unive.
Geneal gre :850
Physics Gre :610
Toefl :81/120

I have completed my engg in comp sci and wanted to research in gravitation.

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butsurigakusha
Posts: 293
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:05 pm

Post by butsurigakusha » Mon Nov 12, 2007 2:43 pm

I assume that when you say your general gre score is 850, that is the sum of the quantitative verbal sections. Especially since your degree is not in physics, I think you would have to demonstrate knowledge of physics by getting a high score on the physics gre.

I would think that it would be very difficult for even a domestic applicant with a physics degree to get accepted to schools like Penn State with GRE scores like yours. At Penn State, the average Physics GRE score is 73% (~770) and the average quantitative is 86% (~760). And for international applicants, it is usually necessary to get higher scores than domestic aplicants.

Especially since you say you want to study gravitation, which is pretty theoretical, I would say you should try to improve your physics credentials before applying again. Or, you might be able to get accepted to a less prestigious school. There are almost 200 colleges in the US with physics PhD programs.

vicente
Posts: 195
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:24 am

Post by vicente » Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:54 pm

Also, improve your English. If your English isn't great, they're not going to give you a TA position. Oftentimes, the only grad students that don't TA in first year have already been awarded prestigious fellowships.

VT
Posts: 314
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:30 pm

Post by VT » Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:34 pm

:(

astrophysicist2b
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2007 4:14 pm

Post by astrophysicist2b » Sun Nov 18, 2007 4:21 pm

I'm from Penn State, and I know that it more difficult for international students to get in here (I think they generally want physics GRE scores of >80 percentile from international students). Also, I think it's hardest to get into gravity out of any of the subfields. Something you might want to think about is putting down a less popular field of research on your application; once you get in you can always do something different.

Two other schools you may want to consider are LSU and the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, who both do a lot with LIGO. UWM isn't the best school overall, but they have very strong gravity research there. It might be possible for you to get in there given your scores.

schmit.paul
Posts: 161
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2006 7:48 pm

Post by schmit.paul » Sun Nov 18, 2007 9:34 pm

There's been a number of threads written in the last year or so regarding the implications and soundness of stating a different field other than the one in which you actually want to do your graduate research in your grad school applications. Most have concurred it is not a preferable action for a number of reasons. Without duplicating the discussions here, I recommend you search through past threads and investigate the possible consequences and inconveniences that can arise from misrepresenting your interests on your application.



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