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Terrible PGRE, good GPA. Should I even apply?


dontfindmaharg

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I'm in a bit of a pickle here. I'm a physics major, senior standing. For at least a year I have been planning on applying to Ph.D programs to begin graduate studies in Fall 2015. However I recently got hit with a potential setback. I took the physics GRE and got 16th percentile (I know, WTF???). I was appalled when I saw that score. It seems very odd, because I have a ~3.8 GPA in my core major courses, and I was one of three people in my class to win a scholarship our school gives out for outstanding academic performance, twice. Then I get smacked in the face with that 16th percentile. 

The thing is, I took the test twice. The 16th percentile was from the September test, and I won't see the grades for the October test until a couple weeks before most application deadlines. The September test was the first PGRE I've ever taken, and coming out of it I felt like I could have gotten anywhere from 30th to 70th percentile, and got 16th. Feeling no different about the second test than the first one, I am thinking that I could have gotten just as terrible of a score. So now I am not sure if applying to graduate school is even worth it. Even with good letters of recommendation (which I think I actually have a shot at), my GPA, and two years of research experience in a reputable Quantum Optics lab, admissions committees are going to see that score on the PGRE and toss me out immediately. There's no getting around that. 

So my other option is to stick around at the school I'm at now for another year (they don't require the PGRE for their masters program), take a few graduate classes, and then retake the PGRE and apply next fall. This way I could also continue with the research I am already involved in a I believe I would have a fairly good chance of getting something published.

So basically, I need to decide on this ASAP because deadlines are around the corner and I need to give professors a good bit of time if I am going to ask them for letters of recommendation. What do you guys think? Advice would be great. Thank you.

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