newms

There is still plenty of time to re do your GRE and yes it will raise questions at some programs. I have no doubt that you should be able to score much higher, so if I were you, I would try to redo the GRE next month, maybe at the end of Oct, and use the time until then to practice, practice, practice. Your application looks strong (aside from the GRE) so I would really encourage you to redo it if you can.

fire ants

+1 to everything hahahut said. Here are my thoughts on your questions: 1) I don't think this sentence works " Inreturn, I will give your program as many years as is takes of uncompromisinglyhard work. I have no illusions about the difficulty of successfully completinga PhD, I only ask that you give me the opportunity and help to do so." There's a trick to writing SOPs, in that you have to demonstrate your passion, your skills and your research experience/interests in what you write. So just saying 'I will work hard' or 'I have a passion for this' is no good. What you should say is something along the lines of describing your REU experience and your interests in such as way as to convey just how important this is to you. So in other words, don't say that you will work hard, but show it in how you worked for your REU. Show your passion for the subject by detailing challenges you faced on your REU and what you did to overcome them. Show that you are a problem-solver and someone who is committed to pursuing your goals. 2) As for the other REUs, they may not match with your current interests but they can show how you work in a lab setting. Write about how you overcame a challenge or solved a problem on the project. Show how you benefited from the experience and how you contributed to the research/project. REU experience, even if not related to your current interest, is an asset - don't hide it. 3) I think I see this from a different perspective. I think profs are looking for people that match up well with what they are doing, so the more detailed you are the better your chances of getting in would be. Just make sure that the prof is looking for new students to join their group/lab (if its close to the deadline it may be too late to ask the prof though). I think that admissions committees expect that what you write in your SOP will not limit your interests over the next several years, in fact they may expect that your interests will grow/mature or lead you in another direction as you pursue your studies. What I do think they expect (and I'm no expert) is to see an SOP that is focused - they want to see that you can outline a plan of study, even if you it's not necessarily the exact one that you end up pursuing.

To answer your specific questions: 1) Yes you can mention interests in working with more than 1 lab or more than 1 prof. In many cases, that's encouraged. 2) I think you could have been more detailed, and wrote more about your REU. Specifically how does it tie in with what you want to do in grad school. You could write a lot more here and I think your SOP would be better for it. 3) I though the point about your grandma was a good touch and helps to explain your motivation. Keep it in IMO. 4) 526 is a bit on the low side unless they specify otherwise. Usually an SOP is about 1000 words but some places will say 500 or 750, so I am not sure if there are any specific instructions for your application. I'm sending a few general observations via PM.

Working on the first post!

Thanks!

We don't mean to pressure you bgk - we're just anxious to go

You're welcome. You should add your result to the Grad Cafe's survey if you haven't already here: http://thegradcafe.com/survey/post.php

Army Rangers

That's true, I hadn't thought that maybe the OP was on a waitlist, but as you said, it still is kinda late for the notification.

I know, I'm champing at the bit, raring to go too. I've got my first post all thought out.

Your chances at the first three schools you gave are probably low- possibly around 10% at each school, just because there are so many well qualified applicants for those top schools. At Georgia Tech your chances might be a little higher. There are quite a lot of very good schools that you should consider applying to as well in the 10 - 20 range, like Michigan, Pennsylvania, University of Maryland at College Park, Massachusetts as well as a few others in the top 50 to give yourself the best chances of pursuing your PhD.

Your research experience and letters are of much more importance than your GRE scores, which are not terrible by the way and probably wouldn't be disqualifying from a top school. That said, if you feel you can score higher on the verbal, then go for it. A 600-650 looks a lot better than a 570 and you want to give yourself the best possible chance at a top school. As for if the schools see when you do the test more than once, the answer is yes. However at the end of the test, if you feel you have done badly, you can always cancel it, and they would just see the first test you did.

I totally sympathize with how you felt when you sent that email. You probably shouldn't have sent it, but don't worry about it. It can't be changed at this point and what you said in the email is true, if a bit rude/raw. They really should have sent you an apology for sending the notice so late.

Texas longhorn

I'm glad it worked out well!

outback steakhouse

zero sum

travel agent

Congrats!

I think you have a great shot at top schools. Your research experience is what really counts for the very top schools and you have first author papers at the top conferences in your field, so you really have good chances. Keep in mind that applying to the very top schools is still a crap shoot since there are so many well qualified applicants, but you seem to have the kind of profile that they are looking for. Best of luck!

time zone

I'm not sure about which universities would be a good match for you - that's really research you're going to have to do yourself. You didn't mention any research experience - that would help your application a lot. Also taking the GRE in Decemeber might be late unless you are applying to schools that have deadlines in mid-January or early Feb (especially for international applicants).