Black Beauty

I do not believe that there is any correlation between doing very well in Calculus courses and performing well on the GRE. I based this on the fact that I also did very well in Multivariable Calculus which was the only math course I took since the Fall semester of my freshman year. I bought 3 GRE practice books and realized that although I could do the math, I always ran out of TIME. I had to change my approach which included reading the questions and graphs very carefully the first time (I have a habit of reading problems twice to ensure my understanding) and doing many practice problems at a faster rate of speed. Doing problems at faster rate of speed also meant I had to avoid careless mistakes which was not always an easy task. Your 3.5 GPA, extensive research, SOP, and LORs are 4 out of 5 things your PhD program will be considering so I believe these can help compensate for your GREs. How close are those deadlines? If it is possible, I think you should try the GREs again.

I heard those same words from a PI I did research. I thought that was kind of her to say but know that the application process is not always what can be expected. I put forth what I thought was a very good application and can only hope that the admission committees at the schools I applied to want me to be a part of their programs. I have applied to 4 out of 7 schools and will send out the other 3 applications within the next few days. I admit that I do worry and hope that I can get into at least two of these schools. I say two because I want to be able to have options. But if I only get one, I will be very happy. Since you have been told that your SOPs and LOR are good, I also think, as mentioned above, that you should consider finding specific research topics in Marine Science that interests you, find PIs who are currently doing research in those areas, and then rewrite your SOPs to include your specific interests. You did not mention your GPA or GRE scores but could they pose problems for your applications?

I was just about to post a question, "Do schools admit applicants before the application deadline?" Why would schools admit applicants before deadlines? Especially since they would not have had the opportunity to see all submitted applications. This is discouraging.

@caliroll Although I am in agreement that students should be forewarned if they are in danger of failing a course and given sufficient time to improve, did the professor not give a syllabus with the grading criteria? Were there no tests, labs or papers that were returned to you to indicate how you were doing in the course? It will take a little time to get your bearings back but you will get your confidence back. You cannot allow this obstacle to define all the work you have put forth to get you where you are today.

@Akshita Garg I believe that many schools have some type of 'cut off' for GRE scores before even beginning to look at applications. Did you check to see if MSU and UT Austin listed average or median GRE scores for their graduate school or the program you're applying to? Others on this forum have also mentioned that schools may overlook a low GRE score (not sure how low) if you have an excellent GPA. If you have other applications to submit, is it possible to re-take the GREs to obtain a higher verbal score? I apology for not being able to give more productive advice and am sorry that your application cycle has started off in a negative way.

That is what happened to me at one of the schools I applied to. When my application was submitted, the status for my GRE scores changed about 2 days later although I had sent the school my scores three weeks earlier.

Yes, they will NOT review any documents if ALL supporting (LORs and GREs) documents are not received by the above stated deadline.

Because I have a parent who sacrificed a LOT to allow me to choose the undergraduate school I attended for which I will always be grateful, I am always aware of finances. I researched schools and professors whose research I was very interested in carefully as to not apply to schools that I truly believed I would not 'fit' into. My hope is that my due diligence pays off with the 7 schools I selected. In addition to very high applications fees, I find the cost of taking the GREs and sending extra reports to schools outrageous. I too believe that I took full advantage of what my undergraduate school offered, including many research opportunities, and will never second-guess the hard work I put forth. I majored in two sciences and had two sets of lab sections for 7 out of 8 semesters. As happy as I was to see graduation day, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I have to believe that my hard work will 'pay' off.

I believe the nervousness that the majority of us are feeling are all too common. I submitted applications to 4 out of the 7 schools I am applying to on November 25th and am already wondering if anyone in admissions has read my application yet? (Crazy huh?) On some days, I think my chances are very good because my GPA/ GREs / Research experiences and I believe LORs are very good. But from what I gather from perusing this forum, applicants with average stats are doing almost as good (as far as acceptances into grad programs) as those with what would be considered very good stats. That brings me back to reality rather quickly. I have read my SOP way too many times. Each time I wonder what else could I have added, could I have made it flow better, and the questions go on and on. I had a combination of 3 professors/ 2 PIs that I used for my LORs and wondered if I had the right combination of '3' for the various schools I applied and will apply to. The one thing I am sure about is the fact that I only applied to schools that I truly wanted to attend. I do have a few that I would be ecstatic if I was admitted but will be happy to attend any of the other 5 if admitted. I wish you both success in this application process.

At one of the schools I applied to, my status page indicated that they were awaiting my GRE scores. I emailed the admissions office stating that according to ETS, my scores were electronically delivered 2 weeks prior. I received an email from the admissions office indicating that my scores would now be matched to my application since my application was now on file.

If the apartment was furnished by the apartment complex then a roommate agreement specifying the responsibility of each roommate, with everyone signing on the dotted line, is definitely in order. This must be done because everyone living in the apartment will be held responsible for replacing what was broken irregardless of who broke what. If the apartment is furnished by one of the roommates then the person who breaks the equipment must replace it. But I think all the roommates should sit down and have a serious discussion about these hypotheticals in advance.

Would you elaborate on what you mean by 57%? 57% usually means you are below average.

The definition of one’s character can be summed up by the words of Thomas Macaulay, "The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out." I couldn't help myself.

I think you should check "Yes". If you do not get any funding then from your statement above, you didn't expect any. Therefore, there is no harm in checking "Yes". I have not experience this question in any of my applications. But since you have already contacted the school and have not gotten an adequate response, I would take the chance because SOME funding, no matter how little, is better than loans.

But make sure you pursue all possibilities in trying to get that third academic recommendation. I agree with everyone else on not pursuing Prof 3 anymore.

I am in agreement with those who said that it is a good idea to mention faculty members' names on your SOP. This is an old post but I agree with this statement. Seven out of the eight PhD programs I am applying to ask that you mention the names of faculty members that you would like to work with in your SOP. Therefore, I looked at numerous professors' websites to find faculty members whose research aligned with my interests. Because these schools specifically ask for names of professors, I believe it would be beneficial to mention names on your SOP.

blc073 echoed a question I was going to ask after reading the first response to this post. You do not have to worry about your GPA. Although it is not the end all as far as applications are concern, research experiences seem to give applicants an edge.

Is it possible, financially or time-wise, to re-take the GREs before your first application deadline? If not, then I believe you will need to look at schools that are not as competitive. 17% is cause for concern on the part of the admissions committee at all schools.

Marietyb11 It is easy for others to say the words, "Apply for scholarships" because I have to wonder how many scholarships they have applied to. One has to realize that there's a lot of work involved in applying for scholarships that, not only give a good bit of funding, but are also very competitive. In any case, i suggest that you try to find at least one scholarship that you can apply to. Although it maybe competitive, take the chance anyway. I am also applying to graduate schools for Fall 2017 and applying to two funding opportunities which are both competitive and time consuming. I hope to apply to 1 or 2 other funding opportunities whose deadlines are after January 1st because I will have some time to do so. Although I still have parental financial support, for which I am very grateful, I am sympathetic to your situation. Did you consider calling the schools you are applying to and asking for application fee waivers? Staara304 mentioned that there's a program that would pay 50% of the GRE fee. Ask for the name of the program, if you have to take the GREs. I realize that $102 is a lot for someone with nearly NO grad income, but hopefully you can find a way. I am still trying to figure out, probably to no avail, why ETS needs to charge $27 per school (after the 4 afforded to you) to send scores electronically. I can only hope that 2017 will be a better year for you. Good luck on your applications for Fall 2017.

Bioenchilada You answered a question I wanted to ask awhile ago. I was going to ask if schools paid for your travel and room when they want you to come in for an interview.

Definitely call customer service again. If you are able to, I suggest you call around the time (8:00 am est ) they begin to take calls. I also experienced very long waiting times. Since I had them on speaker phone while I worked, it did not seem that bad. I have been trying to register for the past 4 days but have had tremendous difficulties. According to several of their customer service representatives, ETS is revamping their computer system. I assume they have ran into some problems and are having difficulties resolving these issues. Yesterday, I was able to get someone who, after talking to her supervisor, stated that she would register me. This was after many attempts of other representatives stating that they could not. Keep trying because they are able to register by phone.