softlan

Thanks for the great (and honest) replies! I'm guaranteed intake at Norways top Science University because of my grades so it's not an emergency but it would definitely be better for my research interests and experience to do graduate study at either one of the schools I'm applying to in the US. My SoP should be quite strong and I think I have solid LoRs. The only obvious weakness I have at this point (beside my GRE scores ) is the fact that I lack any major research experience. In my B.Sc. the last semester consists almost entirely of research work (a minimum of 400 hours, probably around 550-600 hours) so at the time I have very little or none official experience. Of course I mention this and say what my paper will be on in my SoP. Will this represent a huge drawback for me in the application process? Unrelated to the previous paragraph: In Norway every student gets a loan from the State Educational Loan Fund so I'm guaranteed money to pay for my tuition etc and will not depend on RA or TA positions. Is this something that the admissions committee will see as a big plus?

Hi guys, Just got my results from the paper-based GRE test... Q: 740 (!) V: 450 AW: 3.0 (!!) Generally I'm good in mathematics (A in all my college level courses) and have at least an average writing proficiency. I don't know what happened but it's too late to retake the GRE before admissions deadline. I'm applying to MIT, Caltech and UCB mech. eng. Is it pointless to finish my applications? I'm foreign and scored 8.0 on my IELTS test (out of 9) but will these scores destroy my chances?

Hi I’m a Norwegian undergrad student at a university college of acceptable standards. I’m taking my bachelor in mechanical engineering and starting on my last year now. My grades ranks me at least in the top 5 of my class, I have done some TA work in mechanics, I'm receiving a small grant for straight A's in all my mathematic courses, doing a summer internship at Statoil (the #1 desired employer for engineering and business/economics students in Norway) and I'm going to teach high school students mathematics this fall and next spring. I have very little knowledge of American admissions processes at top universities but I was hoping some of you guys could maybe estimate my chances for admissions? I’m thinking of applying to MIT, Stanford, Berkeley and Caltech. So far I have learned that I will have to take an IELTS test and GRE General Test. But some have said that since I’m from Norway I don’t need to take the IELTS test (we have 10 years of mandatory English in school and mostly all of our literature at undergrad level is in English). Does anybody know if this is true? Do I need to take (or to put it this way: would I benefit of taking) a GRE Subject Test? Is there a quota system for international students at American universities? I would be very grateful for helpful answers!