eurekagold

I am flat out terrible with standardized math tests. I have been studying my rear off, and I was doing well in practices, but I just do terribly in the real thing. Part of the problem is that I have to work full time, plus my research, plus classes. So there is just so much going on in my life that even with studying, it is hard to focus come time for the actual test. This was my second attempt, so that is it. That is the score I am stuck with. I want to get into a genetics/cellular and molec bio PhD program. I currently have a 4.0 with 6 courses left to take. I have 2 semesters of undergraduate research, and by the time I apply, I should have at least 6 months of working as a lab tech. I have the biology department head and my research professor lined up as the first of my two letters of recommendation. I will probably either use my cell & molec bio professor or my biochem professor for my third, unless I can get a good LOR from where ever I end up working. Do I have any chance at getting into a decent school? I have the hardest time finding average GRE scores on most school website. Berkley I got as a 709 average. I am also looking at University of Illinois in Chicago, University of Washington, Northwestern University (IL), and some of the other University of California system schools. I killed my chances of University of Chicago entirely just because of the GRE score. I really want a research program with good funding, a decent name for itself, and a relatively decent job after graduation outlook. Any recommendations with a cruddy GRE score?

I have studied the basics and the concepts themselves, but I have trouble figuring out exactly where to apply them when the GRE questions are so convoluted.

Well, I know that the cutoff minimum for many of the schools I am looking at (Berkley, University of Chicago, etc.) is higher than what I have. Berkley is a 709 minimum, and U of C is 75 percentile (which is way above what I have). I have been studying for 2 1/2 months, focusing ONLY on the quantitative portion, as I knew my qualitative was already above what I needed. I understand the material I have been studying, but the questions just throw me for a loop. I seem to keep missing out on the shortcuts for each problem type. I have never been exceptional with math. Give me a formula, and I can plug in the numbers from data, but the GRE questions just keep stumping me. What I really need more than the standard math review type of books is how to tackle the actual GRE question formats. I can study the math reviews until I am blue in the face, but unless I can apply the concepts to the GRE questions themselves, it will do me no good. Are there any good resources out there for that? I have the book put out by ETS, and I have Power Prep. I also got the full access to MyGRETutor which did definitely help me out quite a bit (between all three I went up from being in the 500s to being in the 600s). However, it is apparently still not enough.

I am a biology undergraduate student. I want to get my PhD in genetics and genomics. I am taking the GRE this weekend, but I just cannot seem to get my quantitative to a reasonable score. I am not sure if I am just not using the right study material or if my math anxiety (and possible dyscalculia) is coming into play overly much. I know a good portion of it is simply wading through the wording of the quantitative problems, as the math questions are rarely like what I have experienced in actual math classes. Furthermore, the time limit puts me into instant panic mode no matter what I do, and I end up making many stupid mistakes. STATS - By the time I apply, I will have about 1 1/2 years of research to my name. If all goes well (and I get a job when I am hoping to), I will have at least 6 months of experience working as a lab tech. - I currently have a 4.0 with only a few classes left to take. - Practice test (Power Prep) GRE scores: 620 (88th percentile) V, 630 (59th percentile...ouch) Q - Pertinent classes (sciences/math) I have/will have: Genetics, general chem, organic chem, biochem, calculus, physics, general biology, molecular and cellular biology, evolution, ecology, developmental biology, biodiversity, advanced investigations in biology (a general upper level course designed to introduce students to various aspects of research, etc.). - I have always been an excellent essayist, so I am not very concerned about the AW section. Is there any chance of getting into a decent school with a good research facilities/funding and a reasonable graduate job outcome? What about funding? I utterly fail at finding average and minimum GRE scores for universities unless they list it in their admissions section of their website, and very few schools have responded to my emails. I am extremely despondent at the moment due to my quantitative scores. I do know that many of the schools I was wanting require at least the 75 percentile, which is in the 730+ range for quantitative. Obviously my chances of that are nil unless I can find a way to vastly improve my score. Any advice that anyone can give would be most appreciated. :/