Low Scores - Should I Even Apply This Year?!

[mookie03]

I'm currently a pharmacology master's student at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and I'm interested in applying to PhD programs this year (Fall 2010 application season). I work in a research laboratory at TJU full time, and I take two master's courses each term (there are four terms a year). I will be done this year, and I'm currently in the process of taking classes, working on my thesis (which I'm planning on finishing by April) and applying for PhD progams. I also worked in the pharm industry for 2 years before joining the master's program that I'm currently in. I don't have any publications.

Undergrad Stats:

B.S. University of Delaware

GPA: 3.46

Major GPA (Chemistry): 3.6

So my background isn't stellar, but I think it's solid.

My major problem is my GRE scores. My General Scores are only 650Q, 530V and 5 AW.

Ideally, I would have liked to re-take my general GRE; however, some of the schools that I would like to apply to indicated that subject GRE scores are "recommended" or "highly recommended." So I decided to just take the Chemistry GRE (which I'm taking on Saturday) and rock it and hopefully that would offset my weaker general score.

Just the way that things worked out this summer, I only been able to really study for the past two weeks. Prior to that, I was starting a new job (the one I'm currently in), taking classes, note taking for Chem GRE studying and focusing on writing my thesis proposal so that it could get approved and so that I could move on with my the thesis process. I have been taking practice Chem GREs, and unfortunatly I'm getting really low scores (below 600)! I think I've worked out a strategy to improve my score, but there's really only so much that I can do. I think the best I can hope for is a 600.

I know that graduate schools consider the whole application, but I'm considering holding off on applying to PhD programs until next year (when I'll be able to fully focus on my GRE scores and applications) because I know that I'll be up against people who'll have a better complete package. Anyone have any advice?

These are the schools that I'm planning on applying to. Some of them are a reach for me, and I was wondering if I should even apply, but as a good friend told me, "If don't apply, you're definately not getting in."

Weill Cornell

Columbia

UPenn

Tufts

Thomas Jefferson

Mount Sinai

Hopkins

[DrFaustus666]

I'm currently a pharmacology master's student at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and I'm interested in applying to PhD programs this year (Fall 2010 application season). I work in a research laboratory at TJU full time, and I take two master's courses each term (there are four terms a year). I will be done this year, and I'm currently in the process of taking classes, working on my thesis (which I'm planning on finishing by April) and applying for PhD progams. I also worked in the pharm industry for 2 years before joining the master's program that I'm currently in. I don't have any publications.

Undergrad Stats:

B.S. University of Delaware

GPA: 3.46

Major GPA (Chemistry): 3.6

So my background isn't stellar, but I think it's solid.

My major problem is my GRE scores. My General Scores are only 650Q, 530V and 5 AW.

Ideally, I would have liked to re-take my general GRE; however, some of the schools that I would like to apply to indicated that subject GRE scores are "recommended" or "highly recommended." So I decided to just take the Chemistry GRE (which I'm taking on Saturday) and rock it and hopefully that would offset my weaker general score.

Just the way that things worked out this summer, I only been able to really study for the past two weeks. Prior to that, I was starting a new job (the one I'm currently in), taking classes, note taking for Chem GRE studying and focusing on writing my thesis proposal so that it could get approved and so that I could move on with my the thesis process. I have been taking practice Chem GREs, and unfortunatly I'm getting really low scores (below 600)! I think I've worked out a strategy to improve my score, but there's really only so much that I can do. I think the best I can hope for is a 600.

I know that graduate schools consider the whole application, but I'm considering holding off on applying to PhD programs until next year (when I'll be able to fully focus on my GRE scores and applications) because I know that I'll be up against people who'll have a better complete package. Anyone have any advice?

These are the schools that I'm planning on applying to. Some of them are a reach for me, and I was wondering if I should even apply, but as a good friend told me, "If don't apply, you're definately not getting in."

Weill Cornell

Columbia

UPenn

Tufts

Thomas Jefferson

Mount Sinai

Hopkins

I can't comment on the Chemistry advanced GRE, but your general AW-5.0 is fine for almost any university and almost any major except Journalism or Creative Writing. The V-530 is OK but not stellar for a hard-science major.

The only GRE score that seems to really need improvement is your quantitative score. A 650 is only about 60th percentile over all GRE takers, and I would think admissions committees would expect somebody in the hard sciences to hit 700 or over --- for engineering it would be 760 or over.

My two cents based on what I've read here.