V158/Q159/A5 Good Enough for Applied Math?

[paridiso]

Hello,

I took the GRE a few weeks ago and got V158/Q159/A5. I'm aiming for Top 10 schools in Applied Math. Think it's worth retaking? Or should I focus on getting strong LoR's and writing a good Statement of Purpose instead?

I have a 3.77 GPA in Electrical Engineering, with minors in Math and Physics, from a Top 50 state school. I've got some decent research experience. I was first author on a conference paper and co-authored a research grant proposal (for $110k). I worked at a national lab this summer and co-authored a paper which is being submitted as an invited paper. The results of my research are being presented at a large international conference. I'm expecting to have three excellent recommendation letters.

Thanks!

[midnight]

From everything I've gathered here and elsewhere, top 10 schools look for perfect or near-perfect quant scores from STEM applicants.

Your application sounds strong, but you should practice a ton of GRE-specific problems, familiarize yourself with test tricks, and retake.

[paridiso]

Thanks. If I were to apply to an EE program instead, which would be better aligned with my research, how do you think I would fair? I'm having a tough time deciding whether to go into Applied Math with a focus on engineering, or EE with a focus on the math side of things and could pretty much go either way right now.

[rockbender]

From everything I've gathered here and elsewhere, top 10 schools look for perfect or near-perfect quant scores from STEM applicants.

Agreed. I think whether you go into Applied Math or EE, you will need to raise your Quant Score. You need at least 160+, preferably 164+ (which would put you in the 90th percentile).