GRE: 317( V-147, Q-170) Is a good score?

[rohan1992]

Hi this is Rohan from India,I gave my GRE 2 days back and got 317(perfect quant),I wanted to know is this a good score to get into Top 20 US universities or into Swiss Unversities(ETh and EPFL). I know universities do look for overall profile,but there aren't any other factors which can boost my profile.Please Reply what are my chances in getting into these Universities.

 

My Profile:

GRE- 317(Q-170,V-147)

TOEFL-Yet to give

Acads-8.9/10 (WES 3.96/4)

Two summer trainings and Two minor projects.

1 final year research project, will NOT be able to convert it into a publication as there is no proper guidance.

Plus I have 2-3 relevant Coursera certifications and Loads of Extra-curriculars.

 

Universities Planning to:

1.CMU

2.UIUC

3.ETH Zurich

4.NUS singapore

5.EPFL 

6.Gatech

7.UCLA

 

P.S-I'm in great predicament and need some help,genuine guidance will be appreciated.

[JessePinkman]

go through the minimum verbal score requirements of each of these universities! If youre above it then you should be fine I think as you have an excellent GPA with summer trainings, research project and extra curriculars. The only problem can be the verbal score. But if youre above the minimum then youre good to go!

[rohan1992]

Hey thanks for the reply,I have checked US universities sites and have read in various forums that these Universities doesn't consider much verbal score for MS in CS that too from a non-native speaker,plus I'm expecting a Toefl score of 100+. I think Verbal will not be problem though,but I don't have any publication will that create a problem?

[microarray]

 I don't have any publication will that create a problem?

Hi Rohan! Most undergrads do not have publications, so don't worry about this!

 

Best of luck!

[hj2012]

Your V score shouldn't be a problem, provided that you do well on the TOEFL. I would aim for 105+.

[rohan1992]

Thanks guys for suggestions and I do appreciate them, I'm inclined towards ETH Zurich and UCLA, Anyone having application Experience with them..?

[Kleene]

I got admitted to ETH (the MS in CS). It seems like an amazing program, but I decided to go with a better offer. I got 170Q and 162V, also an international student and a non-native speaker. What do you want to know? When do you intend to apply?

[JessePinkman]

Thanks guys for suggestions and I do appreciate them, I'm inclined towards ETH Zurich and UCLA, Anyone having application Experience with them..?

UCLA wouldnt be a problem I think looking at this year's admits. But again they are eccentric. One of my friend who applied this year for CS told me that last year they didnt accept Indian students at all so he didnt apply this year. But I have seen them accepting Indian students this year. 

[rohan1992]

Hi kleene,thanks for your reply, I will be applying for fall 2015,

1.I wanted to know do these universities only look for Quant score from a non-native speaker or overall GRE score?

2.I don't have any publication,but one major research project on which I won't be able to publish a paper,will this be enough in getting into ETH or Other mentioned Universities?

3.What is your overall profile,means GPA,Toefl or publication?

4.Why aren't you going to ETH(reason),what other admits did you recieved?

5.I will have 3 months experience till October this year as I'm passing out in 2014 only,should I apply for fall 2015 or should I get more experience and then apply for fall 2016?

6.Is ETH too expensive and getting jobs after your MS is very difficult or NON-EORPEANS?

7.I wanted to do PHD. but only after I'm able to recover my money spend in Masters,thus,will Swiss will be a better option or US?

[rohan1992]

Yes Jesse,UCLA is unpredictable,plus I'm not inclined towards US as its overwhelmed with Indian Students and universities are rejecting applications without even having a glance over them. I know US is the IT hub and I may get job after my MS in US but getting a Job is not my sole purpose,I want to pursue PhD that too from a Good university,that's why I have short-listed Swiss and Singapore Universities. 

[Kleene]

Hi kleene,thanks for your reply, I will be applying for fall 2015,

1.I wanted to know do these universities only look for Quant score from a non-native speaker or overall GRE score?

2.I don't have any publication,but one major research project on which I won't be able to publish a paper,will this be enough in getting into ETH or Other mentioned Universities?

3.What is your overall profile,means GPA,Toefl or publication?

4.Why aren't you going to ETH(reason),what other admits did you recieved?

5.I will have 3 months experience till October this year as I'm passing out in 2014 only,should I apply for fall 2015 or should I get more experience and then apply for fall 2016?

6.Is ETH too expensive and getting jobs after your MS is very difficult or NON-EORPEANS?

7.I wanted to do PHD. but only after I'm able to recover my money spend in Masters,thus,will Swiss will be a better option or US?

 

1. As far as I know quantitative is more important, but do not count on universities being more lenient because you are a non-native speaker. Eventually you will be able to master the same material, so if your verbal skills lack they might just as well pick someone else. Verbal scores are usually seen in perspective with your TOEFL/IELTS results. It may be a problem if both are a bit low. If you check the results search you see that some applicants with below 150 verbals did get in.

2. In Europe it is pretty rare to have any research experience beyond your undergrad thesis. As long as you did one research project you should be fine. Publications are not expected at all in Europe. You should be fine for ETH.

3. Three research projects (one relevant), 4.0/4.0 GPA, IELTS 8.5 (which is about equivalent to 115 TOEFL), Pre-University College, Honours College, a year's worth fo linguistics courses, prestigious summer school, teaching assistant.

4. I got an offer for the Oxford course in Mathematics and the Foundations of Computer Science. I choose it over ETH for a number of reasons. The foremost reason is that I have a lot more to learn in Oxford. The Swiss education system is pretty standard and similar to the one in my country, while Oxford has the tutorial system and in this particular course examines only by means of written projects. Written projects are much more similar to the research I intend to pursue later. Hence, they are more useful than written exams. On top of that, housing in Zurich is hard to come by. If you want to pay a reasonable price you will have to live far from the university. Not only does this make socializing relatively hard, it would also imply long commutes. I have been commuting 75 minutes one-way for the last six years, so I would love to try the campus life for a change. I am not the most outgoing person, so I think Oxford's college system would benefit me. Another factor would be the fellow students. In Oxford even UK nationals need awesome credentials to get in, while in ETH Swiss students get in no matter what. Given that half the ETH MS student body is Swiss, I believe the standard in Oxford are higher.

5. Personally, I do not think you need any more experience than you already have unless you have to compensate for irregularities in your CV or transcripts.

6. Tuition fees in ETH are virtually non-existent. Living in Zurich is rather expensive though. I am not sure how hard it is for internationals to get a job, but I know that you are not allowed to stay after your study unless you have a job. Switzerland is quite strict in that regard.

7. You are aware that PhDs are usually funded? You are not supposed to go into any more debt for the PhD, so I am not exactly sure why you would want to postpone a PhD. I read in the results search that someone got an offer for a 70.000 CHF stipend at ETH which is ridiculously much. I seriously wonder whether that might be a typo. If that is the true amount this guy got offered, you might be able to save up while doing your PhD at ETH. Getting in for a MS is by no means an entrance into their PhD.

 

Best of luck to you!