Should I list publications in low ranking journals on my application?

[jdoe192]

Ya that's pretty much my question. 

 

Some background information: Applying to OR, stats and biostats programs, international student with a BS from a US school (top 100 nationally) in Mathematics and Economics. GPA= 3.96. took all the important classes (all A's, A- in real analysis,  B+ in probability --annoying professor, some grad level econometrics classes). Have one publication in a top medical journal (2nd author). Projected GRE score 160Q 159V , there is no telling what my W score will be, i guess (taking it this week). Four very solid rec letters. 

 

Applying to:

1- OR: 

MIT

Columbia 

Cornell 

Princeton 

 

2- Stats

Harvard 

Columbia 

Cornell 

 

3- Biostats

Harvard

Johns Hopkins 

BU 

 

here is my question:

I have another publication in a pretty low ranking machine learning journal. It's actually a pretty good paper, if you ask me, but we just didn't have the time to submit it to fancier places. 

 

I am the first author on the paper though. Does it help/ hurt my chances to list the latter publication?

 

Side question: I cant seem to get my practice score higher for the GRE. is this something that i should be worried about?

 

 

[GCool]

B+ in probability --annoying professor

 

 

a pretty good paper, if you ask me, but we just didn't have the time to submit it to fancier places. 

 

A paper is a paper. You got something published in undergrad, and professors like that.

 

I'd be more concerned about what I quoted - 2 bold-faced excuses in about 200 words. They'll be impressed by your research, but they won't give a shit about your annoying probability professor or how you didn't have time to submit the paper to bigger publications.

[jdoe192]

Erm. I will obviously not write these excuses in my app. But thanks for the insight. 

[GCool]

Pardon me, but it wasn't made abundantly clear that you wouldn't write them in - especially given the questions you were asking.

[bsharpe269]

Definitely include the paper in your application.

[sild]

Include the paper (in fact you could upload it as supplemental material, especially if you feel the paper outranks the journal, but I agree you don't want to put it that way ).  If you can't increase the GRE-Q, you need some safety schools.  Even in biostats the median score in top schools is going to be over 165.  I'd feel confident about BU biostat but not the others unless that goes up.