<p>Just checked my GRE scores and I scored significantly below what I was expecting as a chem major. I received a 720 54%. My practice exams had all been between 800-860 and 77-88%. Will this affect my chances in getting a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry at schools such as (I know some of these do not require the chem GRE):</p>
<p>UNC-Chapel Hill
Ill-Urbana-Champaign
Northwestern University
Yale
Upenn
UC Santa Barbara
MIT
Berkeley</p>
<p>My other stats are:
3.59/4.00 GPA at an R1 public university
1460 GRE (780Q 680V 6.0AW)
3 graduate courses
2 years research in physical chemistry, 1 publication (impact 2) 2nd author
2 years research in inorganic chemistry under department head (fairly well known)
2 publications being written/submitted 2-3 author on each, patent
Two great letters of rec from research advisors, one alright one from a professor</p>
<p>How much impact will that GRE have?</p>
<p>Is your chem GPA high? If it is than the subject GRE might not hurt you at all. However, the GRE may be used as a tie breaker between you an another applicant.</p>
<p>My Chem GPA is not terribly high: it’s 3.65 now but should be going up. My overall for junior year was 3.77 and for senior year I hope to do the same or better.</p>
<p>Mustang, if I were you I wouldn’t worry too much about that score. We’re applying to a lot of the same schools (also chem) and it doesn’t seem like the chem GRE is a big factor for any of them. For instance, UNC explicitly tells applicants not to send the chem gre scores. And in any case your score is actually not bad. For instance at Northwestern the average chem gre score of accepted applicants was 694 last year. Considering the rest of your stats/experience I don’t think the chem gre score should be a problem.</p>
<p>Yeah I looked up those facts but I was hoping to help myself out. I slacked off a little freshman/sophomore year and have been trying to make up for it. Btw, congrats on your score! I figure I made most cutoffs but probably hurt myself a little/at least did no good. At least I’m in the process of talking to professors at UNC, etc. and they’ve been generally positive towards me. We’ll see what happens I guess. Good luck on your applications though.</p>
<p>should I address it in the SOP or just leave it since it meets the cutoffs?</p>
<p>As long as you are a domestic applicant, your scores are perfect. I am an international applicant and everyone in my program has close to 900+ in the Physics GRE. </p>
<p>How long did you study for the chem GRE? And what practise material did you use? Some practise materials overscore you</p>
<p>“should I address it in the SOP or just leave it since it meets the cutoffs?”
I wouldn’t mention it in the SOP. In general I think it’s risky to attract the attention of the admission committee to a perceived weakness. I think the only exception would be it’s something blatant, such as say having an exceptionally low GPA, having no research experience, etc. On the other hand the chem GRE score is such a minor part of the application (especially if you come from a well known university) that it might barely get a glance, or even get glossed over entirely.</p>