<p>I am a chemical engineering major but I research in a chemistry lab. Would grad schools frown upon this? (Need to hear particularly from ChemE grad students/admission officers)</p>
<p>I have a 3.5 (will be a third year). Is this sufficient?</p>
<p>What grad schools do you recommend for ChemE (I know UC berkeley, MIT, U of Minnesota)?</p>
<p>Is job experience helpful for applying? I have focused on research instead.</p>
<p>What tests should I prepare to take? GRE? Any subject related GRE for ChemE?
When should I start taking them (my third year)? And how many times?</p>
<p>Any help would be appreciated!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I'm not Chem major, but your job experience sounds relevant. And why would grad school frown upon any job, let alone one that is related to your major? Job experience is only a plus when it comes to admission, and not a necessity. </p>
<p>People will tell you that GPA is only one of many factors that grad schools take into account. But 3.5 may be a bit low for Berkeley since they have one of the best Chemistry programs in the world. You should try and bump it to 3.7 or so in the remaining year.</p>
<p>As for the GRE, I'm not aware of any required test beside the normal Quant/verbal GRE. I could be wrong, but I thought I'd throw in my 2c.</p>
<p>First read "Grad School Admissions 101" pinned to the top of this section.</p>
<p>You will almost certainly have to take the GRE General, and possibly the Chemistry subject test. Check the admissions websites of the programs you're interested in. </p>
<p>Given the opportunity, ETS will screw up somehow so you want to take the tests in plenty of time to 1) Let ETS score them, 2) re-take if you choke, 3) when you start sending in applications, have time to follow up when ETS mis-directs one or more sets of scores. IMHO, the best time will be just after your 3rd year - mid-summer at the latest. </p>
<p>Relevant job experience is always helpful, but research is the "sine qua non" of science/engineering admissions. The other key factors will be your LORs and SOP. </p>
<p>For specific programs, start talking to your professors. They will know your abilities, the type of work being done at other programs, and where you will likely "fit". </p>
<p>Finally, since you are new, there are a 2 people here you should ALWAYS listen to: MollieBatMIT, and Professor X.</p>
<p>I think the best way to know about graduate admission in engineering is to consult with a professor who is or used to be in the admission committee of an enginering department.</p>
<p>True, both Mollie and Professor X provide very valuable information, but keep in mind that they may know very well about the admission process of their own subjects (biology and humanities, if I remember correctly), other fields such as engineering may differ signficantly. </p>
<p>For example, I know in biomedical sciences, LOR and research experience are the two most important criteria they look for, but in engineering they 'might' weigh GPA more heavily than LOR since they need to be sure you can handle the core courses.</p>
<p>Hello Im new to this sight and had a question about the weight of your GPA in grad school admissions...
I am a transfer student entering my fourth year at a UC, I want to go to grad school but am unsure of what GPA is acceptable when applying to grad school. Yes, i know GPA will vary depending on which grad school/program you are applying too. I am thinking about a MA in education,envir policy,soc. sciences, or maybe population studies. What GPA should i shoot for if i apply to Berekely's MA in Demography OR a soc sci MA degree????Any feedback would be helpful!thanks</p>
<p>Always shoot for as high a GPA as you can get.</p>
<p>WilliamC, I'm blushing. :)</p>
<p>As always, I'll echo everyone by saying that you should talk to a trusted professor in your department about your concerns. If you say to a professor, "I have a 3.5, where do you think that puts me for grad school admissions?" he or she will probably not hesitate before telling you precisely where that puts you in terms of past students from your school who have applied to similar programs. And he or she will probably be right, too.</p>