<p>So I took the GREs yesterday and managed to run out of time while doing the math section and ended up with a 700 Quant / 670 Verbal. How bad does the low math score look? I know the verbal is significantly above average, but I'm not sure if that matters. I'm planning on applying for a PhD in Bioengineering with a 3.96/4.00 undergrad GPA (RPI), research experience, 3 good professor recs, etc.</p>
<p>The verbal score won't really matter for engineering PhD admissions.</p>
<p>The quantitative score is really not great, but a 700 probably won't put you out of the running for a spot. It's just not a great asset.</p>
<p>Overall, the GRE is not as important in graduate admissions as the SAT is in undergraduate admissions.</p>
<p>what if you have a really low verbal score like 460? will it hurt you in grad school engineering admissions?</p>
<p>Probably not, particularly if your personal statement is written well. A low quantitative score is much more damaging to an engineering or science application than a low verbal score.</p>
<p>wooooo go RPI!</p>
<p>molliebatmit? what is considered a low quantive score? would a 760 in math be considered low?</p>
<p>Also, in another topic, is it better if the research you have been doing as an undergrad is similar to the specialized area you want to be into? what if the research you have been doing is totally different than you desired field? are you screwed? (ie you do research in solid mechanics but you write that your desired field is propulsion...) thanks</p>
<p>Well, it's difficult to designate an exact point. Ideally, you want an 800, because a huge number of your fellow applicants are going to have one. According to US News the average for a lot of the top programs is somewhere around 780.</p>
<p>It's nice if your undergrad research topic is similar to what you want to pursue in grad school, but it's absolutely not necessary. Especially if you're not even actually changing broad fields, it won't matter.</p>
<p>The best strategy is to apply as if you are going to continue in your current subfield. You don't know for sure you're going to even like doing research in the new subfield. While it's pretty common to change subfields when you get on campus, my experience in science is that professors will prefer to admit people to the program who could walk into their lab and already know what they are doing.</p>