<p>I am going to be a senior in materials engineering at UIUC. My gpa is 3.63. I have already been an undergrad research assistant for 2 years. I am taking the GRE in the summer. However, I had to replace 2 classes because I had a bad sophomore year. How much will this hurt my chances of getting into a great graduate school for materials engineering like Northwestern or Stanford?</p>
<p>If your most recent grades are stronger than those in your first years, then you stand a chance. however, your GRE scores and letters of reference will be very important. Make sure you apply to a range of programs, however, because the the competition at the most selective programs is very high and if your application does not make the first cut, you will find yourself without any acceptances. You can find out about various programs from the national Research Council survey of 2007 (a bit old but very rich database) [PhDs.org:</a> Jobs for PhDs, graduate school rankings, and career resources](<a href=“http://phds.org%5DPhDs.org:”>http://phds.org)</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>