<p>I'd like to know how much weight is put on the GRE scores in the admission process. I started to learn English just one year ago and my GRE general verbal score is 400. My math score was much better (750) and I also had 101 in the TOEFL iBT. I had a 4.0 gpa in both highschool and college (valedictorian) and I also won 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize in the National Chemistry Olympiad, among many other distinctions. I applied to the Chemistry Departments at Harvard, Cal Tech, MIT, Columbia, Dartmouth, Stanford, Boston College, Boston U and I'd like to know what are my chances to get in at least one of them. Are those bad scores going to ruin my application?</p>
<p>I'm not sure of the minimum score.. but there is a minimum TOEFL score. The TOEFL would be used to evaluate your application in lieu of your GRE verbal score.</p>
<p>have you done research before?</p>
<p>I was going to suggest that you shoot for a 500 verbal, which isn't that much farther from a 400, but you're probably talking about this admissions season and it'd be too late.</p>
<p>Generally, the GRE is an afterthought (meaning almost useless) for admissions, albeit because everyone does well. Rankings for engineering don't even include verbal scores and math scores all average 750+.</p>
<p>I'd be less concerned with the 400 verbal and more concerned with the 750 quant. For any hard sciences or economics program competitive applicants generally have 770 quant at a MINIMUM. Many have 800.</p>
<p>As the poster above me said, if your applying for chemistry, you want to rock the quant part of the GRE's. The verbal part doesn't mean that much at all, as far as I know. I'm fairly sure that math, chemistry, physics ect. departments aren't really looking for students with amazing verbal skills. Also, if your planning on applying at any of the cream of the crop schools, you might want to break out an 800 on the Q section of the GRE. I may be wrong, but I am guessing that most of the applicants at MIT in chemistry have college transcripts that look fairly similar: 4.0 GPA, 800 Quant, Garbage to Mediocre Verbal. Again, just my impression.</p>
<p>i'd say shoot for 500 verbal at least.
i've some friends who have amazing stats (competitions, double majors, stellar GPA, excellent research, excellent letter of rec..etc), but didin't get into any top CS programs because they scored very low on verbal (they are non-native speakers).
400 verbal might~ be okay, but i'd say 500 is the safety net.</p>
<p>I just received a letter from Boston University. I don't have to pay tuition fees and they give me a 24,000$ stipend for 12 months. How is this offer? Should I accept it? I was thinking that I should send this letter to some other schools I'm applying-would that help in any way?</p>
<p>cataxxx,</p>
<p>You want to send your BU acceptance letter to other schools? Why exactly what you want to do that? Coercion? I'm guessing that wouldn't be the smartest move. Maybe I misread your question though.</p>
<p>The deal that BU is giving you sounds sweet. Unless something better comes up, take the offer. You will thank me when you don't have crushing debt in a few years.</p>
<p>Stipends don't get higher than that as far as I know. I'd take it! But then, I don't know what your other options are like</p>
<p>
[quote]
I just received a letter from Boston University. I don't have to pay tuition fees and they give me a 24,000$ stipend for 12 months. How is this offer? Should I accept it? I was thinking that I should send this letter to some other schools I'm applying-would that help in any way?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That is a nice offer, but don't feel pressured to accept now. Give it time so you can see all of your options, visit schools, and really think about which situation is best for you. No one can fault you for making a well-informed decision when it dictates where you will be for 4-5 years. Even BU shouldn't want you to rush into a decision, because they don't want to invest time and money into you if you are going to hate it there and end up leaving after a few months. Take your time.</p>
<p>
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I was thinking that I should send this letter to some other schools I'm applying-would that help in any way?
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<p>Do NOT do that. I don't think they will take it well that you are trying to strong arm them.</p>
<p>Now, if some schools are taking too much time to decide on you (i.e. really close to when you have to accept and reject offers), you can politely explain the situation. Tell them you are very interested in there school, but have other offers that require you to make a decision if they do not accept you.</p>
<p>My son has 2 acceptances, both with no tuition or fees and a stipend, but he is still going to wait until he has heard from all the schools. He still has a paid visit and interview to one to attend so he is keeping his options open. So, relax, wait for the others and feel good knowing you have a nice offer in your pocket.</p>
<p>so i'm pretty sure that any school worth its salt will somehow get it's grad students in sciences paid for and with stipend. I've never heard of it any other way, i'm pretty sure what BU offered you is completely normal.</p>
<p>That being said don't worry about sending other programs that offer, it'd just be tacky.</p>
<p>So I just got into Harvard for chemistry and I had a 690 quant on the GREs. My GPA was a 3.6 and I got to Tufts but I did get a second author publication in JACS. I also got into Caltech. You should definitely get into Dartmouth, BU and BC though because you look pretty impressive.</p>
<p>Were you accepted this year to Harvard? When did you receive your acceptance letter?</p>
<p>Yes I was. I just found out yesterday for chemistry and chemical biology. Good luck!</p>
<p>Congradulations, excalibur313:). Could you tell me when did you send your application documentss? I sent mine just before the deadline and the scores later.</p>
<p>I sent mine at the end of november, so probably 3 weeks before the deadline.</p>