<p>i'm thinking of applying to berkeley, mit, caltech, etc for a MS or phD program in mechanical engineering</p>
<p>i'm currently a physics major with a 3.85 gpa, but so far this semester, which is my second-to-last as an undergrad, my gpa is probably ~3.0</p>
<p>i will probably have average letters of recommendation from a prof in one of my former classes, a prof i did a REU with, and my current prof who i'm helping with his research</p>
<p>for the GRE verbals, so far i'm scoring in the high 400- low 500 range</p>
<p>if my grades dont improve this semester, how badly will it reflect on my chances of getting into a good school? </p>
<p>i used the gpa calculator, and at this current rate, my cum gpa will drop from 3.85 to 3.75</p>
<p>Are these upper level courses or elective courses? If the former, try to take graduate level courses/more upper level courses in the coming terms and make sure you do well. Admission to Ph.D. for mechanical engineering for MIT/Berkeley/Caltech and other top schools is ridiculously competitive. Focus on your major GPA and upper level major course GPA (which Berkeley, and MIT ask for explicitly, separately from cumulative.)</p>
<p>'Are these upper level courses or elective courses? If the former, try to take graduate level courses/more upper level courses in the coming terms and make sure you do well. Admission to Ph.D. for mechanical engineering for MIT/Berkeley/Caltech and other top schools is ridiculously competitive. Focus on your major GPA and upper level major course GPA (which Berkeley, and MIT ask for explicitly, separately from cumulative.)</p>
<p>these are all upper-divs. i only have 1 semester before i graduate, and i have 4 more classes to take to satisfy my major requirements</p>
<p>how are the admissions for those top schools for a M.S.?</p>
<p>^yeah I was just about to say what Blah2009 said but since I had lost my credibility by jking didnt bother. But seriously if they are upper-level classes they might be a problem becausethey could be used as a prediction of how well u do in the school. Also PhD programs at those scools are insanely competitive.</p>
<p>Nothing in your description sounds like a killer, but nothing sounds fantastic either, and that is what gets you into those top programs - something fantastic, usually research and LOR’s. If you are dead set on going to one of those schools, you need to ask yourself this serious question - out of the 50 or so people applying for that one spot, why should they pick you? Remember that the other 49 applicants have a 3.75+ gpa, 770+ Q, 450+ V, 4.5+ AW, some type of research background, and 3 great LOR’s.</p>
<p>Apply still - you never know. But I would see if there are some “lesser” schools where you might be a good fit. If you are going masters, I would recommend Stanford - they admit a lot of people to the masters program. You will almost certainly need to pay for it, but you would get another shot and could apply for the PhD again in a couple of years.</p>
<p>‘If you are going masters, I would recommend Stanford - they admit a lot of people to the masters program. You will almost certainly need to pay for it, but you would get another shot and could apply for the PhD again in a couple of years.’</p>
<p>really, stanford? if they do admit alot of people into their engineering MS programs, i’ll definitely apply there.</p>
<p>With a 3.85 overall, with a 3.85 in your major, you shouldn’t have a problem with graduate school if you can get your GRE scores up. Many graduate programs have an (unstated) minimum for GRE scores, which means that the general admissions office culls those applicants before sending the other applications directly to the department. You want to get past the first stage so the department can evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.</p>
<p>If your low grade is in a non-science course, the department won’t care much, if at all. For instance, if you’re getting a C in a history course but top grades in your science courses, they will probably dismiss it as an anomaly.</p>
<p>ok i worked hard the remaining of the semester and got my gpa up to 3.7 this semester, keeping it at 3.85 cum gpa. i’m now mostly worried about my letters of rec and gre, especially verbal, scores</p>