<p>I am an Israeli non-native English speaker, hoping to pursue PhD studies at one of the leading Engineering schools in the US.</p>
<p>My application package is rather good, I believe: I am currently an MSc (thesis) student (graduation is due in 3 months); BSc GPA=3.6 (Magna Cum Laude); I have been in the dean's excellence list 3 times; two paper of mine have already been published (a third one has been submitted but hasn't been published yet) and I have another two papers as a co-author. I have further research experience, as I spend one of my summer vacations as an intern at a European university. I have been working as a TA for the past two years, running lab sections and teaching a class. I am quite sure I can get a few great references from my current and past professors.
I have taken the TOEFL and the GRE. My TOEFL score is 106 (89% percentile); GRE-Q: 790 (92% percentile), GRE-W: 3.5 (23% precentile); GRE-V: 310 (10% percentile). As you can see, my TOEFL and GRE-Q scores are good, but the other parts of the GRE are very lame. I have found the vocabulary impossible to study :(</p>
<p>My question is: how good are my chances? Do I have any chances to be admitted to a PhD program at a leading Engineering school? Or should I put all my time and effort studying for another GRE?</p>
<p>my GRE verbal is 630 and AW is only 3. Some graduate schools tend to look more into Verbal than in AW, some do not. I suggest to ask the graduate schools that you are interested. send them emails one or two. Also, I think PhD tends to look at your research experience than your GRE part.</p>
<p>Verbal and AW don’t really matter in Engineering for international non-English native speakers. A friend of mine got a TA at GAtech with 300V, Q780 and AW 3.0.</p>
<p>Firstly what do you mean by “leading”? some position on a stupid list?
Have you found the leading school in YOUR FIELD? don’t act childish, search for top school in your FIELD of INTEREST, I can guarantee you (whatever your field is) it’s not in one of those list-toppers. and by field I don’t mean majors of engineering or whatnot, a PhD field of work goes much deeper and is much narrower than that some stupid listmakers can make a list out of it! a special lab or EVEN a single great professor in a school has no say on these lists BUT it can be the perfect thing for you and revolutionize your future.</p>
<p>FYI most students start to apply from top of one of these stupid lists and go down and wherever they’re admitted first, they get in, and do the slave job for a professor there they didn’t know until a couple months before in a field he/she determines which they nearly have no say on. such students believe it or not end up nowhere in their future and fade away in a vacuum they forced themselves in (an area that didn’t interest you in a “natural” way and you FORCED yourself to like it because it is “assigned” to you as your research area is IMO truly a vacuum). but if you choose school solely based on your interest and passion many good things can happen: magically you WILL get in the BEST school possible without even trying hard!, you can be become extremely successful in your future, you can be proud of your CHOICE in a very unique way that is only for you and not for anyone else, …</p>
<p>I hope you’re making such a decision I’m saying this because you seem very nervous about a stupid number, making new posts again and again trying to squeeze out answers that I really believe considering the rest of your academic credentials you don’t need!</p>
<p>And secondly, like I said, the rest of your record sounds superb (having published papers is a huge point). So just a bad verbal will not hurt you much, and since your Quan is good you shouldn’t worry.</p>
<p>BTW TOEFL, being just a req for foreigners, to my knowledge is NOT considered in the competition and anything higher than a MIN is fine. BUT GRE scores are in the competition and go side by side your academic records. then again there’s no MIN for GRE, meaning based on other parts of your app you can have a very low GRE but still be admitted. So do not worry about it much.</p>
<p>IF it is possible retake and try to memorize words it’ll get hugely better.</p>
<p>Oh, man! I just find some of your other posts and the stupid answers they gave you
Look, PhD=research=receiving RA fund. ALL PhD students MUST receive RA fund because that’s what’s it’s all about.</p>
<p>YOU DO NOT GET TO PAY THEM (TUITION) AND AT THE SAME TIME DO THEIR RESEARCH WORK! IT’S ABSOLUTELY ABSURD.</p>
<p>you don’t need to become TA while you have your RA job, though I still think your academic background and your speaking and listening scores of TOEFL suggest that you definitely can become a TA, much better than many Americans! BTW TA positions are very rare you probably would not need to worry about them at all at first stage of application, most of the time they go to second year MS/PhD students or students that have been in that school for their BS and took the same courses in previous years. Newcomers are mostly on RA fund and TA position come as bonus to RA jobs later in your way.</p>
<p>STOP worrying, try to find schools with professors in your field of interest, send them your CV and ask them for a RA position, it is really easy. Why don’t you know these basic procedures of applying?!</p>
<pre><code> pls can u comment on my post under graduate section titled “crossing from Msc ECE Michigan tech to Carnegie Mellon ,Stanford ,Unimichigan directly for Phd as an international student”
i plan resuming for Msc ECE at Michigan Tech next year as an international student bcos of low cost.i wouldnt know if after my Msc ,I cud go to any of the mentioned school esp Carnegie Mellon bcos of the high prof-student ration and also its high standing in Robotics .
</code></pre>
<p>pls,i really want to be an inventor in Robotics.infact,that is why i am coming to the US for schooling.
awaiting ur advice .thANKS MUCH</p>
I’m saying this because you seem very nervous about a stupid number, making new posts again and again trying to squeeze out answers that I really believe considering the rest of your academic credentials you don’t need!</p>