Hi there!
I graduated with a B.S. in chemistry from a well-known HBCU. My GPA is 3.11 overall and my GRE score is 299 (146 Verbal and 150 Quantitative). I know that my GRE score is not that impressive, but I have been trying to get into the Ph.D. program. One of the professors said that I am a good doctoral candidate for the department, but now they’re not giving me a straight answer. Please, someone, help.
Thank you!
Hi @Nods2017. You’d probably have greater success receiving feedback from CCers if you post your question to the Graduate School forum, however, I’ll offer some insight here. One answer could be your GPA and GRE scores do not alone provide sufficient evidence of content knowledge and research aptitude that indicates you’d be successful in a (chemistry) grad school program. Absent high GPA and GRE scores, LSU suggests some mitigating factors. Their answers to the FAQs for “what they’re looking for when admitting students” state they want to know: Have you worked in a research group, published papers, or conducted independent research? Can you obtain letters of recommendation that say you understand what research is all about and advance from excellence in undergraduate coursework to innovation in the lab? You will need to think about why you want to go to grad school. Your academic statement of purpose needs to be compelling. It needs to describe your past research experiences, goals, and teaching experiences, and specifically, answer the question why you want to seek a PhD (in chemistry) at LSU. I hope this information is helpful to you.