<p>I'm currently in the final year of my undergrad (chemical engineering) course at Cambridge uni, and am applying for a PhD to a variety of grad schools. I have a Class 2.1 (70th ish percentile), and 1560 + 4.5 in the GRE.</p>
<p>Would it be daft of me to apply to MIT/Stanford? All the top grad schools expect you to be at the top of your class, but I'm unsure as to the weightage they'd give to the fact that my undergrad degree is from Cambridge. Also, would anyone be able to identify the level of grad school I'd have a 50/50 chance of being admitted to, just to get my head clear about where I stand (eg, Penn State or Carnegie Mellon or Delaware)?</p>
<p>I think MIT is probably out of reach, Stanford is likely only for a masters (they admit many but offer no funding), Carnegie Mellon is unlikely, Penn State and Delaware a decent shot.</p>
<p>From what I have seen, a 2.1 corresponds to a 3.2-3.6 US gpa, and while your school is highly regarded you are also competing against students at other top top schools that scored higher.</p>
<p>Your gre is great, but not knowing your research preparation, it is hard to say any more.</p>
<p>Thanks, that’s very useful! My research experience consists of a summer internship at a start-up (doing research based work) and a project I’m doing over my final year.</p>