<p>I was looking at the GRE subject examination content and found that after a good bit of studying I could take the math and physics subject test and do well. (50% of the math one is calculus!)</p>
<p>I am a Engineering Freshman Student at a Liberal arts college not ABET accredited so I am thinking of applying as a transfer this year. I don't particularly like my SAT subject test scores from highschool and was wondering if a good GRE score will give me an edge when I apply to top programs such as stanford, caltech cornell etc. </p>
<p>Is there a chance this could be looked down upon? quick reply will be appreciated since the exams are only offered thrice a year in october, november and April.</p>
<p>Yes, i am a freshman. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise because one of the most common reasons for transferring is when academic and degree goals don’t align with a particular institution. </p>
<p>I feel really strongly that engineering is the right route for me instead of a science major and therefore going to a certified college is a must.</p>
<p>Thanks for the insight, however I don’t think showing them that I have grad school potential is too bad. Especially when admittance rates are close to 2 percent, my dream schools.</p>
<p>the GRE isn’t even a great indicator for graduate school potential, really. what does it test? it doesn’t test outside knowledge. it tests how well you take the tests. i’m doing GRE prep now, and that’s what is so mind boggling about it. </p>
<p>you know what IS a good indicator that you’re ready for graduate school? doing graduate level or upper level undergraduate work. logically, your work and grades in your current classes should already set you apart from everyone else if you think you can do well on the subject GREs. </p>
<p>focus on getting good grades in your current classes, participating in ECs and honing your essays, and stop worrying about an exam that won’t mean anything to the undergraduate admissions committee.</p>
<p>Just my 2 cents. I know someone who got a GRE high enough to be near median of engineering students at Cornell. He sent the GRE score to Cornell when he applied as freshman to the college of engineering and got rejected. His SAT was pretty good too, like around 2210. I don’t know about his high school research and extracurricular. Afterward, his believed sending the GRE painted him as one who emphasized on standardized tests. Getting a good score so young usually evokes an image of a kid studying all day for the GRE. You don’t want a Stanford, Cornell, etc. to think you will shut yourself in your dorm all your free time studying for the GRE when you are a student there.</p>
<p>did he have volunteer experiences and extra-curricular activities in college? just wondering.
Thanks for this story IPBear. and thanks for the tip Miss pie</p>
<p>I don’t know the specifics, but he was a very talented person who would do everything to get into a good school. He ended up graduating in three years from the University of Virginia, without much volunteering but with a summer internship at Microsoft, and went on to engineering grad school at Cornell. BTW, he didn’t retake the GRE; he used the same one that got him rejected at Cornell engineering for undergrad. I personally think his case is messed up (could very possibly be an outlier case, so take this with a grain of salt), but he got what he wanted in the end. Good luck.</p>
<p>EC’s and volunteering in college really don’t matter when it comes to gaining admission later to a transfer college or to a grad school. The only things that matter are GPA, Professor recommendations, research, and test scores. The rest is fluff that will get tossed to the side. They don’t care if you played intramural sports, participated in the student association, or joined clubs. They’re looking for the “meat” of the application. If you want to mention an EC, make sure it’s relevant to your major. For example: college newspaper if you’re an English or Journalist major, College Radio or College TV Station if you’re a Communications Major, etc.</p>