Worth retaking the GRE?

Graduate School
1

<p>I'm currently a junior at a top tier liberal arts college (at least the edge of top tier, it's ranked slightly >25). I'll be graduating in December of this year, a semester early. I plan to go straight to grad school, so I'll be applying next year.</p>

<p>Anyway, I just got my GRE scores and the verbal/writing are a little lower than I expected. I want to go to a top tier school for a PhD in Chemistry. So far I'm looking at schools like Columbia, MIT, Harvard, Northwestern, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. In the context of the rest of my stats, are my GREs still competitive? Or should I retake them? My only concern is that I'm not really sure how much I could improve my scores, especially the writing. I felt really good about my essays as I was writing them so I'm surprised the score is as low as it is. (On a side note, would it be worth requesting a rescore of that section? Or do people always just end up with the same one?) I haven't taken the Chemistry GRE yet; that'll be in the fall.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.98 (overall), 4.0 (chemistry)
GRE: 800Q (94th), 630V (90th), 4.5W (63rd, ouch)</p>

<p>Research:
-3 weeks of organic synthesis with my advisor last January
-This past summer in a nanoparticle lab at a top tier public
-Continuous organometallic research since this fall; I will have worked in the lab for two years by the time I enter grad school.
(All three of these PIs will be writing my letters of recommendation)</p>

<p>Publications: None yet, but should hopefully have one submitted by the time I apply from the organometallic lab. Not sure how my PI is going to order the authors.</p>

<p>Awards/Other:
-Will be doing an honors project, which involves an hour long talk, a thesis, and a thesis defense.
-Presenting two posters at the ACS meeting this spring, one from the nanoparticle lab and one from the organometallic lab
-Departmental CRC award freshman year (awarded to the top three students in Gen Chem)</p>

<p>I was also the TA for Cell Biology/Genetics lab for a semester and am now the lab prep person.</p>

<p>Thanks to anyone who got through all that and can offer any advice on whether a retake/rescore would be worth it!</p>

2

<p>I’m no expert, but I definitely wouldn’t retake with those scores. As a applicant for chem PhDs, your most important score is going to be the Quant which you nailed obviously. A 630 verbal and 4.5 writing should be more than enough for even top chem programs, particularly given your GPA.</p>

<p>Furthermore, look into whether the schools you’re interested in even require or recommend the Chem GRE. As an Immunology applicant this year, mine mostly did not for the Bio GRE. If the schools don’t recommend it, most people say you are better off not taking it if your GPA and general GRE scores are strong enough, which yours certainly are. Take the time to focus on your undergrad research and reading papers to learn what’s the latest research in the field and to develop an idea on what you might want to focus on for your PhD research.</p>

<p>With stats as good as yours, the key to getting into top schools is going to be showing a commitment to research and demonstrating that you have thought about what you want to focus on for your PhD research (this can be broad or tenative, you’re just demonstrating you’re thinking about it).</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the advice! I still just don’t really have a good perspective on what counts as good for Chemistry since so many of the science posters here seem to be Bio focused.</p>

<p>I think most of them do at least recommend the GRE, looks like I’m going to have to take it.</p>

<p>I’m pretty sure at this point I want to do inorganic or organometallic chemistry, but I haven’t narrowed it down any more than that. It’s all interesting. :)</p>

4

<p>Remember, percentiles always look worse on the writing section, where scores are very discrete.</p>

5

<p>I think you should be fine. you have the grades, good GRE scores, research is good.</p>

6

<p>No way I would retake if I had your scores! You should be fine.</p>