---- "CARISSA R. SHIPMAN" <cship...@temple.edu> wrote: > Dear fellow scientists, > > I am curious to know whether I should retake the GRE to get into a good PhD > program? I just completed my first semester of my masters. I spoke to a PhD > student at Berkeley who stated that graduate programs are not emphasizing > the GRE so much anymore, however I do not think this is the case, as I was > denied acceptance to UNR for my masters since my scores were not at least a > 1200. I want to get a PhD in either comparative biology, invertebrate > zoology, or marine biology. I am not sure, which PhD programs I will be > applying to. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Carissa > Shipman
I would check with programs I might be interested in attending. That said, I believe that 1200 is usually considered minimum by most of the better Ph.D. programs. Scores above that may merit consideration of the applicant, scores below, maybe not. Some of the better programs may operate on a flexible basis, with higher scores meriting more consideration, while lower scores might result in tighter scrutiny of other variables. More important than the actual score once consideration comes into play is the combination of factors such as prior research experience, motivation, recommendations, grades. Finally, most important is correspondence with and acceptance by a prospective faculty mentor. Acceptance by a prospective mentor is generally dependent on prior research experience, motivation, and recommendations. Publications or at least papers in the mill, and presentations at conferences help. I have no idea how a low score followed later by improvement works in the process. David McNeely
