Considering Delaying Grad School Application - Am I Crazy?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the decision to delay a graduate school application due to unsatisfactory GRE scores. Participants explore the implications of this choice, including potential benefits such as gaining research experience and completing additional coursework. The conversation touches on personal motivations and concerns about being perceived as a longer-term student.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about disappointing GRE scores and considers delaying their application to improve their qualifications and gain research experience.
  • Another participant questions whether being a five-year student would lead to negative perceptions from others.
  • Suggestions are made regarding potential activities during the fall semester, including internships that might provide valuable experience while preparing for the GRE.
  • A humorous comment about a website related to immortality is introduced, which shifts the tone of the discussion momentarily.
  • There is a suggestion that getting credit for an internship could be beneficial, though one participant notes that credit is not a primary concern for them.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether delaying the application is a wise decision. There are mixed feelings about the implications of being a longer-term student and the value of gaining experience versus immediate application.

Contextual Notes

Participants express various assumptions about the impact of GRE scores on graduate school admissions and the value of research experience, but these assumptions are not universally shared or agreed upon.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering graduate school applications, particularly those concerned about standardized test scores and seeking research opportunities.

brentd49
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I was orginally going to finish classes this summer and apply for graduate school for next Fall, but due to dissapointing gre scores I am considering delaying my application for another year.

This will let me prepare for the general gre and I will be able to take QM II and CM II before taking the physics gre.

I figure instead of taking those summer classes, I would try to do research at a government lab or reu program (though these only last for the summer). Then come back to school in the spring and finish up my requirements (which will just be some engineering courses, since I'm a dual degree major in EE & physics).

I ask if I'm crazy, because even with dissapointing gre scores I could still get into a descent school, but this way I would almost definitely get into my top choice. Plus it might be a good break from school and I'd probably learn some useful tips from other researches, as well as gain more insight into what field of physics I want to go into.

So, am i crazy?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
no..........
 
Any chance I'll be looked down upon, since I will be a 5 year student?

Also, anyone have any ideas what I could do during the fall semester? Seems all the research opportunities only last through the summer.
 
I want to go into neuroscience to make bc-i that will increase my learning capacity so I can create a drug that will give me immortality.. am i crazy?
You seem ok to me..
 
:smile: AHAHAHAHAH OH DEAR GOD, is that website for real? Those rings look more like brass knuckels to beat up the fools that pay this guy money!:smile:
 
I guess I should of used a more serious title to this thread...
 
Will your school allow you to get credit for working an internship for the semester? Then you could have time to study for your Gre, while getting the experience you want.
 
Last edited:
Will your school allow you to get credit for working an internship for the semester? Then you could have time to study for your Gre, while getting the experience you want.

That's what I planned on doing anyway--studying for the GRE, while getting experience. The credit is irrevelent. I don't really need the credit. I would just have to pay for tuition cost, anyway.
 

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