- #1
quasar_4
- 290
- 0
Let's say, hypothetically speaking, that a reasonably good student (GPA > 3.7 in math, physics, a couple publications and research experience in both solid state and theory) expects (from '96, '01 practice test scores) to do quite terribly on the physics GRE (like ~600), but wants to go to a second-tier school.
Is it better to cancel the test altogether, take a whole year off following graduation, study exclusively for the PGRE, do well and then apply to graduate schools?
Or, better to stay at the same institution and complete a 1-year master's degree in math or physics and then apply?
And if the student takes the test and it does go as badly as imagined, should they still take a year off to study and retake it (as in, does the first failure followed by a year off look bad)?
Or see if the bad score will get them in "somewhere" and go "somewhere" even if the "somewhere" is not a highly ranked program?
This is all assuming the score is so bad that the student is rejected from all second tier schools.
Is it better to cancel the test altogether, take a whole year off following graduation, study exclusively for the PGRE, do well and then apply to graduate schools?
Or, better to stay at the same institution and complete a 1-year master's degree in math or physics and then apply?
And if the student takes the test and it does go as badly as imagined, should they still take a year off to study and retake it (as in, does the first failure followed by a year off look bad)?
Or see if the bad score will get them in "somewhere" and go "somewhere" even if the "somewhere" is not a highly ranked program?
This is all assuming the score is so bad that the student is rejected from all second tier schools.