Took GRE Chances of MS in Engineering

[BPBAIR]

Hey Guys,

A bit a about me

BS in physics from a Top 75 small state school

GPA: 3.07

GRE: 640 Quant
490 Verbal

Research: 1 optical research with a prof at my college

Work experience: IT for a pharma company this past summer
IT for the school of engineering the past 3 years

I really want to go for a masters in computer engineering to get a little bit more background so that I am not bouncing engineering job to engineering job when I graduate. It seems like every alumni who tried to go straight into industry with just a BS is miserable and I really enjoy computer engineering and am extremely good at programming and working with computers (IT) haha.

Do I have a reasonable chance to earn my MS in electrical/computer engineering at the following schools:
1.) Rutgers
2.) NJIT
3.) NYIT
4.) U of Bridgeport
5.) Stony Brook
6.) FDU

Let me know what you think. I am not going to take the GRE again b/c I felt I did relatively well for myself. Those scores are the most likely the best I can do. I am afraid the quant is really low when compared to other engineers' scores and I don't know why but I thought doing better than 70% of the population was decent.

Thanks guys you are always pretty helpful

 

[jhicks]

I am afraid the quant is really low when compared to other engineers' scores and I don't know why but I thought doing better than 70% of the population was decent

The quant score distributions are way different for engineers than the general populace. The AVERAGE EE quant score is over 700 according to this site http://www.ncsu.edu/chass/philo/GRE%20Scores%20by%20Intended%20Graduate%20Major.htm . You're not applying to top schools, but you should at least know where you stand compared to the average EE. The GRE's are very important metric for being considered minimally viable for a program.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I agree with jhicks - comparing a GRE score to the general populace isn't so useful, since you really need to compare it to scores from people in your intended subfield.

I see several areas where your application should be stronger:

(1) An undergraduate degree in a different field. That means you'll have to spend time (perhaps a year, perhaps longer) catching up with the rest of your class. A candidate who doesn't have to catch up will certainly look more appealing.

(2) A B average. In graduate school, a B average is usually the acceptable minimum. It doesn't look good to be so close to that line as an undergraduate, where the classes are generally regarded as easier.

(3) GRE scores, which we talked about.

Being "extremely good at programming" is probably not as helpful as you might think. Its analogous to being extremely good at bricklaying and trying to get into a civil engineering program.

 

[BPBAIR]

Is there any way to improve my chances other than taking the GRE over again? maybe emphasize the research I've done and the internship... Do I have a realistic chance of getting into an ms program?