720 on Quant section, What to do now?

[tau1777]

so i know questions like this probably pop up quite a bit, and i should just look at the profile page and figure this out for myself. well the fact is that i tried this, and i'm still lost. the impression that i get from the profile page is that im screwed because of this grade . what do you guys think?

so basically i got Q:720, V:590, and writing i guess i have to wait for. my question is what to do now?
option A) retake by end of November, but i have to get an 800 for sure otherwise re-test probably looks useless.
option B) take it next year (still have to get 800) meaning deciding to stay for a fifth year. while i wait i was thinking of taking a couple of more grad classes and working with a professor who does theoretical work. however this won't lead to a publication, and i won't be coming out with a 2nd degree, or another minor or anything. so maybe doing the 5th year will also look weird, and just be an overall waste of time.

Please use the profile below to figure out just where i stand.

Overall GPA;3.888
Physics GPA; 3.710 ( i think this is bad since, its lower than my overall)

Research Experience: 1 REU at the University of Minnesota

Extra-circulars: `Vice-president of Physics Club (sophmore year), president (junior year) ,and i'm doing some tutoring for intermediate level physics classes this year. i'm also the undergrad representative on the department's executive board.

Work: I work at a stationary/copy place on Saturdays.

Schools I'm applying to (or least wanted to apply to)
UCB, UCLA, Columbia, NYU, Cornell, U of Wisconsin, U of Michigan, U of Washington, Penn State, Rutgers, Stony Brook, U of Minnesota, Syracuse U.

I was going to apply for high energy theory only, but now with my grades I might say i want to do both theory and experiment, on the applications. and even some things outside high energy.

Other stuff: i've got two awards from science department. one was specifically for physics. and if we include this semester i will have taken 3 graduate classes. one was Math Methods (which makes my crappy math score an even bigger joke). the other two are this semester, they are Solid State, and Quantum Mechanics 1. i might be able to take 3 more grad classes next semester.

I have a friend who is doing a physics PhD and he told me not to worry about it too much. that i should just try to get a really good score on the Physics GRE that, that would be enough kinda. and that i should just put this test behind me.

what do you guys recommend i do?

[quizivex]

Well, take a look at the profiles of agonizomai, christopher3.14 and superfun... they're living proof that the QGRE won't get in the way of someone who has proven himself in so many other ways!

It's pretty obvious that if you score well on the physics GRE, and you've done well in your advanced physics and math undergrard courses, that your "quantitative" skills are more than adequate. Thus, committees won't care about the QGRE... it'll just look like a fluke, or maybe that you ran out of time and whatever. But if your GPA/PGRE are mediocre and you bomb the QGRE too, it may look like physics isn't for you.

Your GPA is good (physics GPA is ok/decent) but your very advanced coursework will look great, along with your awards and other accolades, and if you do well on the PGRE, you have nothing to worry about. Focus on the PGRE now! Don't bother retaking the general GRE unless you really feel you can score higher (~800) on the QGRE AND higher on the verbal, but only do this after the PGRE is over... it's really not that important, but again a significantly higher score is always better, though it's only worth trying for if you know you can get it.

[Bufalay]

I got a 710 and still got into some good schools ('06 grad). I posted all my info a couple years ago.

[tau1777]

thanks Bufalay. thank you quizivex. i checked out some of those profiles and i see what you mean.

[Andromeda]

I got a 720 too. No one I talked to said it would be an issue so long as you get above 700... but then I suppose I shouldn't speak before I get in somewhere.