Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

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sammystrings
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Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 12:47 am

Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by sammystrings » Sun May 18, 2008 10:27 am

Hi friends,

I am a student from an Indian University from as far flung state.I couldn't login the forum for quite a long time.I was in fact quite busy over my Msc(physics) course work and preparations for semester exams.This coming July,2008 I would be set free from all the hassles of the busy sechedule.Now I am seriously thinking of a phd in experimental or theoretical high energy physics in US.As a part of my Msc project I have worked for nearly six months on neutrino problems(theoretical) and attended couple of worshop on High Energy Physics and summer school on Gravitation and Cosmology.I have now inclination towards this high energy physics mostly in experimental.

However I may not probably be able to write this GRE physics subject test as well as General and TOEFL this november.So, I may have to write on next April,2009.More over I have to make my passport too.It seems that I will loose some years again after this Msc which force me to look out for some Europian country.I have inquired for a project in Johannes Kepler University Austria for a period of two years which have flexibility to extend another two years later,but its related to photo optical devices and organic memory device research.If selected I may have to start from the fall of this year.

Please give me some advice because this would mean shattering my dream for a Phd in US and High Energy.It would be great if some of you tell me when I should register for GRE subject, general and TOEFL for April next year(2009).Is there possibility of approaching some professors in US universities to work for phd under them ? Is GRE tests always necessary ? Some of my professors told me that in US,professors can waive these GRE scores if they think they have the right candidate and it depends on our ability to convience them.Is this true? Should I start writing them? One of my professor was a fulbrighter in 1990s and another fellow,a phd from Brooklyne University. Please suggest me I am confused.And I need scholarship for Phd without which I can't afford.Do you suggest postponing one more year and seriously focussing for the April exam ? Your suggestions and advice will be very appreciated.

Regards,

Sam

admissionprof
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Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 7:50 pm

Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by admissionprof » Sun May 18, 2008 11:14 am

Sam--

In general, the subject and general GREs are required for admission, and since admissions decisions are made in February, taking the exam in April 2009 is too late for admission for the fall of 2009.

It is sometimes possible to get it waived, but it isn't easy....you need a professor who knows you to contact a professor at the given institution. Even that might not help---when our faculty get a request like this, they just forward it to me.

So if you can't take it this October or November, you might need to apply for the fall of 2010. Don't worry about scholarships---almost all US graduate schools pay their students to attend.

You didn't explain why you can't take it this fall. Unless there is an extremely good reason, I would not generally consider an applicant without a subject GRE. As far as the general GRE and TOEFL, you can take those almost any time. They are also required before admissions can be considered.

excel
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Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by excel » Sun May 18, 2008 11:41 am

If a prof is willing to support you as a Research Asst. out of his research grant, he may be able to influence the department to waive GRE subject exam. I have seen it happen. However, the GRE general and/or the TOEFL exams may be university requirements, and he may or may not be able to have these waived. However, I should point out that you can take the GRE general (and I think the TOEFL) almost any day of the year--not just in November or April. So, I do not see why you would have any problem on this account.

If you decide to contact professors, please be sure to send out individualized e-mails to a few specific professors. No spamming.

Your approach may succeed, but it is a very long shot...especially, if you are from a relatively unknown Indian university and are currently working with a not well-known researcher. So, good luck, but if things do not work out, you dont have any reason to be too disappointed.

EDIT: In light of admissionprof's reply, I think my reply is somewhat redundant. But, as I had already written it before seeing admissionprof's reply (and then gone off somewhere for a bit), I decided to post it anyway! ~these are similar but independent replies :)

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Helio
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Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by Helio » Sun May 18, 2008 1:19 pm

TOEFL may not be a requirement... india was a British colony and therefore has english as its official language, but again that is up to the university.

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grae313
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Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by grae313 » Sun May 18, 2008 2:26 pm

As admissionprof suggested, I don't think you are going to singlehandedly convince any professors or waive the subject GRE requirements. You'll need one of your professors to be very well-known and to contact the potential institutions on your behalf. You would have *much* better chances if you apply with all of your test requirements met. Either figure out a way to take them this October, or postpone your applications until 2010. If you do postpone, make sure you get an excellent score on the subject GRE and participate in high energy research as much as possible.

stardust
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Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:15 pm

Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by stardust » Sun May 18, 2008 9:56 pm

To apply for Fall of 2010, they will tell you to take the pgre in october and
probably won't consider waiving it. They will say 'it's not so bad'.

To apply for Fall of 2009, its still going to be professor dependent, but I
think its more than just convincing the prof. The prof. would have to
convince the other faculty members and the graduate school to waive it.
Another option may be to consider applied physics departments - they
may have a less strict requirement because they are the ones that talk to
the engineers :). One more option would be for the advisor to bring you
in as a master's program student until you can change over. Many master's
programs which are unlikely to exist at certain schools don't require the pgre.
Since you are getting an msc now, you may consider that to pass qualifiers
at any school you may still have to take their classes anyway.

I would push for what I wanted. But, at the same time, as a fellow student
I would be upset if I had to go through the agony and torture of the pgre
exam and you can walk right in. I tend to believe that the exceptional
cases you hear about are if people knew someone, or if you were a
Native American Indian instead of from India.

sammystrings
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 12:47 am

Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by sammystrings » Mon May 19, 2008 4:29 am

Hi,

Well I don't know if it is right to say this, but excuse me if it is unprofessional. There are couple of problems with me. Since I came from a middle class family, I should have to earn and work so that I can write this GRE and other exams and on top of these make arrangement to go to metro like Delhi to write the exam.I guess I have to build my own destiny with my own capabilities and efforts. Thats the only way I can rely.

I guess that to apply for fall 2009, I have to submit all the necessary scores like general, subject GRE and TOEFL as well. So far as reference is concerned it wouldn't be a problem though the profs are not that world class. Do I have still time to register for erolment for this November GRE? Is it possible to provide general GRE and TOEFL score after the application date line of first week of January, 2009 to apply for fall 2009 ? That way if possible I can somehow manage to write only the GRE subject test considering my expenses and the rest after January before some date line.

So far as Bsc( BS) is concerned I did from some of the best college in india, Bangalore.But after this due to some family condition I have to do Msc from my hometown which is neary more than 1300 km for Delhi in the EAST. I feel that a US education will change my life and more over I am aware of the fact that nearly 80% of the scientific research is being done in US soil. So, I may be able to mark a place in the scientific community with the right kind of education and environment.

Thank you very much.

Regards,
Sam

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twistor
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Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by twistor » Mon May 19, 2008 10:08 am

Don't count on anyone making special exceptions for you. If you really want to go to graduate school for HEP as bad as you say you do you'll go through protocol like everyone else and not complain. No professor is going to roll out a red carpet for you because you think you should be the exception to the rules.

Additionally, I wouldn't bother emailing professors to ask them to waive certain requirements just for you. At best they will ignore you, at worst they will remember you if you do apply....

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jdhooghe
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Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by jdhooghe » Mon May 19, 2008 4:09 pm

Not take the GRE? HAH!

stardust
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Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by stardust » Mon May 19, 2008 5:50 pm

*********edit***************8
Last edited by stardust on Wed May 21, 2008 7:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

stardust
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Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by stardust » Mon May 19, 2008 5:54 pm

I would also look at Stony Brook because I thought they didn't necessarily require the GRE and due to
their affiliation with Brookhaven Labs, they may have other options for funding. I just smacked the palm of
my hand to my forehead that I didn't think of it sooner after I wrote the e-mail rampage above :)

sammystrings
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Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by sammystrings » Tue May 20, 2008 4:16 am

I would definitely try to write all the exams if possible by Oct or Nov this year.If not able to write the subject test , I'd definitely write the general as well as english test.If I dont have the subject score, I may try to look out for graduate schools where subject test is not always necessary.

More over, when I write the Profs, I am not going to ask them to waive the subject test or what ever as I am misunderstood.I would be simply asking if they want to take me as their student and if they are interested in my CV.If they are willing, I would ,by any means, be writing the test. I only wanted to confirm what one of my prof who had done his phd from Brooklyne University saying that GRE subject score is not always a requirement.And he did his Phd without any score nor TOEFL. He only flew since the university research group is interested in him as he is working on a similar project and they have a vacancy. Thats it and I am not trying to bend the rule as misunderstood.

Thank you all for giving me the valuable suggestions and advice. If any one of you know any US universities without GRE subject test as a prequisite, please inform me.

Regards,
Sam

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grae313
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Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by grae313 » Tue May 20, 2008 12:08 pm

sammystrings wrote:I only wanted to confirm what one of my prof who had done his phd from Brooklyne University saying that GRE subject score is not always a requirement.And he did his Phd without any score nor TOEFL.
OK, sure, it is not always a requirement, it's only required 99.99% of the time...

christopher3.14
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Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 2:19 am

Re: Need some suggestion, Is GRE a requirement ?

Post by christopher3.14 » Tue May 20, 2008 12:52 pm

A friend of mine told me his girlfriend got accepted into a school without having taken the Physics GRE. (She put the date of her GRE for April, 4 months after the application due date.) Once she was offered admission, she thought she didn't need to take it. But then the school contacted her to follow-up and she eventually took it.

So I'm guessing it has happened in the past, but you still need/should take the Physics GRE in order to get admitted.



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