<p>I am just entering Undergrad school in Canada. The school’s reputation is decent, and is probably well-known in the States as well. Since I was unsuccessful in getting admissions to top-tier schools in the states, I would like to try harder to get into the grad schools 4 years from now. However, I know nothing about the admissions or what to do, so I was wondering:</p>
<p>What would the very best applicant, say Joe Perfect, would have on his resume/application?</p>
<p>Of course, I know I wouldn’t reach anywhere near Joe, but it would be nice to set a reasonable goal accordingly… Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!</p>
<p>4.0 GPA
1600 GRE and a perfect score on the subject test
Massive amounts of research experience, plus a publication or two
Letters of recommendations from professors who’d think he would be the next big person in (insert subject here)
Outside prestigious fellowship</p>
<p>Don’t stress yourself out being Joe Perfect. A high GPA (3.7 or higher), high GRE scores on both the general exam and the subject test, some research experience (you don’t need to be published before grad school), and good letters of recommendation would get you into great schools.</p>
<p>I’m just a freshman, though, so I am basing everything on what I’ve read in the past year about graduate school.</p>
<p>If you’re a freshman, you shouldn’t be worrying about graduate studies right now. What school did you get into in Canada ? From your description, it sounds like a good one. Give yourself a break and be proud of what you’ve already acheived !
Plus, I can tell you from experience that it’s not just grades that will get you into a good graduate school (though they certainly help). I took a year off after high school & travelled around the world. Afterwards, during my first 2 years at university my grades really weren’t spectacular. I went on an exchange year to Paris in my third year and that’s when I really became serious about my studies and pulled my average up. I’m currently writing my undergraduate thesis. My GRE scores were average at best. Despite that and other shortcomings, I’ve been accepted everywhere I applied to for graduate studies, including Columbia and NYU. Plus, the programs I applied to aren’t even related to my undergraduate major.
My point is, I was able to set myself apart from other applicants in ways that weren’t purely academic. I’ve travelled. I have always had part-time jobs during my studies to help pay for my education. I speak several foreign languages. I have research experience. I have made significant efforts and sacrifices to broaden my knowledge in my chosen field.
So my advice is to be innovative and motivated. Diversify your skills and backgroud (while maintaing a good GPA) and this will draw attention to your application to graduate school when that time comes.</p>
<p>Thanks for the concerns! I’m definitely not stressing myself for grad schools yet… But I’ve only had about 3 months to prepare for the american universities due to lack of information, so I thought I’d ask earlier this time… :P</p>
<p>I’ve gotten into the University of Waterloo. Those who are in Pure Math will know it from its results in Putnam Competition etc (Top 5, usually).</p>
<p>Anyways, thanks a lot for the replies. It helps a lot! If anyone has anything to add, I’d be more than grateful!</p>
<p>Wow… that seems a bit harsh, considering that the only reason I was rejected from the top schools was the lack of extracurricular activities… :)</p>
<p>Yep - undergrad wants “well-rounded” students, hence the emphasis on ECs. Grad schools want worker bees, hence the emphasis on research experience.</p>
<p>A few schools will ask for them, although most really only want to hear about ECs relevant to your program (TA positions, tutoring, stuff along those lines). </p>
<p>I wrote about my extracurricular activity in a “diversity” essay required for one of my schools – I’m a college cheerleader and I noted that cheerleaders are shockingly underrepresented in science PhD programs. I don’t think it really did anything for my application, but a few of my interviewers did bring it up. :)</p>
<p>Thanks, I did look in the post already. I’m hoping for the research job in the summer - I think in my university, you can actually start working on any problem that interests you ( I guess it includes those Millenium problems too… lol) So it should be a lot of fun, if I can find a supervisor.</p>
<p>I’m wondering though, for my masters, I’m thinking of… (it’s going to sound really impossible, but bear with me) Harvard, Stanford, or Princeton. (I don’t think MIT offers masters) Do I still need ECs? And for financial aid, how much can I expect?</p>