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PhD programs at Ivy League schools

flamingtwig72flamingtwig72 member
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in Chit Chat
Has anyone applied to, been accepted to, or attended an Ivy League school or any other prestigious school for a PhD program?  I'm looking into applying to a few of these schools, and I'm wondering what it takes to get in. I know they don't often put this information on their websites, so what would you say is the average gpa for accepted individuals? What extracurricular activities do they usually look for? Basically, what does it take to get in? I had a relatively high gpa (3.82) and was very involved on campus during undergrad, but I don't want to apply to certain schools if I don't have a chance of getting in. Any advice is welcome.
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Re: PhD programs at Ivy League schools

  • angiem33angiem33
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    Try posting this on the Students board.... some girls there are currently in PhD's and would probably be able to help! 
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  • psichickpsichick
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    it depends on the school and the program, how many applicants they get that year and how many they accept. the smaller the program, the more selective they will be. it's hard to generalize like that. 
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  • Kristin789Kristin789 member
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    Your undergrad activities and GPA will not be nearly as important as your GRE score.
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  • jenn.danieljenn.daniel
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    I wasn't interested in the programs (chemistry) at any Ivy Leagues except Princeton.  I had a 3.85, over a year of research experience, Phi Beta Kappa (accepted senior year), chem honor society, classics honor society, 640/800/5.5 (verbal/math/writing) on the GRE.  I'm guessing I didn't get accepted because of my subject GRE (chemistry) score, which was only in the 600s, I think.  Or it could have been because I wasn't published yet.  I did get into U Wisconsin (Madison), U Chicago, UVA, UNC, NC State.  I went to UNC with a fellowship and was offered fellowships at the other schools too.

    One of my roommates got into Harvard for biochem.  I think she had a 4.0 (or very close) GPA, was accepted to Phi Beta Kappa junior year, biochem honor society.  I don't know what her GRE scores were, but I'm sure they were high. 

    I have two friends at UC - Berkley for chemistry.  Their GPAs were probably higher then mine, and their GRE scores were probably higher than mine too.  They were also in the chem honor society and Phi Beta Kappa.

    I have another friend at Oxford (technically for a D Phil, not PhD) with a fellowship.  GPA close to 4.0, GRE scores similar to mine, except she got a 5.0 on writing and scored higher on the subject test.  Accepted to Phi Beta Kappa junior year, chem honor society, biochem honor society, research experience, and I think she'd been published already.
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  • jwang517jwang517 member
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    edited June 2010
    i didn't apply for PhD, but i got two masteres from Penn and Brown. i'd say GRE is really important. GPA is also important, which i dont think you have problems with. previous experiences (interning, researching etc). it also depends on the department/program you are applying and the fundings they get. some can be very very competitive while some might not even have many people that apply at the first place.

    also, even if you aren't sure what your chances are, it's still worth to try. i have friends who did not get admitted as a PhD, but ended up getting in for Masters program, and a year later, they talked to the deparment and got into the PhD programs. so there are many different ways it can work out~

    good luck~ :)
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