by Doug » Sat Jan 29, 2005 10:11 am
No, Kim and John are BOTH wrong. (Just kidding.) Really, you could easily find examples of every possible combination of GPA, GRE, letters, etc. This thread highlights the act that admission to grad school is extraordinarily variable. At some places, GRE is important, at others, it's grades. My impression is that for most places, how prepared you are to think independently and come up with an interesting project, as attested to by 1) prior research (at the undergrad or MS level) and 2) rapport with potential graduate advisors (who you should be able to converse with, at least via e-mail, even at an early undergrad stage). Good letters of recommendation can be VERY important for both 1) and 2).
Sorry for being long-winded. It's hard to pigeonhole the grad school entrance experience, though.