Which one is more important for foreign student who want to be a postgraduate in US university?

Question

GPA,GRE,P.S.(personal statement)or Recommendation(from famous proffessors)
My major is Material Science and Engeering.I am a junior,going to apply a university in US.

Answer 1

I have experiences with this, although not in engineering.

While I appreciate the comments by the person above and they are generally reasonable, they are less relevant when it comes to international applicants. Unless you went to a school in another country that is extremely well known (it would have to be Oxford or Cambridge or Sorbonne or ETH), chances are that your grades will count for much less than an American student. The reason is that faculty might have a very hard time understanding what they really mean, partly because they may not know the quality of the school, but also because they don't know how grades are distributed. Of course, better grades are better than lower grades, but even if you have a perfect score, it won't mean too much if the school is completely unknown.

GRE is very important - unfortunately - precisely because it is standardized. I suspect the verbal score won't matter as much, but the math and analytical will matter tons.

Recommendation letters are very important, but again, it matters whether their authors are known at all. If not at all known then it doesn't manner nearly as much how much they praise you.

As for personal statement, that matters, too. It's more in the realm of breaking the application than making it though. It's your opportunity to show a department or potential advisor why you are a good fit for them in particular. Try not to standardize it. Also, you can skip the bit about "you have such a prestigious program, that's why I want to be in it", because people know that they are in a prestigious program, they don't need you to tell them that.

If you're applying to the top programs, you need to realize that there will be people with better credentials than you applying. That's just how it is. So to be realistic, it may be best to apply to less prestigious programs.

In fact one IMPORTANT way in which an international student can increase his or her chances of going to one of the top schools in the US is by starting at a less-than-stellar program. You have a much better chance of getting in, and then you can transfer after your Master's degree with recommendations from an institution that people recognize. So be sure to diversify and apply to all sorts of schools.

Answer 2

I'm not an expert, but I do know a bit about graduate programs, etc. Grades, GRE, PS... All would matter of course. Grades are the best indicator of how people will do in graduate study, so they count for a lot. GRE is interesting confirmation and if your grades are a bit low a high GRE might make the difference, of course.

Personal statement to the extent that it shows your motivation and potential mattes, but these are usually pretty similar.

But assuming you are "well qualified" overall...you have good grades and decent GRE scores and you've written a good personal statement, you'll have put yourself in a competitive position as compared to other students. What will tip the balance in your favor?

In my view it is the quality of your recommendations that often tips the scale.

By quality I mean who they are from, sure, but also how enthusiastic they are, and to what extent they show the person making that reccomendation actually knows you and your potential.

Recommendations from faculty that are really powerful will make a difference, but recommendations that are strong from people who have a "name" in the field, well that's gold (unless the selection committee contains someone who hates that particular expert ...!)

I had a friend who made it into Law School with good grades and scores, but was quite old and had a very non traditional background for Law (fine arts). The program was very competitive and selective.

He was told that his outstanding recommendations are what got him in. Not so much from famous people but they demonstrated the depth of his commitment and experience and gave the flavor of his personality.

Answer 3

I would say most important are recommendation and GRE (verbal !). The recommendation doesn't have to be from someone famous, s/he just needs to be known to the person reading your file. But your file needs to be looked after, or else it's easily forgotten.
After receiving a phone call from an acquaintance in a foreign university, I pulled that student's file from a big pile, everything looked alright (although not stellar), and I pushed for that student's admission. Committee all agreed, but administration objected based on the low GRE score (verbal). Student re-took GRE again and squeezed by.
Since you are in engineering, the analytical and quantitative parts of the GRE are not important (high score is expected!) and of course that's easy for you, right?
I suggest you ASK those professors writing your recommendation to suggest where to apply. Your professors will suggest places they personally know, and are known.