mirrorofvenus

I’m applying to a mix of Ph.D. programs, about half of which are in Philosophy and the rest are in English/Literature. I imagine these programs will likely emphasize the Analytical Writing score more than other sections of the GRE, even though they will also expect a very good Verbal score. I took the GRE 4 years ago before applying to Master’s programs and received 161V/149Q/4.5AW. After retaking the GRE last month, I received 159V/147Q/5.5AW. (I'm quite devastated that a month of studying didn't improve my V & Q scores.) I am tempted to submit the newest scores, as they will have a recent date and will demonstrate, along with my Writing Sample, the strength of my writing skills. However, I would be devastated if rejected from programs because the Verbal score from that retake is below 85th percentile. Which scores would you suggest I submit? Would it make sense in my case to submit both scores, or do you think that might hinder my chances? Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

I’m currently applying to Ph.D. programs and I’m seeking advice regarding writing samples. For context: About half of the programs to which I’ll be applying are Philosophy Ph.D. programs and the remainder of which are either English Ph.D. programs or some combination of the two (e.g., Ph.D. in Cultural Studies at Ohio State Uni). My background is a Bachelor’s in English Literature with a minor in Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Critical and Cultural Theory. My question is: for literature program applications, if my Master’s work focused predominantly on media studies and involved virtually no material from a specific literary epoch or period but rather focused on philosophical and theoretical works, would it be better to submit as my writing sample an undergraduate essay focused primarily on literature (to display my abilities in this field), a Master's level essay that hints toward the literary application but does not engage in close readings, or a Master's level work that better represents my intended areas of study at the Ph.D. level but does not emphasize my abilities in traditional literary study? (Another issue is that my best literary works composed during my undergraduate career were independent research projects or for graduate courses and are much longer than max. writing sample lengths and may perhaps be the most difficult to reduce to any succinct excerpt.) I’m struggling to decide if my best Master’s essay on Critical Theory, which is also my starting point for my intended Ph.D. dissertation topic, would be overlooked by English programs due to the lack of traditional literary engagement even though the English programs to which I am applying are fairly open-minded regarding the definition of “literature.” Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide!