What were your "stats"?

[jaaaayciee]

I know this may be an odd question, but I got some good advice from another member on here that I would like to try out.

I'm applying for an MA program in History this Fall, and my main three schools I'm looking at are: Indiana University -- Bloomington, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and New York University. My GPA has been a consistent 3.7, my GRE scores are 151V 155Q, I joined Phi Alpha Theta and another student organization based on volunteering, but I never had a job (at least, not one that's relevant to anything. I worked at Denny's for about a year). 

So, I'm wondering, what were your guys' "stats" when applying? Did you get accepted or rejected? Which schools did you apply to?

[nhhistorynut]

Undergrad GPA was 3.5 Got into a state school, unfunded MA no problem.

My MA stats are 4.0 GPA. GRE scores of 160 V and 4.5 W. They don't care about the Q scores (I got 145). Got into a fully funded PhD program.

I think stats aren't as important as writing samples, statements of purpose, and letters of recommendation, but poor stats can certainly keep you out. Yours are not bad, though the 151 V isn't fantastic, but I think you'll do okay for an MA. I'd focus on a good SOP and find quality LOR writers, then clean up your writing sample and hope for the best!

 

Also, fwiw, I also never had a job in the field. I worked in random fields, like in a hospital kitchen, in medical billing, and as a caregiver for the elderly. For the past year, though, I've worked from home as a freelance editor and have made a decent living at it.

Edited June 8, 2017 by nhhistorynut

[AP]

Aggh... My GPA was 3.8 I think. I took GRE twice, both times I did better in Q than V (I'm better at maths). I remember my writing was 4.5 the first time and I wanted to bury my head in embarrassment. The second time was better. I got into a program like the ones you are aiming at. 

I second @nhhistorynut: focus on your SOP and writing sample, they are *crucial* for your admission package. 

[jaaaayciee]

3 hours ago, nhhistorynut said:

I think stats aren't as important as writing samples, statements of purpose, and letters of recommendation, but poor stats can certainly keep you out. Yours are not bad, though the 151 V isn't fantastic, but I think you'll do okay for an MA. I'd focus on a good SOP and find quality LOR writers, then clean up your writing sample and hope for the best!

Yeah I know the Verbal wasn't exactly the best but I figured like "hey, at least I have a high Quantitative". I plan on working on my statement of purpose soon and I already have a history professor who said he would help me out with everything -- but do you think that the writing sample has to have a certain page limit? In any of my undergrad classes, I don't think I've ever had to write longer than 10 pages, and I'm not sure if quantity is something that's favored.

[Neist]

My uGPA was 3.6, I think, and I believe that my GPA was 159/151, Verbal/Quant. I like to believe that I had relatively strong letters, but I never saw them, so who knows.

As to where I applied, I submitted applications to RPI STS, Cornell STS, Drexel STS, OU History of Science, and BGSU Popular Culture. I was accepted into the latter three schools. I wasn't too surprised about RPI or Cornell as RPI wasn't the best fit and Cornell is incredibly competitive. I think they took 3 people last year.

[nhhistorynut]

19 hours ago, jaaaayciee said:

but do you think that the writing sample has to have a certain page limit?

Not a page limit, no. I think they generally expect something substantial, though. What did you write your senior thesis on? That usually works out to be a good writing sample. For my MA app, I opted to use a research seminar paper on the German navy in WWI instead of my senior thesis, and it was probably 13 pages long. For my PhD app, I used a research seminar paper from my master's program that was 27 pages long. I would just focus on making sure it is based on primary source evidence/research versus a historiographical paper and make sure your bibliography looks decent.

19 hours ago, Neist said:

I like to believe that I had relatively strong letters, but I never saw them, so who knows.

Me too. I sort of wish I could see them just to know what they said and to give myself a little confidence boost lol. I will say, though, that in my interview for the PhD program, the grad director specifically mentioned "exceptionally strong letters of recommendation." So it's safe to say they're important!

[Neist]

6 hours ago, nhhistorynut said:

Me too. I sort of wish I could see them just to know what they said and to give myself a little confidence boost lol. I will say, though, that in my interview for the PhD program, the grad director specifically mentioned "exceptionally strong letters of recommendation." So it's safe to say they're important!

 

You might be able to see them by appealing to view your application records, but I'm unsure if letters of recommendation are included. 

My writers were pretty much a blank slate in regards to what they wrote. That said, I'd be a little shocked if the letters were negative. One of my writers, a very well known historian in their field, is a critical grader and I managed to receive two high As in in both classes took from them. I hope I made an impression, given all the word I had to put into that course. 

When you think about it, prep for graduate school begins the minute you begin your undergraduate. You're establishing impressions that will greatly aid your applications later on.

[a.n.d]

My GPA was 3.6 and I got around a 159 on the verbal part of the GRE. I was terrible at the math bit and got a 4 on the writing. I went straight from BA to pHd, and got in with funding to UTK Knoxville. I had strong LORs, SOP and writing sample though. They were more impressed with my application than my GRE and GPA, is the impression I got. But I also did not start out in the history field; my undergrad was in the visual arts. I worked in the university's writing center for three years, and was in Phi Alpha Theta, also.

[laleph]

On 6/8/2017 at 2:42 PM, nhhistorynut said:

I think stats aren't as important as writing samples, statements of purpose, and letters of recommendation, but poor stats can certainly keep you out. Yours are not bad, though the 151 V isn't fantastic, but I think you'll do okay for an MA. I'd focus on a good SOP and find quality LOR writers, then clean up your writing sample and hope for the best!

Bump to this!

Although... If you do have the time/money/energy, you might want to think about retaking the GRE to boost your verbal score. It's the percentile rank that really counts, not the score itself. A 151 on the verbal section, for example, puts you at about the 50th percentile. You'll be competing with fellow humanities folks who will have scored in the 80th percentile or above. 

I was in the 99th percentile for the verbal section, in the mid-50s for quant, 3.9 GPA. I was accepted to three "top-10" PhD programs (whatever you think about rankings, they do come in handy as a shorthand) and waitlisted (ultimately rejected) at another.

If you're coming straight out of undergrad, there's no expectation that you will have done extensive work in the field apart from your coursework. 

 

[thebeachbum]

My stats were a 3.93 cumulative GPA from a regional state school. GRE scores were 163V, 158Q, 5.5W. I had absolutely no related work experience, but strong letters of recommendation and a solid writing sample based on close reading of primary sources. In the end I received funded offers to both MA and PhD programs.

Generally, they say your SOP, LORS, and writing sample carry more weight than GRE scores and GPA. However, it may be worth contacting programs to find out if they require a minimum score to qualify for university funding. I used Magoosh for about 4 weeks and it raised my baseline score considerably. If the GRE is not an important part of admissions for these programs, don't stress over the scores and spend the extra time crafting a polished statement and writing sample! 

 

[archi]

My stats were 170 V, 162 Q, 6.0 W with a 3.79 GPA and I ended up getting into 1 "top 20" program and 2 "top 50s" all PhD. I didn't do a MA, but I did work in a somewhat related field for 3 years after graduating (archives.) I don't think most faculty cared about that though, since when talking to faculty after being admitted most could remember details from my writing sample/personal statement but not where I worked (or in the case of one, that I wasn't still in college.) 

I'd emphatically agree with everyone above about stats mattering less than writing sample and especially personal statement. Anecdotal evidence, but I ended up doing two rounds of applications using the same stats, the same letter writers (which I assume means similar letters), and only lightly editing my writing sample. The first round I got one MA offer (which I passed on) and the second three PhD offers and basically only thing that changed in my application materials was my personal statement, so I think it's pretty central. 

Edited June 15, 2017 by clarchibald
grammar

[thebeachbum]

My stats were 165 V, 159 Q, 5.5 W with a 3.92 from a small state school. I applied to both MA and PhD programs because I was applying straight from undergrad and ended up getting into 3 PhD programs (ranked fairly high for my subfield) and 4 fully funded MA programs. I'm fairly certain that my strong letters of recommendation and writing sample were the most important factors in admissions because at the time my research interests were not super clear in my statement of purpose and varied depending on the program. This matters less for MA programs, but I suspect is more of a red flag for PhD admissions. If you're nervous about your test scores, it might be worth checking in with the programs to see how the GRE is used for admissions. Most programs don't set a specific minimum, so you're likely better off spending time on your writing sample and statement of purpose.  

[etoile89]

My stats were as follows:
- 3.79 GPA (3.93 in major) at the undergraduate level 
- I think that 161 V, 147 Q, and I can't remember what I pulled on the writing section. I took my GRE in 2012 and chose not to take the exam again for the 2017 application cycle. It was a bit of a risk, because my scores could and should have been higher... there was a lot going on at that time.
- Resume including research assistantships at two universities, credits in a book (but no publications). 
- Department level awards, Phi Alpha Theta, etc., etc.
- Transferred twice, had credits from a community college. 

I was admitted directly into my top choice PhD program without my MA. What really helped were my letters of recommendation, personal statement/statement of purpose, CV, and writing sample. I was out of academia for about 5 years, so my CV was very thorough. I also reached out to the professor I wanted to work with and we had a great rapport... I went out of my way to visit the program, attend events as I was visiting, and socialize with the cohort. 

It looks like you're applying in a pretty broad geographic area... I would definitely apply to more than 3 schools for the MA and consider MAs that offer funding. My two cents.