Elaine_hfyy

Thank you so much! I think it is not worthwhile to take another GRE exam. I will just focus on my SoP and LoRs.

Thank you Eteshoe! Just one follow up -- when you said they use AWA 4.5 to filter international students, did you mean probably they are not going to proceed in reading other part of applicant profiles (SoP, LoRs, etc.)?

Hi everyone, I plan to apply for a Ph.D in sociology next fall (2016 fall semester) and recently took my GRE exam with V 161, Q 164, AWA 4.0. I would like to apply for programs within top 30. I know that 4.0 probably is too low for a phd in social sciences since writing is such an essential skill. More about myself -- English is not my first language but I did a master in public policy in the U.S. and I am working in the U.S. now. My GPA is 3.84/4.0 for master and 3.7/4.0 for undergrad. I don't think my writing skill is at 4.0 level but I admit that I am not good at writing with an aggressive time frame. Is it possible to make up for my poor AWA performance with personal statement and writing sample? Should I consider retaking GRE to improve my AWA score? Any thoughts and comments are appreciated. Thank you in advance!