thirdfromthesun

Thanks for the input! Guess I'm heading back into GRE purgatory this summer... or would it beneficial to go through a year of grad-level stats first, and then re-take it? @Engali- Thanks; I'm very excited about Wake Forest Seems like a dynamite program.

Hi all! I'm wondering about the value of re-taking the GRE if I'm planning on going into a master's program before a doctoral program. My personal situation was that I gained acceptance into D2/D3 doctoral programs (in social psychology), but had very low GRE scores that locked me out of the schools I really wanted to attend (for reference, V: 159, M: 151, W: 5.0). My other qualifications were acceptable: 3 years of social psych research experience at top-30 universities, 3.80 undergrad GPA, and, by the end of this summer, 2 publications with a well-known researcher. I will be attending Wake Forest's MA program, and have heard that it's a wonderful university (and the full tuition + stipend that they give makes it hard to say no). Seeing how unbelievably competitive the social PhD programs were this year, I'm afraid that GRE scores under 165 will be unacceptable in two years when I re-apply. Is anyone else in the same boat thinking of re-taking the GRE, or will a MA override poor scores?

Good food for thought! Thanks so much for your input... and I'm so sorry for clogging up the forum with my personal case; just figured that others might find this discussion useful, too! Wake Forest's MA program is incredible and very generous with funding. It's obviously too late to apply this year, but if anyone is looking at options for next year, it's wonderful. A little profile to add some perspective: I have 3 years of social psych research experience and will have 2 pubs by the end of this summer. I am fresh out of college (graduated a semester early; Dec 2014), and am currently a research associate at a top-30 school. My GPA is very good, as are my verbal/analytical GRE scores, but my quant score is a hair below the 50th percentile (which, as we know, can result in an app not even making the first cut). I was, strangely enough, considered at a top-5 school, but my POI told me he can't take a student this year. I'm also still waiting on (PhD program) decisions from a few more schools that had later due dates. So, it's a tough decision! I'm just afraid that programs will become so competitive in a few years that even a master's degree won't override a bad GRE score :/ Would just love to know what people think about Albany's program-- I have nothing against it and am so thankful to have been accepted, but would like to have a little more info Thanks, everyone!

Oops, sorry, forgot to clarify that the MA is fully funded + stipend Good point about not following the advice of advisers 100%... but I'm just nervous because mine are eminent researchers and definitely know which unis will not yield good post-doc/job offers. And this is probably not indicative of anything because of the small sample size, but it seems like just about everyone who has posted Albany results on the site has been accepted... hm. Anyway, thanks so much for the two cents

Hi all, I'm new here, but have been lurking around the forums for some time I finally signed up to ask a question... does anyone know about SUNY Albany's social program? I've been accepted with full funding and a very generous stipend, and my POI is the loveliest person and a perfect research fit. But, a few of my mentors have indicated that it would be better to go into a master's program at Wake Forest (to which I've also been accepted) and try to get into a more prestigious program from there. Does anyone have any insight?