Rachel B

The general rule is that most schools look at your highest score. There are some exceptions and you would need to look at specific programs' policies . Also, what exactly would you say in your SoP regarding your GRE scores?

Adcomms do look favorably on improvement, but I haven't heard of them looking unfavorably on a decrease. But even if you improve on one section, particularly your AW and Verbal since you're applying to English programs, it could greatly benefit you. This may help you more: http://www.powerscore.com/gre/help/multiple_scores.htm

Generally, people aren't directly emailing admissions committees. They're contacting academic coordinators, support staff, etc. (ie: people who deal with paperwork & questions, not your admission decision). You can just call the main office phone number or email the office at the contact address. They shouldn't have an issue doubling checking to make sure all your materials are in.

Several of the graduate schools I'm applying to require the FAFSA. For my undergrad I've always filed with my father since I'm his dependent and he has helped me finance my undergrad tuition. However, financing graduate school is going to be completely on me, so am I able to file the FAFSA by myself? I realize that if I file with him I'll be losing potential financial aid since it'll take both of our income into account. But at the same time I'm still his dependent when he files taxes. Any insight would be helpful!

Even if you did well on your GREs, your GPA is still very low for the types of programs you're interested in. A lot of these programs have an average accepted GPA of 3.5-3.7 and a good portion won't accept students below a 3.0. I would start looking into schools and seeing what their specific admission requirements are.

Your scores aren't bad by any means. But if you're really not that confident in them why not just take the test again? It's one thing to explain why your scores aren't in the 99 percentile, it's another thing to prove that you can actually score higher.

Is the GRE required for that program? Was there a specific minimum score requirement? Either way, I would send your new, official scores and give the department a heads up that you're sending them. Low GRE scores can hurt your application but if you scored that well the second time around it would only help your application, especially since you're applying to science programs.

It could, but the one thing you should be aware about is if there is a page limit. Things like graphs and charts could take up valuable real estate in your SoP and you don't want to sacrifice that space if you could use it in a better way. Did you get your research published? If so, you may want to mention it and then they could seek it out separately.

I wasn't sure about PhD programs, so thank you for that clarification. I'm applying to M.S. programs and about three of them gave me that advice. I really hate these types of questions, it seems like such a Catch-22!

The only thing that might really count against you is your Q score. Math, statistical analysis, and interpretation of data are large parts of science and a 44 percentile is rather low.

I received some really great advice for answering questions like this. If you can't afford it, answer no. In the comment section briefly explain your current financial situation (loans from undergrad, if you have dependent children, etc). Be sure to emphasize that you're absolutely interested in the program and want to pursue a TA-ship, GA-ship, etc. Then note that if you aren't awarded funding you would commit to taking out loans in order to make it work because this is what you really want. (Additionally, I believe that schools can't legally deny you admission based on your financial situation.)

ETS, Princeton Review, and Kaplan all offer free online exams. Public libraries and college libraries are also great resources and they can let you check out practice books, which often include a CD with practice tests and paper practice tests in the back. *I will add that Kaplan is also having a Cyber Monday sale for GRE test prep.

I too am applying to UCSB, but to their M.S. Environmental Science program. They do not have a minimum GRE but their average accepted GRE is 1200. Exactly how much weight they give to a section aspect of an application is something we may never know. Is it possible the admission committee would overlook your less-than-stellar GRE scores and instead put more weight on your recommendations? Absolutely. Could they offer admission to someone with the same credentials but a higher GRE? Definitely. Your best bet is to just contact each individual office and ask if your application would still be competitive given your GRE scores. Academic coordinators, graduate directors, etc are there for our benefit. While they won't try to discourage you from applying they can tell you what aspects to emphasize more in order to balance out a slightly higher than average GRE score.

I have to warn you, schools that may not have a minimum GRE may still have a very high average accepted GRE. Again, that's a good statistic you may want to ask an academic coordinator.

The first time I took the test I did horribly (like 960 combined). The second time around I committed to studying the Q section since I knew it would be wiser to invest in studying math concepts that would most likely be on the test as opposed to studying the dictionary for the V section. Oddly enough, both my scores improved drastically and I was shocked that my V score nearly doubled, as well as my Q score, in percentile despite only studying for the verbal for an hour total.

It really depends on who you're competing against and that pool can change every year. If you're competing against other admitted students with a similar GPA and GRE scores, they would obviously put more weight on your recommendations and your resume. But if you're competing against someone with the same GPA and much higher GRE scores, it's likely they would get selected over you. A school may gladly admit B and 60th percentile GRE score students, but only be willing to financially invest in A students with near perfect GRE scores. It's unfortunate because to many students the GRE is just a number, but it's that one variable that puts all students on an even playing field. Having a high GRE score will give you the leg up even if it's the most pointless test you'll ever take and has nothing to do with determining your success. Don't be afraid to contact a graduate advisor and ask what they use to determine funding. If they do put your GPA and GRE as the top two variables, tell them your current GPA and GRE and ask if they're considered competitive for funding. Also ask if they put a stronger emphasis on a certain section (For example, a lot of engineering schools could care less about a lousy Verbal score). If you don't have a competitive GRE score, ask if it would be a good idea for you to take it again, between that gap between admission offers and financial aid offers.

Kitkat is right. I just wanted to add that if you send one set of scores the school will see every test score you've received in the past 5 years.

Are you referring to selection for admission or selection for funding? Either way, that seems like something you'd need to ask an academic coordinator or graduate director for the specific program.

It's the most basic calculator you could have. Here is a screenshot of it on an ETS practice test: http://www.happyscho...ator.png?9d7bd4 And I didn't have to solve for Standard Deviation on my test, I just had to use the concept to solve distribution problems.

I really wish schools would de-emphasize the importance of the GRE. As long as you meet the minimum score you should be fine. (Any chance you rocked the AW section?) The only place where you MIGHT run into trouble is funding in the form of TA-ships and the like, which sounds like it may be an issue for you because of your financial situation. At least in my field after you're admitted they use GRE scores and GPA to determine your funding. You could easily have the same exact GPA as someone else but if they scored higher than you on the GRE they could beat you out for funding opportunities. The risk of losing funding opportunities alone may possibly make you consider taking the test again, even if it's further down the road between admission and financial aid offers.

I think one thing you need to consider is whether or not the program is right for you, especially after speaking to this POI. Too many people apply to competitive programs simply because they're competitive and are considered top institutions. With this being said, you should never try to fit a mold created by a school because all it will do is hinder your success and happiness. It's unfortunate how quickly one phone conservation can leave a bad taste in your mouth about a program you were really interested in. And it's unfortunate that a POI would come off as hurried and unimpressed towards a potential student. I've had this happen to me as well and quite honestly I had to ask myself "is this someone I would even want to work with if I was accepted and did enroll?" If you do feel as though you still want to apply to this program, I would go ahead and make the needed changes to your SoP. You'll definitely need to tailor your statement for each school and it does more harm than good to just send out the same statement to every school anyway. Show off that you've looked into each program and you've talked to faculty. Schools will rarely balk at statements that include their specific program details.

I still can't log in and I took it on Aug. 17

Just some advice for the quantitative section-- the calculator can be a liability and if you use it on every single question it can eat up your time. Learn how to do calculations, even basic ones, without the calculator. It's much faster. Also, learn to eliminate answers that are out of the range for what you're looking for.

I'm applying to environmental management programs as well and many of these programs require either a 1000 or 1100 combined on the old scale. Your verbal converts to about 360 (21st percentile) and your quantitative converts to about 450 (16th percentile), so you're well below where you should be by a lot. I highly suggest taking it again and just committing to a good study programs. I used the official ETS study book and the one from Princeton Review and it helped a lot!

I don't think it matters. I registered for the test without using my middle name and my ID includes my middle initial. Before you go through the hassle of making another account, perhaps give ETS a call and explain it to them. Your address kind of matters since it's where they will send your official scores and other updates/information.