gwydion

That's awesome. Alas, I am not very popular with my colleagues, so I'm not even expecting a going-away party of any kind. I think all of us, including me, are very relieved that I am leaving.

*sigh* The reality is, we don't know. It probably varies not only by discipline but by specific school, and by department within a school. I knew a psychology department at my old school didn't even look at the GRE scores as long as they were over the minimum threshold, and one at another school that used it as an important tool not only for admissions, but for financial aid. If you're concerned, *ask* the schools you are applying to. You probably won't get much definite information, but you might get some generalities. One college I spoke to told me flat out that while they might admit me with my current GRE scores, they would never offer me a fellowship unless I raised them "significantly." *That's* the kind of information you want when crafting an application packet (or deciding whether to apply in the first place). And you'll only get it by talking to the school, not us.

Every school handles its applicant pool differently, and most don't share their exact methods, so it's very hard to say with certainty what, if any, factor will automatically flag your application as unacceptable for a given school. A school might use any of a range of arbitrary factors to shrink a large applicant pool, including GPA, GRE or other standardized test scores, the reputation of your undergraduate institution, etc. Prospective grad students are understandably desirous of being able to make definite statements about what will or will not get you into a given college, or grad school in general, but the reality is that the specifics of the application consideration process are a black box to us. If you are concerned about wasting money and effort, then here is my advice: Draw up a list of schools that you know you want to go to. Check their entrance requirements to see that you meet their minimum numerical requirements (GPA, GRE, etc.) Cross off any schools whose stated requirements you can't meet. Then apply to the remaining schools. Unless they say outright they won't consider someone under a specific GPA threshold, then you have a shot, and that's the best assurance you are going to get.

First off, I'd apply to more programs. divide your choices into "top" schools and some contingency programs that you are reasonably sure you can get into. I'm not sure how you went about applying initially, but I get the impression from your post that you, like a lot of people, are hung up on the application process as a numbers game. It's not just about your stats. Lots of people get good GPAs and score well on the GRE. If you want to get accepted, you need to stand out. Did you research the programs you applied to? did you talk to the professors to see if your research interests and skills matched up with what they are looking for in prospective grad students? Did you write this information into your SOP? I got accepted into my program with a good, but not stellar GPA and so-so GRE scores. What made me attractive was that I had a set of skills and research interests that dovetailed with a perceived deficiency in the program that they were looking to fill. You can take the GRE all you like, (and make no mistake, the scores can be important) but if you are not looking at how you fit into the program, and arguing that point, you may still get rejected.

This may well be true, but it is dependent on the discipline. It is certainly true in my own field (library science), a letter from a practicing librarian is just as credible as one from a professor. Urban planning may or may not be the same, but I would check with the programs you want to apply to and see rather than just assume.

You should also remember that getting into a program is not just about having good "vital stats." Adcom people will be looking at your application to see if there's a good fit between your interests and their program. Are you researching the programs you apply to thoroughly to look for overlap between your potential research/career interests and those of the faculty? Are you calling those schools and asking about what qualities they are looking for in potential grad students? Are you discussing those issues in your SOP, to show that you're not just a good student, you are a good student for that particular institution? If not, then this may well be the reason why you are getting rejected.