Questions on GRE and SOP

[JWKHIST]

I'm now living in South Korea, and it is almost impossible in my country to get accurate information about the whole PhD application process.

So I was wondering if I could get some information here.

(I apologize in advance for my English. They might sound a little weird since I am not a native English speaker.)

 

1. I am applying to a history doctoral program in Washington D.C. Its ranking in history, according to the US News, is about top 50-60th. Would my GRE score be enough? (VR: 164 / QR: 166 / AW: 4.0) Some of my friends are saying that I should get higher score in VR and AW, since I am aiming for a humanities program. But I am not sure. I can probably take the exam one more time, but it will eat up my time to prepare SOP and Writing Sample. Do I really need a score higher than what I have now?

 

2. I just finished my first SOP draft. But, since I am not a native English speaker, it's hard for me to figure out if it's okay or not. So I am thinking about using SOP-editing service. Has anyone used one? Is it helpful? If so, is there a particular service that you would recommend?

 

Thanks.

[HTM18]

GRE is high in my opinion. no need to retake it.. email program incase they have a min score

[AnUglyBoringNerd]

Fellow East Asian and former applicant to History PhD programs here. No need to retake GRE unless a program specifically say your score must be over a threshold. (Honestly, GRE is the least important part in your application, and speaking for myself mine score wasn't any better than yours, and I still got in my top choice) Also, being a non-native English speaker eventually isn't the biggest challenge you'd encounter when you write the SOP. I highly recommend that you go over the relevant threads, e.g. Fall 2017/2018/2019 Applicants, and check out the advice offered by advanced PhD students.

41 minutes ago, Joon Chung said:

I'm now living in South Korea, and it is almost impossible in my country to get accurate information about the whole PhD application process.

This is, in my own experience, so not true - I did my first round of application while I was studying in South Korea (being non-South Korean). If you may, please consider to examine the information on programs' websites, ask your professors for advice, and do some search online (e.g. this forum is a fantastic source). Also, I'd caution against applying to any PhD programs that don't have a decent placement records, though the US News ranking isn't really accurate. 

[JWKHIST]

Thank you both for your answers!

[TMP]

In addition, I'd change your username if that is your real name.  This is an anonymous forum.

[AP]

I also came from abroad and I aimed for a 5.5 AW score because of the same reason your friend gave you. Regarding the SOP, do you have any colleague already studying in the US? I sent mine to two people from my country who were already in their programs (not history) and they helped a lot. If you know anybody, reach out to them an politely ask them if it would be ok to send them your SOP. I didn't use a service.