Funding Considerations - Advice Needed

[TalkPoliticsToMe]

Hi all,

Is a score of 307 too low for funding consideration and/or admission to an MPP program?

I am not great at standardized tests which is why I am debating retaking it, however, I am not sure I can do that much better. This is the one portion of my application that is causing me anxiety.

• 5.5 Writing
• 153 Q
• 154 V

My undergraduate GPA is 3.33 (3.60 in my major) and I will have five years of work experience by the time I enroll. Most of my experience is in private sector within the healthcare industry.

Schools I am applying to: Michigan (Ford), Duke (Sanford), and Chicago (Harris). 

Thank you. 

[juilletmercredi]

I mean, this is going to vary a lot. It depends on the MPP program. More prestigious/top-ranked programs are probably going to accept higher-than-average GRE scores than others.

It also depends on you and the rest of your package. Obviously, an ambassador or diplomat wouldn't have to worry about their GRE scores. The work experience works in your favor, but you do also have an average GPA for admission to these types of programs.

For example, Michigan says that the average GPA of their incoming class is about a 3.4. It has this to say about the GRE:

In general, the incoming class has GRE scores in and above the 75th percentile. The GRE will not determine whether you are admitted to or rejected from our school. It is used in conjunction with other aspects of your application to determine whether you are equipped to perform well in Ford School classes. There are no minimum scores below which candidates will not be considered for admission.

Duke, similarly, says that their students' GRE scores tended to sit in the top 25%, and their average GPA range is a 3.4-3.8. Chicago doesn't make their GRE score averages easy to find, but assuming that it's ranked somewhere among Duke and Michigan, I'd assume that they're similar.

If you have an otherwise great application, the GRE alone won't necessarily keep you out of these programs. However, If I were you and I were aiming for these programs, I'd consider retaking the GRE, so I could get as close to that 75th percentile as possible. That'd be about a 157 V and a 160 Q.

 

[TalkPoliticsToMe]

On 1/19/2019 at 11:56 PM, juilletmercredi said:

I mean, this is going to vary a lot. It depends on the MPP program. More prestigious/top-ranked programs are probably going to accept higher-than-average GRE scores than others.

It also depends on you and the rest of your package. Obviously, an ambassador or diplomat wouldn't have to worry about their GRE scores. The work experience works in your favor, but you do also have an average GPA for admission to these types of programs.

For example, Michigan says that the average GPA of their incoming class is about a 3.4. It has this to say about the GRE:

In general, the incoming class has GRE scores in and above the 75th percentile. The GRE will not determine whether you are admitted to or rejected from our school. It is used in conjunction with other aspects of your application to determine whether you are equipped to perform well in Ford School classes. There are no minimum scores below which candidates will not be considered for admission.

Duke, similarly, says that their students' GRE scores tended to sit in the top 25%, and their average GPA range is a 3.4-3.8. Chicago doesn't make their GRE score averages easy to find, but assuming that it's ranked somewhere among Duke and Michigan, I'd assume that they're similar.

If you have an otherwise great application, the GRE alone won't necessarily keep you out of these programs. However, If I were you and I were aiming for these programs, I'd consider retaking the GRE, so I could get as close to that 75th percentile as possible. That'd be about a 157 V and a 160 Q.

 

Hi Julliet - appreciate your response.

I thought I would respond back in case others are looking at this thread. I was admitted into both Michigan Ford (with full funding) and Duke Sanford (50% funding), so my GRE score did not hold me back as I thought it would! I'm glad I decided to apply, and believe my work experience and letters of recommendation put over the edge. Not mention I put a lot of time into my statement of purpose (spent a year refining it). To those who were borderline from a "stats" perspective, keep at it anyway! 

 

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