Music composition GRE

[txonet]

Hi everybody!

I plan to apply to several Master's degrees in music composition in the US. Today I just did the GRE and I got 650Q and 400V. I'm an international student, but I studied my undergrad in composition in the US and I have a 3.89 GPA. I feel the verbal part is terrible, so would you repeat it?

Thank you!

[Strangefox]

Hi everybody!

I plan to apply to several Master's degrees in music composition in the US. Today I just did the GRE and I got 650Q and 400V. I'm an international student, but I studied my undergrad in composition in the US and I have a 3.89 GPA. I feel the verbal part is terrible, so would you repeat it?

Thank you!

Verbal is definetely too low, even for an international student. I think it must be at least 550. At least.

However, I know more about standards for PhD applications. May be for Master's degrees 400 is enough...

[txonet]

strangefox, how do you know that you need 550V at least?

[Strangefox]

strangefox, how do you know that you need 550V at least?

Well, it depends on a program of course. I wrote "at least" because when I was looking for programs to apply to and browsing their websites, 550 was the least acceptable score I saw. Some programs indicated that you need to have 600 or 650 in each category. There are programs that state that there is no minimum score.

I read a lot of threads where people discuss this issue. And it is my understanding that ok score is 1200 with 600 in each category. It can be a little lower. But only a little There are so many different opinions about the GRE! I am an international student myself, so I read very carefully all I could and made my conclusions. I read about people who got into good programs with the total score of 900. I read that in some programs they do not even look at your application if your total score is 900 It's all very convoluted... Everyone has to decide for him/herself if other parts of their application can compensate for a low score.

So when I say "at least 550" its my subjective opinion. You can browse this board and read other people's opinions. There are A LOT of topics about it

Good luck!

[Strangefox]

I see you are not getting many replies here

Check out this LJ community and the following thread (about Master's degrees, by the way): http://community.liv...html?style=mine

Edited September 1, 2010 by Strangefox

[txonet]

I see you are not getting many replies here

Check out this LJ community and the following thread (about Master's degrees, by the way): http://community.liv...html?style=mine

Thanks a lot! I'll ask there, see what they think!

Edited September 1, 2010 by txonet

[txonet]

To be honest, the thing is that I find the GRE absolutely useless if you want to go into music. I don't want to sound pedantic at all, but I speak five languages fluently, and having a decent verbal score doesn't mean anything at all: it only means that you spent a month memorizing random and uncommon words. Moreover, my analytical part went great --I do not know the score yet but I'm positive that I'll be fine. So anyway, I've decided that I'm definitely not going to take it again. I have a GPA of 3.89 in one of the best music schools in the country, great letters of recommendation, my portfolio is really strong, and my résumé shows what I believe is enough international experience for my age.

Furthermore, I find the GRE a robbery. It's really expensive and I don't want to give these guys more of my money --I work part-time because I am not rich at all.

So, if the universities where I am applying to prefer rejecting me because of a low verbal GRE rather than accepting me because of a strong application, that's their problem, not mine! (just kidding, but in a way it's true).

Thanks for your comments by the way!

[Strangefox]

To be honest, the thing is that I find the GRE absolutely useless if you want to go into music. I don't want to sound pedantic at all, but I speak five languages fluently, and having a decent verbal score doesn't mean anything at all: it only means that you spent a month memorizing random and uncommon words. Moreover, my analytical part went great --I do not know the score yet but I'm positive that I'll be fine. So anyway, I've decided that I'm definitely not going to take it again. I have a GPA of 3.89 in one of the best music schools in the country, great letters of recommendation, my portfolio is really strong, and my résumé shows what I believe is enough international experience for my age.

Furthermore, I find the GRE a robbery. It's really expensive and I don't want to give these guys more of my money --I work part-time because I am not rich at all.

So, if the universities where I am applying to prefer rejecting me because of a low verbal GRE rather than accepting me because of a strong application, that's their problem, not mine! (just kidding, but in a way it's true).

Thanks for your comments by the way!

I agree that GRE is not a good indicator of one's skills and knowledge. If you have a great portfolio and credentials, for many schools they may be more imortant than a high verbal score.

You can also try to ask schools directly. If you have been in contact with professors you can address this question to them or you might send an e-mail to graduate coordinators.

[DrFaustus666]

Txonet, I doubt a low Verbal score will keep you out of an M.A. program if your compositions are super.

You said you went to one of the best music schools in the world; if that's in Boston, it would be New England Conservatory?

If you went to N.E.C., earned a 3.89 and your composition teachers say your compositions are superior, I doubt you need to worry about it.

(I am a former music graduate student myself, ..., a performer (trombone) ..., and all they cared about at the graduate level was how well I played. .... I strongly suspect for composers the rule will be the same ... Harvard-Princeton-Stanford might ask you to explain your V-score, but .... hey ...)

Good luck,

John

[txonet]

Thanks DrFaustus666. Yes, I'm graduating from NEC, but I didn't say it's one of the best schools in the world -- I said "country" !