CRIM MASTERS PROGRAM - GRE?

[Chris1036]

I just recently applied to a Masters Program here in California for Criminology.

I came across this website and decided to ask what others in the field think.

First some background:

When i applied to the Masters Program i encountered one issue, which was my GRE Score. It was a total of 780. According to the school we need 1,000, i still applied because i had a professor tell me to 'ignore' that score, since the GRE is just one portion of the overall process. MATH - 450 Verbal - 330 --- Total 780

With my application i had the following letters of recommendation:

1. Professor who teaches at my current University. Im applying to the grad program within the school im in now.

2. Deputy District Attorney

3. Deputy Public Defender

MY GPA is the exact 3.0 they require for the program.

I have some awards in my background. Deans List twice, each time being 3.8.

One Award i also got was a scholarship to study abroad with the crim department

I went for 9 days with the CRIM Department Abroad. (We visited Prisons and Juvenile Centers - Im a corrections option in my criminology program)

Personal Statement:

I had a writing professor at my university assist me write this statement. This writing professor sits on the english department graduate committee, so it meant alot when she said the paper grabs her attention. So i know the personal statement is strong. The personal statement revolves around my study abroad program and how it inspired me to continue on with my education.

More Background:

I have some Volunteer Internship's in my background as well. One Internship i'v carried now for over a year.

So, will the GRE hurt me that much you believe? I cant take the GRE over anymore since the deadline has passed for the GRAD program.

Any Feed Back would be great.

[A_Murphy]

Hello Chris! I'm from California as well. Obviously no one can tell you with 100% certainty about how much the GRE score will hurt you in that particular program at that particular school. My experience was the exact opposite: I applied for Ph.D programs instead of MA/MS, I applied to schools far away, and the highlight of my application was probably my GRE score.

If I were you, I would definitely hedge my bet by applying to other schools. You should also prepare for the possiblity of having a semester off so you can take the GRE again in the worst case scenario. Since you know people in the program, you could also try to get more information on whether the 1000 score is a hard limit. You already heard this from someone but, since you posted on here, I'm assuming that you don't feel confident in that source.

Another possibility:

It's a bit unorthodox, but you could try to find out if they will accept an updated GRE score after the deadline. My experience was that some schools were extremely strict about deadlines, and some were much more flexible. You could study like crazy and take the test again ASAP and send them your new score. If they take it, great. If not, at least you have a better score you can give for the Fall if they don't take you.