please give me some advices on my GRE scores

[moby]

Hi,

I'm an international student whose native language is not English.

I took the GRE on 10/27/08 and got V670/Q760. The problem is my writing score..I will be extremely suprised if I get more than 2.5..seriously.

I'm applying for cognitive psychology programs in NYU, SUNY, etc. Most of the schools I'm applying have deadlines around mid December so I don't have enough time to practice for the writing and retake it. (Besides I'm not sure if I'd get better scores even if I retake it)

Would my writing score hurts me so badly? Do you guys think I should retake the GRE? I'd really appreciate your advices..

Thanks.

[Dreams]

Hi,

Would my writing score hurts me so badly? Do you guys think I should retake the GRE? I'd really appreciate your advices..

Thanks.

The first question that comes to my mind is: do the programs you are applying to require writing samples? If so, then do not worry about the scores too much. As it stands, I think your scores are fine. Concentrate on your personal statement, and if required, submitting a sample that would dispel any skepticism about your writing ability.

[torakichi]

Those are good scores you got. When you receive the report with the percentiles you'll see that your Verbal will probably make the 90%.

If you're worried about your writing score, think that they will also look at your TOEFL score.

[misterpat]

It's my understanding that non-native English speakers are given the benefit of the doubt in situations like this. I would definitely try to call attention to that though, because if you were a native Englisher speaker, I believe they would look at your AW score as a serious red flag. Many departments specify in their FAQ or Admissions pages of their sites that people in your situation might get a break. You might even want to e-mail someone and tell them ahead of time so they know there's going to be an otherwise really solid applicant with a miserable AW score they should be on the lookout for.