What GRE score do I need

[doogiej]

I'll be taking the GRE in September. I am attending a small, Midwest liberal arts college with a 3.92 GPA. I presented a paper at the MSA last April, have a tight focus on my area of concentration and will have strong letters and writing sample. I am stressed no end abut the GRE, though. With everything else I have going for me, what do I need out of the GRE to get into the Sociology PhD programs I am targeting; Northwestern, University of Illinois at Chicago, UNC, and Loyola?

[FingersCrossedX]

There is no magic number. Look at the programs and see if any have a minimum score. Of course aim for the highest score possible, but don't freak out about the GRE. You have plenty of time before your test. Use it to study, jjust a little bit each day will help. Get a study book or look into a class if you feel that is the best way for you to go (courses are quite expensive though). However, don't rip all your hair out over this test. There are plenty of stories on this board of people with low GREs getting in to great programs. There are just as many from people with perfector near perfect GREs not getting in. Its not the deciding factor. Relax a little, but still take it seriously. You'll be fine.

[doogiej]

I just spoke with someone at NU Sociology regarding PhD admissions stats and found that their average GRE scores were 740 quantitative and 670 verbal. Not as high as I had expected. Interestingly, when I asked about how they would be evaluating the new GRE scoring, she said they simply didn't know yet. Maybe being in that first wave could be an advantage because schools might be unsure of how to evaluate the scores. They may decide to give more weight to other factors initially.