I Need Help! Please!

[wishingstar]

Hi Everyone.

This is my first time posting a topic in the forum.

I am very much in the panic mode right now since I received my GRE scores back yesterday.

I got a V: 520 Q:720 which I obviously knew after I took the darn exam. But my writing score came in and I got a 4...

I was beyond devastated and shocked because I always considered myself a good writer. And i have always been praised by my professors on my papers written throughout college. Although I always knew that I am not a good standardized test taker but I actually prepped for it for about 5 weeks and never gotten below a 650 on verbal and 760 on quant. All in all, I am EXTREMELY bummed about my GRE scores.

Anyways, I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice on whether or not i should retake it.

Background: I am currently a rising fourth year at a top 10 university in the US double majoring in economics and political science with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 (with major GPAs higher than that.) I have been doing research with one of the leading professors in the field of political science since the beginning of my second year. I've also had numerous other research experience in the past (mostly in high school) but it's biology not the social sciences. And I'm currently conducting my own research for my BA Thesis in the political science area. I've also had study abroad experience in the area of concentration that i'm interested in applying for grad school. I've also had intern experiences in both the finance and media sectors.

My top choice would be a political science PhD program preferably in a top 20 school. I'm also considering MPA at preferably top 10 places.

Any advice would VERY VERY MUCH appreciated! Thank you so much in advance!!!

[kaykaykay]

I am not sure if you were looking for this answer but if you want to get into a poli sci top 20 you should retake the GRE. Both your verbal and your math low, and while (I have to emphasize in this field) the AWA is not really counted you will be in the best case scenario a borderline case( your math may be ok depending on your field but with this verbal it is possible that you will end up in the reject pile). If your practice tests were better hopefully it was just a bad day for you ! Good Luck!

(you should aim for V around 700 if you are a native speaker and a Q around 750... -AWA does not matter really if your SOP and writing sample are ok)

[wishingstar]

Thanks so much for your advice kalapocska! Yeah. i was hopefully thinking someone would say that it should be fine but haha i guess i'm just in denial. *sigh* so much stress!!! Although I am somewhat relieved to hear that the writing portion is not as important. Also another question, usually when schools say they do not emphasize GRE scores or they don't even require it but then goes on saying that the program is competitive, it basically means they are looking for a GRE higher than a certain number right?

[vertige]

I am applying to Literature Ph.D. programs so the verbal is obviously important (to the extent that a low score would be looked down upon, while a high score won't necessarily get the nod). I got a 710V/670Q/5.0 AWA, which was a decent improvement from my first try, and my professors were pretty categorical about that being a good thing. Having gone to a top 5 school for undergrad, my professors essentially told me "look, when you're looking to go to one of the best Ph.D. programs in the country, every single aspect of your application should be as strong as possible, that's all there is to it". However, there are a combination of factors working in the process; as I understand it, the two most important aspects of your application will be the written portion (writing sample) and whether there is a specific professor or professors who work on your interests, and who will thus make your case when it comes time to sit around a table with a stack of files and play an educated version of "eeny-meeny-miney-mo". What's more, I know quite a few people with great GRE scores who have rejected from the same programs that people with mediocre scores were accepted to.

[wishingstar]

thank you for your input bribs! I think you are right. It makes perfect sense that every portion of the app should be very strong. The last part of your reply was very comforting. I'm hoping with a better GRE score on my second try will help my chances and perhaps i'll be one of the lucky ones you are talking about...do you mind me asking how long did you wait until your second try on gre and how did you prep for your verbal?

[vertige]

Not at all! The first time I prepped a few hours, did 670V/530Q/4.5AWA, this was October of my senior year (2007). I ended up in a Ph.D. program at an Ivy but was really unhappy with the dept (yes, this ABSOLUTELY does happen) and I decided to take time off and work, and now I'm doing a double MA in France and Germany - sorry, just giving background so we don't focus too much on comparing scores...again, admission will be based on a really comprehensive picture of your strengths and weaknesses, and as we're applying in different fields that even increases the number of variables at work. The second time I took it was October 2010 I got a week off of work and memorized 1,000 words with the exact ETS (the GRE company) definition of each word, so that I would run into little ambiguity in the syonyms/antonyms section, which I think I got perfect. The hard part was the lit analysis (Virginia Woolf? Really GRE?) and that brought me down a bit; you can't ask a prospective lit Ph.D. to answer multiple choice about Mrs. Dalloway for f%$^ sake lol. For Quant I memorized how to multiply exponents and do long division (I know so easy but I just hadn't done it in years). For AWA I'm convinced you just have to dumb down your writing as much as possible while still trying to be highly formalistic and use big words in the way ETS defines them.

Ugh sorry that's kind of a set of reflections more than an answer/suggestion, but I hope it helps! Also, doing written tests is different because the computer adaptive version sucks! 50% of the test is merely measuring whether you have nerves of steel (I happen to be a highly cynical person and was only really perturbed with the writing section haha). Maybe take a shot of tequila before getting there?

Edited August 2, 2011 by bnibs

[wishingstar]

Thank you again bribs!!! Very very helpful! Considering the GRE changed I guess I should go hunt down a new wordlist? Saw some posts on that...I tried memorizing vocab too but it didn't seem to be too much of a help. All I remember was most of the words i memorized were in the answer section not the question part...I really wonder how to increase your endurance for the exam. I remember having a massive headache by the end and thought I was going to throw up.

[kaykaykay]

well if they say they do not require it (if you are looking at programs outside the US) probably it does not matter (and you should not send mediocre scores). If it is a top 20 US poli sci program they will look at your GRE as it should be within a range..., sometimes of course people with lower GREs will get in but you probably do not want to gamble that you will be the one. If you check the poli sci board it is clear that there is some tough competition out there and everyone wants to apply to the top schools. Frankly while your econ major probably shows that you were not a lazy undergrad, 3.5 is also a borderline low GPA. You should improve the things that you can (GRE,SOP, writing sample) as much as you can so you will not end up cut just because of your numbers.

Edited August 2, 2011 by kalapocska

[wishingstar]

kalapocska: thank you for your input. i have decided to retake the GRE again since it is true that the scores are definitely not an asset towards my application and i certainly don't want to gamble on my chances of getting accepted to schools i want to go to.