Optional GRE for Comp Lit MA: could be helpful to take it anyway?

[aprivit]

Hello guys, so here's my question about the notorious GRE: if a graduate program doesn't require it, do you think it's still a good idea to take it? Could it be helpful in order to be in a better position when the commission will evaluate you, especially when it comes to decide who gets a scholarship?

I asked such a general question for the sake of common help, but of course I have my specific case in mind: I'm thinking about a Dartmouth MA in Comparative Literature, and sending the GRE is optional in this case. Anyway, I'll have to take it because I'll also send my application to other programs. Consider that I'm not an English native speaker, and I haven't done any math in years, so the GRE might not be a perk in my applications. Do you think I should send the scores also to this school? Will they appreciate the effort? And, most important of all, will it be an important factor in order to be considered for a scholarship?

[Cosmos]

Hi Aprivit,

So you have to take the GRE, anyway, for other schools?

In general, I think that giving a school more information about you is a positive thing. You really want to make your application stand out and give them a clear idea of who you are, and it could definitely help you with scholarships if the rest of your application is really strong, too. However, since it is optional, obviously it's only good idea if you get good scores. If I were you, I would wait to see my scores before sending them. It could be worth the extra $23 to send them later if you do awesome.

I made the same decision myself regarding my Subject test scores: only one of the schools I am applying to requires them, so I am waiting to see how I did before sending them to the other schools where it is optional.