Advice needed: GRE scores without the department code

[Fleur]

I am wondering if anyone could advise me. When I took my GRE back in September, there was a problem in the system with the

specification of the score recipients: i could specify the institutional code (Carnegie Mellon) but the system would not pick up the department code (computer science). Has anyone else experienced the same problem with Carnegie Mellon or any other university?So, I ended up sending the scores without the department code ("any department not listed").

Quite predictably, the scores still haven't made it to my application file. I contacted the admission coordinator about it, before I actually submitted the application. The coordinator said she would go look for the scores once I submit. I submitted a few weeks ago but the score report has still not been added to my file as far as I can see from the online application page. The coordinator would not answer my e-mails anymore and they are out of office from the 19th of December.

I have self-reported my scores online and uploaded a scan of my unofficial score report. Do you, guys, think I should request a new report from the ETS or just wait? Do you think the absence of the official score report could hurt my chances in any way? Would the admissions office contact me later about it if they really need it?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[Hopin'-n-Prayin']

Its tough to give advice on, but if I were in your position, I would probably spend the 23$ and send another official report. It may be for naught because many times, the department code is not even necessary, the graduate school automatically forwards the report to the appropriate department. Still, I would re-send it I were you...

[Pitangus]

I'm not sure how applicable my experience is since my issue was with UC Berkeley, which receives score reports electronically from ETS, but here it is:

Back in late October or so I went to fill out the online order form to send my scores to the ESPM department UC Berkeley. I was able to select the school code but not the department code. Since I couldn't manually type in the department code given on the ESPM website, I decided to fill out and mail one of the paper request sheets that come with the personal score report you get after you take the test (I took the test in July so I already had received this report awhile ago). On the request sheet it I filled in the school code and the department code from the website.

Fast forward to the end of November and the online application page at UC Berkeley says my scores have not been received, and I have not received the personal score report you get in the mail every time you send your scores somewhere (I received one about two weeks after I sent requests for two other schools). Figuring something went wrong with the paper request, I went back online and just ordered a report for UC Berkeley with no department code. Within two or three days the online application page said my scores had been received, and I got the personal score report in the mail a week ago.

On this personal score report the department code was not listed, which makes me think the online request (with no department code) was the one that was processed and the paper request (with department code) was not.

So, in my experience at UC Berkeley at least, it seems the department code is not required. If Carnegie Mellon gets its reports in the mail, it is very possible that the problem is not the codes, but rather there is a backlog of mail that hasn't been sorted yet and your score report is there somewhere.

But if you can spare the $23 it might be worth the peace of mind to got to the ETS website and send it again. Even if it gets to the admissions committee late, it probably won't be a problem since they asked for your scores unofficially, so that might be what they refer to during the review process and will just want to check it against the official report.

Good luck!

Edited December 17, 2011 by Pitangus

[AJ_Grad]

Well I too have the same dilemma, Just to confirm when you mentioned scores without department code. Did you just skip the department code selection while sending scores and where it lists the department as None. Is it the right approach to choose no department code.

 

 

Thanks in Advance

Edited December 2, 2014 by AJ_Grad