GRE quantitative...how much does it matter for social science? (stats inside)

[pde]

I am applying to grad school for anthropology (specifically biological/evolutionary).

I have a 3.8, strong recommendations, extensive field and lab work, and a 167 on the verbal section of the gre.

And then a 155 on the quantitative section.

For any other social science applicants, in your experience, does the quantitative section matter enough to "hold you back"? (am applying to 2 top 10 schools)

I know this is pretty specific but any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!

[1Q84]

It will vary. But some "top schools" that I have emailed with the same question said that the first hurdle you have to pass is a 1375 combined score (Q and V) that the graduate school requires before you even get to your specific departmental requirements.

So according to the ETS concordance tables, your 167 V would be a 710 old score. That means that your Q would have to be at least a 665 (or about a 164 new score) in order to qualify for those schools.

[amlobo]

I think a 155 is probably an "average" quant score for social sciences. It isn't going to help you, but I would think it would be "neutral" in the application process since your verbal is so high. Your verbal and other qualifications will make you stand out in a good way, and the quant is only one part of the entire package. Almost everyone has a "bad" part of their application, and I think the GRE quant is a good place to have your "bad" stat for social sciences... if that makes sense.

That said, while I don't think it will make an adcom throw out your application, it might hold you back in terms of funding. A lot of funding decisions are made by the Graduate School itself and they have general requirements that all students need to meet to get certain funding. So, they have the same requirements for a physics student as for an anthropology student in terms of fellowships/assistantships. But, as the previous commenter said, it varies from school to school. So, really, the only way to be sure is to check with the programs you are interested in.

[annieca]

It really depends on the type of social science program. Honestly, I don't know enough about anthropology to know about the programs. But political science has some programs that are very "math" based using statistics and more "theory" based where you don't need math skills. But like I said, I don't know if anthropology is like this.

[pde]

Thanks! I will definitely look into the funding issue for specific programs