GRE importance in anthropology/liberal arts?

[Missy91]

I took the new GRE last year.

157 verbal, 73% below.

153 quant, 56% below.

4.5 writing, 73% below,

I have a 3.7 GPA and a pretty good CV for an undergrad, but I am wondering how much the GRE plays a part in the admissions/assistantship offering process. How important does a GRE score like mine play in my chances? Should I take it again? I didn't prepare at all last time. Thanks!

[aetaival]

I'm also applying to PhD programs in anthropology this year. After talking to both my professors from my undergraduate career and potential graduate school advisors, the advice I've gotten is that GRE scores are important, but that admissions will consider your application as a whole rather than focusing on just one part (like the GRE scores). It does seem like GRE scores are often a way for them to decide between students who have simliar looking backgrounds.

In terms of what your GRE scores will play in your chances of getting in, that kind of depends on where you are applying. Any of the good anthropology PhD programs are highly competitive (The university of Michigan only accepted 2 people out of about 200 applicants last year), so having a really good GRE score will help to keep you in the top pool of applicants. If you're applying to an unfunded masters program, then it probably doesn't matter as much.

That being said, you had a pretty good score for not studying! If you study for a month or two, you should be able to bring your score up which could help your application as a whole. Again, I don't know where you're applying but my professor at the University of Michigan said that they usually don't accept students who have less than a 5 on the writing portion, so that advice would probably hold true if you're applying to any of the other top departments.

Good luck with your applications!