GRE Scores Anthro 2014

[eidzmo]

I'm just wondering if there are any current grad students in anthro right now who would have some perspective on the stringency of GRE scores for top programs. Clearly, candidates must stand out overall and offer something to the program and be appealing to prospective advisers. But then will a mediocre GRE score disqualify you? Also will programs even care about your math scores?

 

I am a current prospective anthro grad student, i graduated in the top 1% of my class as an undergraduate, i have a Fulbright under my belt and plenty of professional experience applicable to my potential field of work. However, i'm not so great at standardized tests and have a pretty average GRE score--not bad but not astoundingly good.

 

So I want to ask current grads:

1. should I move forward with full focus on the rest of the application with these average scores?

2. who should i contact at the graduate school in order to ask about the school's typical lenience towards GRE scores?

 

Thanks!

Edited August 7, 2013 by emily11211

[anthropologygeek]

Every college has a magic number you must be above and every schools website I applied to had that number posted. Most of the time it took about 30 minutes to find this info though

[eidzmo]

Every college has a magic number you must be above and every schools website I applied to had that number posted. Most of the time it took about 30 minutes to find this info though

 

 

Thanks for the info. I've been doing my research as well and most schools I look at say in their FAQs or admissions pages something like "no minimum GRE scores" and that "Scores are reviewed holistically, in the context of the applicant's entire file." If you have any advice on digging on websites for these magic numbers, that would be really helpful--thanks!

[AKJen]

I think some of the difficulty in finding that information is that departments might not care about scores, but the school itself often has a bare minimum score you must meet.  Admissions committees are sometimes not very on top of those requirements.  In some cases, the score is what makes you eligible for funding.  In my experience, only a few of the ten schools I applied to had a specific minimum score on their website; mostly the public institutions.

 

If you have focused research interests that align with the faculty of the school (and they are accepting students in your subject area), those trump GRE scores.  They'd probably only be considered if they were especially bad or if they were deciding between you and another student.  It sounds like you have quite a strong background, so I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about the GRE.

[anthropologygeek]

Emily, they post but if you look deeper you can find it. School has a min but department can overwrite that. My university post on front page they don't have a min, but in reality no one gets in under 1200. And I did find this number on my site. Each college has it in different spot but I know it's there or you could pm me and maybe it's a school I applied to or researched.

[eidzmo]

Thank you both for this helpful info. I will PM you, thanks for the advice! If programs have stated in the past 1200 as a minimum, thats not a problem for me because my converted score is above that threshold, but schools haven't updated their requirements since the revised 2011 GRE have they?