Analytical Writing Advice

[Wasr]

Hello everyone,

 

First post here so I guess I'll get straight to the point. I took the GRE for the first time on Friday and felt pretty good about my scores. I received a 166 Verbal and 152 Quant. I'm a current history major finishing my undergrad this year and I am planning on applying to phd programs this coming application season. In the few days since taking the test I've started to worry more and more about the writing portion of the exam, I think that I am a pretty good writer but the time constraints on the essay portion left me flustered and I am starting to worry that I wont get the AW score I want. So I guess the question(s) I am asking is how important is the AW score to the admissions committees? Will my relatively strong verbal score help to make up for a lower writing score? What about the writing sample that i will submit with my application? It seems to me that the writing sample will be a much more accurate representation of my writing abilities than the rather random essays that I churned out at the beginning of the GRE.

 

If it matters at all my two top choice programs are at UNC Chapel hill and the University of Virginia. I'm hoping I won't need to re take the test because I was planning to use my remaining time to work on the rest of my application, and it would take a fair amount of time and money to prepare for and retake the GRE. (Not to mention that it would be a real bummer to retake since I am pretty happy with my other scores)

 

Thanks for any help or advice!

[baktrax]

I believe the writing sample will probably weigh more heavily in their decision than a low AWA score, since it is much more representative of the academic writing you would be doing in graduate school. If you're writing score is particularly low, consider asking the graduate schools you are applying to if there are any hard cutoffs for admissions. Some programs have them for GRE scores, and it's worth considering if your score is very low. You could also ask professors in your field what they recommend that you do--they will probably be the most knowledgeable about what graduate programs are looking for.

[Wasr]

Thanks for the response! I guess I really just have to wait and see how the scores come back...

[shaboomshaboom]

From what I've seen, no one really cares that much about the AW portion. I agree- if they want to see the quality of your writing, they'll look at your writing sample, which you presumably put more effort into than the AW essay. 

However, since your applying for a PhD, I'm not sure if they put more weight on the AW essay than a masters program would... I would wait to see whether you get a good score, and then maybe email the school and ask?

Anyway, your scores seem to be really good, so I don't think you'd need to retake the test, even if you get a crummy AW score. I'd focus more on your application essay and your LORs

Good luck!! 

[Wasr]

I just got my scores today and my aw score is a 4, which isn't too terribly awful. So at this point I'm thinking I'll just focus on the rest of my application and let the GRE be. I would hate to retake and end up with a lower verbal or quant score...

[guinevere29]

I got a 4 my first time around as well. I took it again to get a higher verbal score and ended up getting a 5.

 

I just can't imagine why any program would place higher emphasis on a contrived essay written in 30 minutes graded by someone outside the department over your writing sample or personal statement. I would be interested to know if some departments have a cut-off for the AW section score as long as your verbal score is good. 50th percentile in both would indicate poor writing and reading skills, but a 166 in verbal and 4 in writing indicates that you just didn't prepare for how they grade the AW.