Counseling Psychology PhD- strengthen application?

[nicolei]

I read through a bunch of these posts and was hoping to get some of your opinions/suggestions regarding my own personal situation!

 

I'm a senior soon to be applying for the counseling psychology phd program at the university of iowa (for fall 2014)

 

Psychology major with social work and human relations double minor.

3.94/4.0 GPA (4.33/4.0 something like that GPA for psych due to several A+'s)

I've worked in a social psychology research lab for a year and a half and am a certified crisis intervention specialist at the Johnson County Crisis Center which I've worked at once a week since last fall.

I just took the GRE for the first time today and got 159 verbal and 152 quantitative :'(

I haven't gotten my AW score yet obviously.

 

The 'preferred' GRE score for this program is 1200, and converted to the old scoring system my scores combined is 1250...which I found very discouraging

So I looked up the stats of the current accepted students GRE scores:

 

median GRE verbal : 560 or 157 in the new scoring system

median GRE quant: 620 (149 new scoring)

median GRE AW: 4.5

median undergraduate GPA: 3.57

 

 

 

So, again, my scores are just slightly above their medians...

I'm fairly confident in my ability to write a good SOP and feel like my letters of rec. will be good also.. but I just don't feel that confident with such low GRE scores... and I also don't have time to take the psychology subject test before my deadlines.

 

 

Anyone have any advice?  Are my scores super bad for this program? Would you suggest re-taking the GRE? (I'm hesitant to do so because I don't feel like I'll have an adequate amount of time to study and raise my scores significantly with my 5 classes and 3 jobs this semester)

 

I was thinking maybe if my AW score is low I'd have no choice but to re-take the GRE ...?  Maybe with at least a 5 on AW my scores overall wouldn't look so bad?

I'm just looking for any input, suggestions or advice! I'm obviously very discouraged right now haha

 

Thanks!!

[Lisa44201]

Your scores are fine. i would not suggest re-taking it; your GPA more than makes up for it, and honestly, your GRE isn't that bad (it might hinder your chances if you applied to Clinical programs, but for Counseling you should be fine). Just do well on your SOP (hint: have faculty review it). I'm hoping you're applying to other programs as well, just in case?