What are my chances (that it's even worth applying?)

[Kirialax]

Hi all,

 

So, here's the situation. I have a BA and will soon have an MA from reputable Canadian institutions. My grades are high and my recommendation letters are good. My MA supervisor is a famous professor who really likes my work and supports my Ph.D. plans elsewhere. I've made some conference presentations, including one at a major graduate conference at a major university. I recently had a book review published in one of the biggest journals in my field. I've served as a TA, a research assistant, and was hired to help edit an edited volume. I read three ancient languages and two modern ones, and am working on another modern one. I'm not short of qualifications, but what I am short of is whether I want to bother applying to US schools.

 

The problem is the GRE. I've been studying off and on for the past several months, but I haven't been able to devote myself fully to it. I know I can succeed, but whether it's worth putting the effort in is the real question. There are only two American schools I'm considering: Princeton and Harvard. Both have abyssmally low admission statistics, but a POI at Princeton (who also happens to be the director of graduate studies) suggested that I have about a 50% chance there based on my CV. However, that does me no good whatsoever if my application is tossed out before it even gets to the department in question because it fails to meet some mysterious university standard. I've hunted for what the minimum scores are, but I've had no luck in finding it. The averages are posted, but there is no indication at what point they start tossing applications.

 

This is compounded by my other main option for a PhD program: Oxbridge. I was admitted to Oxford for my MA but I declined. I've spent time there and am on good terms with many of the faculty and students. In many respect it's the centre of my field in the Anglophone world, and I really want to go. However, it's expensive. I'll probably get some grants from the Canadian government, and while those grants are generous, UK foreign tuition rates are ridiculous and things will be tight. That I have little doubt that I'll be admitted and at least partially funded at Oxbridge is part of the problem: I'm cheap and I look at the funding at Princeton. The POI there is also a very big name, and seems very positive towards my application. I'd rather be in the UK, but I can't deny that the US system has some merits. The five-year program is much more well-rounded than the research-based UK one and provides opportunites to teach, which is beneficial in this tough academic job market. I'd have a great supervisor and good funding in the US (possibly better than the Oxford supervisor, and perhaps equivalent to the Cambridge supervsor), although I'd lose the Oxbridge community, since the Princeton/Harvard academics are basically lone wolves in larger departments. Essentially, is it worth going to all the trouble of the GRE just to possibly turn it down anyway because my first choice is elsewhere? I'm in the midst of thesis writing and learning (yet) another language, and it's one more burden I'd really like to avoid. Thoughts?

[Guest |||]

In terms of you finances, research interests and other personal matters - that is ultimately best answered by you.  You might love Oxford, but I, nor can anyone, say for you whether or not it is realistic given your finances.

 

The best advise for this matter at least, go with the funding.  Go where you won't be terribly in debt post graduation.  If it is a question of mostly funded or entirely funded, that is debatable, but at least in my advise, comparing no aid to a great deal of aid, the answer is obvious.

 

 

 

In terms of your GRE anxiety, your situation is one that many face.  Do I take the effort and time for the GRE to apply to the few schools I want that require it?  Well, again that is up to you.

 

How badly do you want to go to Princeton or Harvard compared to other schools?  Are there other schools that will be of equivalent quality to you, that do not require the GRE - and are of similar funding.

 

If yes, then its a matter of are you invested enough to Princeton or Harvard in particular, to study for the GRE.

 

If no, then you might be in a spot where you can go else where, but realisitcally, your best bet is to study and work through it.

[Reki]

I agree with the above. It's really about what you want and what you think will make you happy in the long run.

If you want to apply to Harvard and Princeton, to give yourself those US options, then take the GRE.

 

Have you taken any of the practice tests yet? If not, download Powerprep and take one. It's only a few hours and you can get some idea of how well you'll do on it (without the extra studying). You can judge then whether you think it'll be worth your time or not.

 

In the end it could be better to have applications at the three and see what happens when offers are made and make your decision then than it is just to have an application at Oxford and not have the choice.

[juilletmercredi]

There may not be a point that Princeton or Harvard tosses applications.  By all accounts you have an outstanding record otherwise, so unless you score abysmally on the GRE I don't think you should worry.  Do you have reason to believe that you are just going to completely bomb the GRE?  If you think you can do decently, then don't worry about it.  The GRE is just 4 hours long.  If you test reasonably well, I would self-study with a $30 book for about a month and just do it.  Don't let one 4-hour test keep you from being able to consider two top schools in your field.

Personally, I would not pay for a PhD.  That includes having to borrow money to pay for 100% of my living expenses.  Only you can decide whether it's worth it to borrow the money - especially considering your past debt and how much debt you'd go into at Oxford or Cambridge.