GRE....question

[didoo]

I'm applying with hope to get into a top 5 program for PhD in PoliSci focusing on IR. I went to a top IR program for undergraduate and did IR again at HYPMS for masters. Both my grades for undergraduate and master programs are very decent (3.86 for undergrad). BUT my GRE quant is relatively low. I got 167V/158M for the second try. My first try was 161V/159M. I think I have great SOP and recs (two from top IR theorists)... 

 

I am really scared of the cut offs for quant. If anyone know whether it's possible to get into a top 5 program with a quant score lower than 160, please let me know. Has anyone done that in recent years? (I tried to check the result page but most people didn't list their GREs)

 

Basically, I am hoping that someone could dispel this belief that there is a high hard cut off at 80-percentile. 

 

Any insights would be very much appreciated.

[TheGnome]

I am 95% confident that your profile will be competitive everywhere 

[Seeking]

Take a chance and apply. You should get it.

[didoo]

I am 95% confident that your profile will be competitive everywhere 

 

 

Take a chance and apply. You should get it.

 

Thanks! In case anyone else is in the same boat... I wrote to Stanford asking for some information on mean, median, range for the GREs and whether there is a cut off. This is the answer. I am believing this because it makes me feel better: "We don’t compile the data you requested. We don’t have a minimum GRE score you have to earn in order for your application to be considered, nor is there a score you could get that would guarantee admission, even a perfect score. Test scores are only one of many facets of the application that we consider and the information provided in that FAQ should only be seen as a guide."

[cooperstreet]

Do you want to do quant? If so, do you have math classes on your transcripts.

 

Either way, you're fine.

[zudei]

I'm inclined to think that this can only be a (very small) problem if you mention in your SOP that you really want to focus on quantitative methods. I was very worried about my GRE score as well, especially because I want to focus on formal theory. But in general if you look at http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide.pdf page 31 you'll see that you are in fact doing much better than the majority of the people listing political science as their intended graduate major. Now I know this isn't a clear cut answer to your question, but it's the best I can provide you with! Good luck with your apps.

[didoo]

Do you want to do quant? If so, do you have math classes on your transcripts.

 

Either way, you're fine.

I did try to emphasize my quantitative training. I did well in econ classes at undergrad and relatively well for quant class in grad school. 

 

 

I'm inclined to think that this can only be a (very small) problem if you mention in your SOP that you really want to focus on quantitative methods. I was very worried about my GRE score as well, especially because I want to focus on formal theory. But in general if you look at http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide.pdf page 31 you'll see that you are in fact doing much better than the majority of the people listing political science as their intended graduate major. Now I know this isn't a clear cut answer to your question, but it's the best I can provide you with! Good luck with your apps.

Thanks! This is uplifting!

 

Also this is a response from Harvard. It may be helpful to some people here: "Each year, the doctoral program receives approximately 500 applications for admission and enrolls 21 new students each Fall.   Applicants are required to submit Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).  The department does not set minimum scores on the GRE examination or employ a minimum grade point average cutoff.  Among those successful applicants for Fall 2013, the average GRE score is 711 Verbal and 762 Quantitative.  The average GPA is 3.8, on a 4.0 scale. "

 

Now my question becomes why do they tell me the old scores? Do new scores get converted to old scores for comparison sake or for ease since profs are more used to the old scores? According to ETS, this average would be about 167V/160M... I'm writing back to confirm this conversion. But this is good because it means there're people who got into top programs with a Math score lower than 160M...

[zudei]

I don't know why they do that, but I would advise you to not read too much into it. I am sure there are people who got into top programs with a Q score lower than 160. If you did well on your math classes, they can help offset your GRE Q score because they are a much better signal of your quant abilities. If your writing sample has some math it's even better.

[didoo]

I don't know why they do that, but I would advise you to not read too much into it. I am sure there are people who got into top programs with a Q score lower than 160. If you did well on your math classes, they can help offset your GRE Q score because they are a much better signal of your quant abilities. If your writing sample has some math it's even better.

Good advice. Thanks.

[chaetzli]

Don't forget that theorists tend to have low Q-GRE scores. This is one of the reasons why these schools also admit people with scores <160. If you want to do IR you are probably competing with people who have high(er) Q scores. However, I agree with the others and encourage you to apply. Good luck!