Questions of an Applicant from a Non-English Speaking Country

[gel123]

Hi all,

 

I am an international student and am looking for some advice about the application of ancient philosophy graduate programs. Although my undergraduate GPA is quite high (nearly 3.9) so far in my country’s evaluation system, it is of course not equal to the one in the US. I wonder whether I should apply for MA or PhD programs first, and what schools may fit me well. I know there is nearly no MA program specialized in ancient philosophy in the US, but I can also apply for the relevant programs in Canada or UK (And a following question is that whether to choose a one-year taught program or a research one in the UK). 

 

My next question is about the GRE, I heard that some schools use score cutoffs, what I wonder is that whether the school would lower the minimum qualification of GRE of international applicants whose first language is not English and would also take into account TOEFL score when the committee evaluates applicants’ GRE performance.

 

 

Thank you all for your time and suggestions!

 

Best Regards,

 

 

[jjb919]

My next question is about the GRE, I heard that some schools use score cutoffs, what I wonder is that whether the school would lower the minimum qualification of GRE of international applicants whose first language is not English and would also take into account TOEFL score when the committee evaluates applicants’ GRE performance.

 

As was said several times in another thread regarding GREs, there is no real evidence to support that departments use cutoffs. Will a poor score make the adcom look a little harder at your application to try to account for the score? Sure, probably. But I highly doubt they will throw away your application just because your GRE scores did not meet some threshold.

 

You can also mention in your personal statement (as well as have your letter writers mention) why you didn't do that well: English isn't your first language.

 

I'm also not sure--someone can correct me here--if all departments require GRE scores from international applicants, or if TOEFL scores are all that are needed.

 

 

I wonder whether I should apply for MA or PhD programs first, and what schools may fit me well. I know there is nearly no MA program specialized in ancient philosophy in the US, but I can also apply for the relevant programs in Canada or UK (And a following question is that whether to choose a one-year taught program or a research one in the UK).

Apply to both, as much as your budget allows. I think there is absolutely no need to avoid applying to PhD programs simply because you feel your country's academic evaluation system is not equal to the US, but it is a good idea to apply to some (funded!) MA programs as well as a safety net of sorts.