Difference in waiting time?

[sassypenguin]

Two things:

 

Does anyone know if emailing the school your GRE scores expedites the application process (until they can receive the official scores) or will schools not even consider your application until they receive the official scores?

 

I'm trying to figure out if it's fair to say that I have been waiting over a month or if they only recently started reviewing my application because my scores were sent out late (mid/late March). 

 

Also, has anyone here heard back from any Public Policy programs? 

[brown_eyed_girl]

You could ask the admissions office at your particular school. Most places I applied asked me to self-report my GRE scores (either by simply entering them into the application or uploading a screenshot/scan of the ETS results page), so that the application could be reviewed immediately and official scores would just be used to verify the self-reported info.

 

That said, applications are usually not considered "complete" until all materials are submitted, including official GRE scores, so it makes sense that you may not have been reviewed until pretty late. Most schools will tell you that you risk your application not being considered unless all materials are not submitted by the application deadline, including LORs and GRE scores. 

 

That said, "over a month" isn't very long for an application to be considered. The school that notified me soonest took about 2 months and the longest took 3 months, and that was WITH all materials submitted at once. So, don't worry yet! 

Edited April 12, 2015 by brown_eyed_girl