I'd be very appreciative for some feedback!

[scottg]

Hi all,

I have a question regarding what ya'll think of the strength of my PhD applications (in general), and the strength of my GRE scores (more specifically).

First my GRE scores (which I just took today): I got a 162 on the Verbal, and a 158 on the Quant. I'm a little bummed about my verbal score because I had been consistently scoring around 168 on my practice tests, and I'm wondering if (at the end of all this information) you think re-taking the GRE is necessary. I obviously haven't got my writing scores back, and that will ultimately decide whether I retake the GRE, but I'm a fairly strong writer and I'm confident that I'll do well in those sections.

Anyways, the rest of my information:

I'm Canadian, and intending to apply to four US universities (Brown, UMich, UT Austin, Stanford - I'm just tossing Stanford in, the first three are my top choices) for some form of social/cultural anthropology. My undergraduate GPA is 4.23, and I currently hold a 4.07 GPA for the coursework I've completed in my Masters. I'm about to leave on a 3-month fieldwork trip to Rio de Janeiro in order to conduct research for my thesis, so I'll also have experience conducting independent fieldwork (including getting ethics board approval, ethnographic research methods, etc), I have intermediate language skills (written and oral) in Portuguese, and I'll have established a network of connections which will be beneficial for my doctoral research. I'm currently funded by a SSHRC CGS-M scholarship, a Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement, a Graduate Fellowship, and was awarded the Provost Entrance Scholarship when I was admitted into my current program (an MA in Anthropology). All of these are significant scholarships worth between $6,000 - $17,000. I've been a TA for two undergraduate courses (as a marker for one, and leading tutorials for the other). In addition, I'll have three extremely strong letters of reference (my senior supervisor for my MA went to Brown, and my other committee members went to UMich and Cornell) from faculty members.

 

I know I'm "tooting my own horn" a little bit, and am a little embarrassed by it, but I want your honest opinions. I feel like I will have fairly strong applications, but the 162 score on my GRE has me feeling a little unsure. But, honestly, I would rather not retake the test. The extra $200 would definitely hurt, and with all the preparations for my fieldwork / wrapping up coursework / getting all the other stuff for my applications in order I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

With everything I've written, what are your thoughts??

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read and respond to this! I really do appreciate it. 

[fuzzylogician]

Not being in Anthropology, maybe someone will come by and correct me, but I think that you are overthinking this. GRE scores can sometimes keep you out of school, if they are below any official or unofficial cutoffs that programs might use to weed out applications. 162 puts you in the 90th percentile. You really think your application will get tossed because you are in the 90th percentile in the GRE and not the 95th or 98th? Let's get real here. The GREs are used for screening, to give adcoms some way of comparing applicants who come from different backgrounds and schools and have different grading systems. The 90th percentile puts you clearly above any cutoffs. Once you've cleared the cutoff, GRE scores become meaningless. You'll get in because you have a strong SOP and LORs, because you can articulate your research interests and demonstrate fit with the programs you're applying for, because you can insightfully discuss your research experience and how you plan to grow next. Because you are someone who the adcom thinks will be an asset and contribute to the student body. Concentrate on demonstrating that you are that person, not on improving the part of your application that is already good enough.

[soc.studyhermit]

Hey!

 

By the sound of it, you are a strong candidate overall and it is great that you will have strong references to support you. I think maybe you should contact some grad. students who have been accepted into the programs you are looking at?  Or better yet, make contact with the specific department grad. chairs and find out what they think would be best?

 

PS.  Are you currently in a School in BC?  If so, I think I know who you are hahaha  (im in your cohort!)

[farflung]

You sound qualified to me! Even with your current GRE score. I wouldn't put yourself through the extra suffering of taking it again.

 

To be honest, as someone on the 'inside' of one of the programs you've mentioned applying to, admission depends on your statement & whether a few faculty members are willing to raise their hand at the meeting and say they'd like to work on the project you propose. It's also about creating a diverse cohort -- people who work in different regions of the world, will have different committee structures, and are interested in a variety of trending topics. So, it both is and isn't about you as an individual. I've heard faculty members talk about the SOP and letters of reference when discussing the applicant pool, but literally never heard anyone mention the GRE. These are anthropologists who tend to be very skeptical of standardized measures.