Worried about my GRE

[emmie7]

Hello!

I am applying to 3 schools for Fall 2016 (UVA, Auburn, and Armstrong State), and I am pretty worried about my GRE score. My score was V: 154  Q: 151 and AW: 3.5. My GPA is 4.0 but I am pretty nervous that my GRE score will not get me in. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

Edited January 7, 2016 by emmie7

[SLPgradstudent]

Hi Emmie!  I know how you feel, I'm also only applying to three schools, and it makes me very nervous!  But I know that those three are programs I would be happy to get into, and not just extra applications taking time and energy away from the programs I really care about.

Have you looked at ASHA EdFind?  For (almost) every school, they list stats from the previous year's accepted students.

http://www.asha.org/edfind/

These are the stats for each school:

UVA - GPA: 3.00-4.00, V: 150-167, Q: 150-163, AW: 4.00-5.00 (You're only low for AW, some schools don't care that much about this anyway)

Auburn - GPA: 3.67-4.0, V: 142-166, Q: 135-161, AW: Not listed (Verbal is right in the middle of the range, Quant is above average.)

Armstrong - GPA: 3.39-3.97, V: 145-158, Q: 141-158, AW: Not listed (Your verbal is above average, Quant above average)

I don't think you have to worry about your GRE scores for any of these schools.  You are within their ranges for GRE, and with your stellar GPA, I don't see any weakness in this part of your application.  Keep in mind, every school has different aspects of your application that they consider most strongly, but many schools look at the whole picture, assuming you meet their minimum requirements in each area (GPA and GRE).  I'm guessing the Auburn and Armstrong don't look that much at AW, since they don't share that info with ASHA.  Your GRE may not be the most stellar score they receive, but your GPA is, and if you focus on making your SOP strong and tailored to each school, you are putting in a really strong application.  Think of your GREs more as a hurdle you have to pass to get them to look at your application.  (And I think you've passed it for these schools!)

Since you probably aren't going to be retaking the GRE before you apply (if you haven't already submitted), don't stress about your GRE scores anymore.  You've done your best, and that's all you can ask of yourself.  No matter what our scores and stats are, we are all going to be worrying about whether or not it will be good enough to get us into our chosen programs this time around.  None of us can know for sure if we'll get in, because there are too few spots for too many qualified students.

I'm guessing you'll get into at least one or two of these schools, but even if you don't, remember that's not a reflection on your worthiness to be in this field.  If you don't get in this time around for whatever reason, spend the year strengthening your application.  Volunteer, take a GRE course and then retake the GREs, etc.  In the grand scheme of things, starting grad school one year later is not going to make a huge difference in your life.  I say this as a 29 year old returning student.  I wanted to apply last year, but didn't finish my 2nd bachelor's as quickly as I'd hoped.

If you haven't already submitted your apps, take the time to really customize each statement of purpose.  What appeals to you about each program, and what do you have to offer that program?  If the school knows that you're really interested in them, they will be more interested in you, regardless of your GRE scores.

Best of luck!
Amber

[rockchalk4253]

13 hours ago, emmie7 said:

Hello!

I am applying to 3 schools for Fall 2016 (UVA, Auburn, and Armstrong State), and I am pretty worried about my GRE score. My score was V: 154  Q: 151 and AW: 3.5. My GPA is 4.0 but I am pretty nervous that my GRE score will not get me in. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

Do you know very much about Auburns program? 

[Kanga]

1 hour ago, AmberRae said:

1 hour ago, AmberRae said:

These are the stats for each school:

UVA - GPA: 3.00-4.00, V: 150-167, Q: 150-163, AW: 4.00-5.00 (You're only low for AW, some schools don't care that much about this anyway)

Auburn - GPA: 3.67-4.0, V: 142-166, Q: 135-161, AW: Not listed (Verbal is right in the middle of the range, Quant is above average.)

Armstrong - GPA: 3.39-3.97, V: 145-158, Q: 141-158, AW: Not listed (Your verbal is above average, Quant above average)

 

 

I tend to look not just at scores, but in previous acceptance rates.  This is the most recent information from ASHA:

UVA  19%
Auburn 28%
Armstrong 7%

Even if you have strong scores, when there is a 7% acceptance rate, I think of the committee throwing darts......how are students chosen from many qualified applicants?? If you don't get in for this fall, I suggest you look at schools that have a higher percentage of accepted students, which is a big factor obviously. There aren't tons of schools, but some do have acceptances more at the 40-50% level.

Hopefully though, you won't need my advice at all, and will get in at one of the above schools! If you don't please don't be discouraged-I'm sure there will be a place for you somewhere!

 

 

[SLPgradstudent]

4 minutes ago, Kanga said:

 

I tend to look not just at scores, but in previous acceptance rates.  This is the most recent information from ASHA:

UVA  19%
Auburn 28%
Armstrong 7%

Even if you have strong scores, when there is a 7% acceptance rate, I think of the committee throwing darts......how are students chosen from many qualified applicants?? If you don't get in for this fall, I suggest you look at schools that have a higher percentage of accepted students, which is a big factor obviously. There aren't tons of schools, but some do have acceptances more at the 40-50% level.

Hopefully though, you won't need my advice at all, and will get in at one of the above schools! If you don't please don't be discouraged-I'm sure there will be a place for you somewhere!

 

 

Good point Kanga.  Acceptance rates can also give you an idea of how hard it might be to get into a school.  It seems like UVA and Auburn are much better bets in that regard, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't apply to Armstrong.  Just be aware that they are more selective.  I feel like 20-30% is quite typical for this field, and I think there must be a significant number of people who are a little under-qualified (not you, Emmie) for each program, just hoping to get in anyway.  Don't give up hope!  Getting into grad school is hard, but we can do it!

[SassySapiosexual]

Hello! I wanted you to know that my GRE scores were middle of the road--in essence, the scores indicated I took the exam. I received my acceptance into Auburn's History PhD program with four years full funding. So if y'all applied, you should be hearing soon!

Best of luck!

Love, Sleepless in San Marcos (Texas)

[kdd22]

On January 7, 2016 at 0:50 PM, Kanga said:

 

I tend to look not just at scores, but in previous acceptance rates.  This is the most recent information from ASHA:

UVA  19%
Auburn 28%
Armstrong 7%

Even if you have strong scores, when there is a 7% acceptance rate, I think of the committee throwing darts......how are students chosen from many qualified applicants?? If you don't get in for this fall, I suggest you look at schools that have a higher percentage of accepted students, which is a big factor obviously. There aren't tons of schools, but some do have acceptances more at the 40-50% level.

Hopefully though, you won't need my advice at all, and will get in at one of the above schools! If you don't please don't be discouraged-I'm sure there will be a place for you somewhere!

 

 

I applied to Armstrong and got rejected. They are extremely picky in certain details. Anyone who is applying but will not be finished with their post-bacc coursework until the end of summer will not be considered for admission. 

[clmogel]

On 1/7/2016 at 10:06 PM, emmie7 said:

Hello!

I am applying to 3 schools for Fall 2016 (UVA, Auburn, and Armstrong State), and I am pretty worried about my GRE score. My score was V: 154  Q: 151 and AW: 3.5. My GPA is 4.0 but I am pretty nervous that my GRE score will not get me in. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

Hi Emmie! Your situation is very similar to mine. Your verbal score and quant is better though! I would apply to more than three schools. The schools you applied to seem competitive. Check Speech Grad Cafe admission results for previous admission years and check on people's stats for those that were accepted and rejected. I did this for every school that I applied to, and I predicted my chances of getting in based off these stats. My predictions have been pretty spot on. 

 You still have time to apply for Fall 2016. There are a few schools that accept on a rolling basis or have later deadlines for even Fall 2016 (there is Jackson in Florida and Nova Southeastern Online). If not, there are Spring 2017 programs. How about online?  

My ASHA Mentor (sign up for this program) mentioned students should apply to 7 to 10 schools because of how competitive it is, besides it is good to have more options (more opportunities for funding etc.) Note most of the information you need will take a phone call or e-mail to the program and/or visit to information sessions if you can....a lot of schools disclose more information on what they are looking for in these sessions than what is written on their website etc. 

Definitely do your research before applying, this was my mistake during my 1st application season, you've got to know the acceptance rates, funding rates, average GRE scores of 2015 class (they go up every year)...DO NOT LOOK AT RANGES OF GRE ON ASHA EDFIND, they are outdated by one year and they aren't helpful because they don't give averages, just a range. 

I think you have a shot, and remember if you don't get in this Fall...you are not alone. I am a second year applicant and there are many others. For next time, you can take a GRE prep, retake GRE, get a job as an SLP-A (that's what I did!), keep in contact with professors to get strong LORS for following year, gain research experience or anything that will help you write your essay. 

I had a very strong essay this year in which I explained that my GRE scores were low despite all my attempts to take them and take prep classes, I mentioned how they were not a reflection of me as a student...and I went on to list my strengths and accomplishments. 

GOODLUCK!

[amc91]

If for some reason you do not get in this cycle, I would suggest retaking the GRE using a program/studying a lot for the test (I used Magoosh but only did the verbal and writing portions and my verbal score went from 154 to 162, and my writing from 3.5 to 4.5).  Just my two cents, but since the application process is so competitive, expensive and emotionally/mentally draining, I decided that any advantage I could give myself would be worth it. While I believe the GRE is a poor indicator of our ability to succeed as students/clinicians, there are so many amazing applicants out there with such incredible experiences/resumes, that knowing I could give myself a quantitative boost helped me rest easier after I applied. Again, just my personal opinion  Good luck!