GRE Analytical.......It really hurts

[sconsindude]

Hi all.

I am trying to get into an english phd program. Here are my stats

Undergraduate: 3.4 gpa

GRE: Verbal: 670 Quant: 450 Analytical: 4.0......Ouch

I should have excellent letters of rec, a great statement of purpose along with a top-notch writing sample.

I will be applying to.....

1. University of Chicago

2. Duke University

3. Brown University

4. Vanderbilt University

5. Washington University in St. Louis

6. Penn State (masters program)

7. University of Pittsburgh

8. Notre Dame

9. University of Rochester

10. Binghamton (masters program)

11. Xavier (masters program)

 

12. A super-safety school

 

 

So, how do my chances look? Will my analytical score be offset by an excellent writing sample?

 

 

Thanks for the help....

 

[JackieW]

As much as I would like to tell you not to apply because you're applying to two of my top schools...

I think you should be fine. I don't think schools really care too much about A.W., personally. All that section proves is you know how to hit "space" five times to tab.

[maxmarx]

Hey, I feel for you and wish you the best of luck. I'm in a similar boat but I'm a Quant Sociologist so the verb and quant scores are reversed. My analytical score was a 3! and I just got the score this Friday. I sent out a bunch of emails to my prospective schools asking how important the AWA section was. I'd recommend doing the same. I'm still waiting to here back but it won't be until Monday so I feel as if I am in purgatory. I'll post something to let you know, but again I'm Sociology and I think it goes department to department. I really hope schools can over look such a dumb section, especially since my writing sample should be top notch.

[locald]

I'm also applying to PhD programs in English, and I did very poorly on that section (3.0). The score is so incongruous to my application, it’s absurd. I'm an editorial director; I teach comp at a community college; and I have an MFA in Creative Writing and an MPhil in Irish lit. I've come across students taking TOEFL who have scored higher than I on that section (I'm also a certified ESL teacher). I've requested a rescore, but I'm not confident it's going to help much. I left the test thinking I’d score at least a 5. I'm trying to psychologically distance myself from it and just move forward with a focus on the finer parts of my application. I could spend the next couple of weeks obsessively practicing ETS essay templates and retake the test but my instinct is to devote that time to finessing my SOP and writing sample. Even if I take it again and score higher, can it really matter much at this level or offset the absurdity of the initial 3.0? I think you should, along with me, forge ahead and consider the score a bump in the road. No applications are perfect.