GRE Scores for top Sociology PhD (for International Student)

[scorebest1]

Hi, I'm applying to several tier 1 and tier 2 U.S Sociology PhD programs in two months. By "tier 1" I mean schools like Harvard or Princeton, by "tier 2" I mean schools like Washington or Texas-Austin. I am applying from abroad and have done almost all of my studies in an non-English environment up until now. So, I am having some difficulties with the GRE verbal and writing component.

I took my first GRE two month ago and I got the following results. 

Verbal:160(85 percentile)   Quantitative: 166 (91 percentile)  Writing: 4.0 (59 percentile)

Now, this is the score I got by only doing two practice tests two days before the exam. So, I could probably pay 200 dollars again and retake the test to do a little bit better (I can aim for something like 160-162, 168-170, 4.0-4.5) . To tell the truth, I am a bit worried that my verbal and writing score may give off bad impression when compared to other applicants for the top schools. However, I have also heard some rumors that US universities will not care so much about GRE verbal and writing scores from international students as long as they are not terribly bad (which I don't think this is the case). 

If anyone has experience with these issue, it would be great to know what you think.

Best,

 

Edited September 5, 2016 by scorebest1

[Warelin]

Is the 160 or 166 quant?

[scorebest1]

Sorry, my mistake. 160 is for verbal.

[Warelin]

According to Notre Dame's most recently released data for their school, their average quant score was a 712 from 2009-2013 and a 609 verbal. Using a conversion, these scores are roughly about a 155Q and 160V.
According to Duke's most recently released data for their school, their average is a 158Q and a 164V.
According to US News, Duke ranks 14 and Notre Dame ranks 42.

It's important to realize that GRE scores only tell part of the story though. You might meet the GRE score requirements and still get rejected due to other factors. Likewise, US News takes the average GRE scores of students and it accounts for a third of the school's ranking. Another third is based off of admins ranking other programs (nobody ranks their own). The third varies from program to program, but generally is a numerical value based on the jobs or earnings of program graduates in the first year after graduation

As @danieleWrites stated a few years ago, " You're essentially looking at schools ranked by the collective ability to take the GRE, opinions of administrators in other schools, and monetary value of the degree. This skews Ivy League not because Ivies are necessarily "better" but because prestige skews every level of the ranking methodology. If everyone wants to get into Super Fabbo U, they can pick whoever they want and they'll get the higher GRE scorers, for example."

[scorebest1]

Thank you very much for your reply. I understand that the GRE only plays a little part in the admission process. I also understand that Ivy league universities may not be the best choice for some people.  In fact, my top priority is not an Ivy league school. However, Ivy league universities probably are the most selective and I think they generally have highly achieving professors and students with good funding. Anyways, do you know what Sociology PhD programs do with the writing component?

[Warelin]

2 hours ago, scorebest1 said:

Thank you very much for your reply. I understand that the GRE only plays a little part in the admission process. I also understand that Ivy league universities may not be the best choice for some people.  In fact, my top priority is not an Ivy league school. However, Ivy league universities probably are the most selective and I think they generally have highly achieving professors and students with good funding. Anyways, do you know what Sociology PhD programs do with the writing component?

There are schools that fund well that aren't ivy league and that place incredibly well. There are also some ivy leagues within individual departments that don't have the strongest placement record. Searching for a good school is good. But I think you're missing out on a huge opportunity by not exploring all your options. Getting and maintaining accreditation for any school at the PHD level is an incredibly hard process and there are strict requirements for maintaining that status. There are lots of high achieving professors and students who don't go to the ivys; I'd venture to say that MOST high achieving professors and students have never and will never teach or study at an ivy league college. If there was unlimited spaces and funding and need, this might change, but that's not the world we live in.

What specifically about Sociology are you interested in? Which journals are most relevant to that field? Who's publishing in that specific field? Take a look into those authors. The universities they teach at may surprise you and you may find a few schools that you previously overlooked.

In regards to the writing component, I've heard it mentioned that in the GRE, the only program that cares about it is Political Science. If you mean the writing sample, I think they use it to determine how well you "fit" in with the current faculty and how your interests align. It's why they stress the importance of rewriting your statement of purpose for every university you apply to.