Mediocre GRE Scores. What do I do now?

[TheatreGrad]

Took the GRE this afternoon. Studied and prepared, but received mediocre scores. 154V and completely bombed Quantitative. Analytical Writing won't be back for a bit. My top program of choice that I'm applying for (at UW Madison) says they "look most favorably upon" scores of 160 in the verbal section. I'm pretty devasted and completely reevaluating if I even have a chance. I don't want to get my hopes up just to be squashed by a poor GRE score. 

The rest of my application is okay. I have a 3.8 in my major (same field as the grad program I'm applying for), great essays (reviewed by professors), plenty of extracurriculars in my field, glowing LORs, an internship and professional experience. I'm also scheduling a campus visit to the school, if that helps anything. I know that each school/program is different when it comes to the GRE, but my main worry is my application being tossed out in the weeding out process.

I'm applying for programs in the arts (my undergrad major as well) so math isn't completely necessary, but I'm still not happy with it. I do well in math courses and all, and I honestly don't know what happened on the test this afternoon. Applications are due end of December/early January, and I don't know what to do at this point. Here are my main questions:

1. Do I withdraw and give up? Do these scores mean I'm not cut out for grad school?

2. Is it wise to retake it? Is there even enough time? Ideally I'd like to and try again, but the time thing is tight and I don't know if there's time to prepare again.

3. Would it be wise to contact the program coordinator about this, or would that be frowned upon? 

4. Do I just hope for the best? 

Thanks in advance for any help. 

[The Dark knight]

Just stop thinking about it and take the test again. Look for a date right after the 21st day from today and register for the test. I am sure you will do well on the second one. you have already prepared well for this one, so, it will be Ok the second time. Do IT!!

[DBear]

If you have time, you can always take another stab at the exam -

My second time went better than the first, mainly (at least I think) because I knew what to expect. The first time, I was twisting in my chair because it just felt sooooo long... 

Even if you don't take the test again, and even if, for some reason you get an even lower score, I'd still submit the application if I were you. PhD programs really do look at application documents holistically and if the other parts of your application are solid, that's more important (at least that the impression I get from people who've gone through this process and professors I talked to)

Also keep in mind, that if a school says they prefer a certain score or that most applicants generally score at a certain range, this does not preclude you from applying. I actually had a friend who applied to English programs last year who didn't reach that golden '160' but still applied to a whole bunch of schools that had 160 stated as a minimum requirement or a preference. She got as far the wait list for one of these schools. As an international student, she also had to take the TOEFL and didn't meet minimum score requirements for the school she is currently attending. I know a couple of people who took the test over and over and never hit 160, got fed up, applied anyway and still got into good programs. If you're applying to a school that requires only GRE and SOP (do these even exist?!) then yeah, GRE would be a deal breaker, but it's only one piece of a multi-piece puzzle. 

Another thing that I've noticed is in my communications with various professors during the preparation process and throughout my academic career, no one ever asked about my test scores. One prof said I'm supposed to submit test scores. The questions they asked had to do with my research interests - if GRE scores are dealbreakers, then I figure someone would've said "hey, don't forget to get a really good GRE score, those are really important to us." This may be different for different disciplines, but in the humanities, where you're required to submit an SOP and writing sample and letters of rec and gpa and gre and resume and whatever else a program requests, GRE is not the most important factor. I know people with great GRE scores that got into 0 programs because they didn't choose schools that fit them well. On the other hand, people with mediocre scores but other great material do get accepted. (Just from my experience and observations...) If it means anything, I've seen programs at top schools that don't even require GRE for phd applicants (Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, for example) 

too much coffee = ranting. 

Good luck!

[TheatreGrad]

10 hours ago, DBear said:

If you have time, you can always take another stab at the exam -

My second time went better than the first, mainly (at least I think) because I knew what to expect. The first time, I was twisting in my chair because it just felt sooooo long... 

Even if you don't take the test again, and even if, for some reason you get an even lower score, I'd still submit the application if I were you. PhD programs really do look at application documents holistically and if the other parts of your application are solid, that's more important (at least that the impression I get from people who've gone through this process and professors I talked to)

Also keep in mind, that if a school says they prefer a certain score or that most applicants generally score at a certain range, this does not preclude you from applying. I actually had a friend who applied to English programs last year who didn't reach that golden '160' but still applied to a whole bunch of schools that had 160 stated as a minimum requirement or a preference. She got as far the wait list for one of these schools. As an international student, she also had to take the TOEFL and didn't meet minimum score requirements for the school she is currently attending. I know a couple of people who took the test over and over and never hit 160, got fed up, applied anyway and still got into good programs. If you're applying to a school that requires only GRE and SOP (do these even exist?!) then yeah, GRE would be a deal breaker, but it's only one piece of a multi-piece puzzle. 

Another thing that I've noticed is in my communications with various professors during the preparation process and throughout my academic career, no one ever asked about my test scores. One prof said I'm supposed to submit test scores. The questions they asked had to do with my research interests - if GRE scores are dealbreakers, then I figure someone would've said "hey, don't forget to get a really good GRE score, those are really important to us." This may be different for different disciplines, but in the humanities, where you're required to submit an SOP and writing sample and letters of rec and gpa and gre and resume and whatever else a program requests, GRE is not the most important factor. I know people with great GRE scores that got into 0 programs because they didn't choose schools that fit them well. On the other hand, people with mediocre scores but other great material do get accepted. (Just from my experience and observations...) If it means anything, I've seen programs at top schools that don't even require GRE for phd applicants (Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, for example) 

too much coffee = ranting. 

Good luck!

Thank you for your reply. (Sorry if this isn't the correct way to reply, I'm still navigating this great forum!) I think a part of it was I got messed up at the beginning of the test trying to figure out the format better, managing my time decently, being anxious about it in general, but I still felt okay until I got my scores back. 

That's what I'm finding is that it depends on the program. Also the grad program does not explicitly state a minimum cut off, but again it seems high scores don't do much too help you, but low scores can hurt you. Also, just to clarify, this is an MA I'm applying for, but the PhD is the eventual goal. The program I most want to get into seems to place more emphasis on research paper, LORs, and SOP and the graduate school itself on has a minimum GPA requirement, which I pass. I'm scheduling a campus visit for the program so maybe I could inquire there as well? I'm not sure, but like I said, my main worry is that 1: My app will be thrown out because of it, 2: If I should even bother if that's the case, and 3: If low/mediocre scores would really hurt the application. Short of being a fly on the wall in the room with the admissions committee, there's no way to know for sure.

Again thanks, and rant away please! I need all the help I can get! 

 

 

[TheatreGrad]

15 hours ago, The Dark knight said:

Just stop thinking about it and take the test again. Look for a date right after the 21st day from today and register for the test. I am sure you will do well on the second one. you have already prepared well for this one, so, it will be Ok the second time. Do IT!!

Thank you for your reply! I am really leaning towards retaking it and giving it another shot and hitting the books extra hard. Everyone I talked to strongly discourages withdrawing and I at least want to push forward in the best way possible. Thank you again!

[The Dark knight]

That's the spirit! Go get em!!

[MathCat]

Definitely still apply. Many places don't care that much about the GRE, and the rest of your application sounds competitive. 

If you have time and money to retake it before apps are due, do so. Perhaps think about if you need to revise your studying methods. Also, if the format of the test threw you, definitely use their online practice tests that have the same software (if you didn't do this the first time).