Cutoffs and Realities?

[socnerd]

Hi fellow soc people! I've been lurking around for a while but I have a question that I was hoping I could get some honest answers to. I know most programs don't list their average GPA/GRE on purpose and they're pretty vague in saying that the "cutoff" for applying is usually a 3.0. My question is, even though they say its a 3.0, do they even bother looking at apps that have lower than a 3.5? What about lower than a 1300 GRE? I've heard many things stating that for obvious reasons they can't look at all the applications they get and usually a secretary ends up screening the apps before the committee even sees them and most people with lower than a 3.5 get thrown out automatically. Obviously this would vary by program as well, and I'm not applying anywhere in the top 20 or anything, but I only have a 3.1 and am concerned that I've just wasted a ton of money on something that isn't going to happen. Am I being too harsh or is this actually what happens? Any insight would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

P.S. I've applied to 14 places so far to try to avoid across-the-board rejections, but am still concerned... oh the waiting!

[socialcomm]

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said it differs by program. Unless you have insider knowledge, it's hard to say for sure what's happening in the different programs.

[graddamn]

Of course it varies by program, ad com, etc, but it also depends highly on your major and the institution where you obtained your GPA. If it helps any, I have an abysmal math gpa we're talking barely 3.0 (I'm on the quant side of things), but this is seen to be good for a soci major in upper division math classes with engineers and my professors seem to think it's a help rather than a hindrance. Also don't be too afraid of the screen, I've heard (from profs on two adcoms) that it's not nearly as strict as this site would have you believe. Good luck!