My GRE is atrocious...a coincidence that my track record is also poor?

[phyanth]

@GameOfLoans As far as PhD results go, that's awesome! But what if the reason you were a top applicant and were selected/waitlisted was due to your GRE scores? It's one of those deals where you want to be as strong as you can be in every aspect so schools don't have a good reason to waitlist you/turn you down  I mean, I don't think studying  like a total madman and trying to ace it is the goal (Or healthy), but definitely putting a little elbow grease into the quant section will go further than you think!

I'm a pretty optimistic person; everyone could use a little support in their lives! 

[Ilikekitties]

13 minutes ago, qualsoc2018 said:

For what it's worth, before I started studying for the GRE, I would score in the lower 140s on the quant part, and with around 3 months of studying with Magoosh (while holding down a full time job), I managed to pull my quant score up to 150 (I'm applying for sociology, but I come from an anthro background and want to focus on qualitative work, so it's on the low side, but average for sociology and anthropology applicants, based on what I've seen). 

I commend you. Yeah...if I decide to apply to PhD programs in the future, maybe I should retake the test and study more.

[Ilikekitties]

13 minutes ago, phyanth said:

@GameOfLoans As far as PhD results go, that's awesome! But what if the reason you were a top applicant and were selected/waitlisted was due to your GRE scores? It's one of those deals where you want to be as strong as you can be in every aspect so schools don't have a good reason to waitlist you/turn you down  I mean, I don't think studying  like a total madman and trying to ace it is the goal (Or healthy), but definitely putting a little elbow grease into the quant section will go further than you think!

I'm a pretty optimistic person; everyone could use a little support in their lives! 

Yep, makes sense. I'm not optimistic haha

[DiscoTech]

1 hour ago, GameofLoans16 said:

I suck at logic puzzles haha. Again, basic math...a skill I lack. 150 is still around the 50th percentile...like I really do think it's impossible, especially when you consider that people who actually studied math are taking this test. How can you go from a math level of zero to doing halfway decently on an exam that highly-educated, bright people are taking? Then again, I bubble-raced the math section and got 6th percentile, so there were other people who definitely guessed randomly too. I talked to an alum from my undergrad program who recently got her PhD from Princeton about it, and she said they weren't important, so I kinda pushed them aside. Even when I told her about a couple of current students at my undergrad program who had gotten perfect scores, she thought it was dumb that they had spent so much time studying for that/not doing more important things.

Magoosh was the app I used for vocab.

You believe in me more than I believe in myself, clearly...

(1) Context matters. Someone who got into Princeton, without a doubt, had good scores test scores. They weren't important in the sense that everyone else who applied also had good scores (155+). Mind you, I am not talking about great or perfect scores.

(2) If someone spent months studying to get a 170, that does seem like a waste of time. Again, context matters. This alum is likely suggesting that there are more important things than pushing a 160 to a 170. You are not remotely in that situation.

I would reconnect with this alum, tell them about your scores, and see what he/she thinks about you the GRE with regard to your situation.

 

 

 

[Ilikekitties]

3 minutes ago, DiscoTech said:

(1) Context matters. Someone who got into Princeton, without a doubt, had good scores test scores. They weren't important in the sense that everyone else who applied also had good scores (155+). Mind you, I am not talking about great or perfect scores.

(2) If someone spent months studying to get a 170, that does seem like a waste of time. Again, context matters. This alum is likely suggesting that there are more important things than pushing a 160 to a 170. You are not remotely in that situation.

I would reconnect with this alum, tell them about your scores, and see what he/she thinks about you the GRE with regard to your situation.

 

 

 

I’ve expressed my concerns to her about the GRE. Basically she said that I could retake it if I wanted to, but that they’re not super important.

[bioarch_fan]

21 hours ago, GameofLoans16 said:

I already submitted my app though...wouldn't it be too late to retake it?

I'd be a little ashamed to ask them about it, tbh. You don't think they'd feel weird about me asking?

No, you can still retake it and submit the most recent scores if you want. They don't start reviewing applications until the deadline (February 15 for Mississippi State). So you have until then to complete your application. So you would technically have another 2 months to take the GRE again and submit the scores to the university...if you want to improve your score you can if you put in the time in the next month to study and then take it early January.

And don't be ashamed about asking them. Both David and Kate are extremely nice people. They'd be willing to talk to you about your scores and might be able to tell you what they believe you should do. I would HIGHLY suggest talking to one of them about your scores and just tell them that you're afraid your scores might hinder your chances of acceptance but you don't do well on standardized tests and see what they say. That's the only thing you can do.

[Ilikekitties]

57 minutes ago, bioarch_fan said:

No, you can still retake it and submit the most recent scores if you want. They don't start reviewing applications until the deadline (February 15 for Mississippi State). So you have until then to complete your application. So you would technically have another 2 months to take the GRE again and submit the scores to the university...if you want to improve your score you can if you put in the time in the next month to study and then take it early January.

And don't be ashamed about asking them. Both David and Kate are extremely nice people. They'd be willing to talk to you about your scores and might be able to tell you what they believe you should do. I would HIGHLY suggest talking to one of them about your scores and just tell them that you're afraid your scores might hinder your chances of acceptance but you don't do well on standardized tests and see what they say. That's the only thing you can do.

Has anyone taken the GRE in China? lol I doubt that any cities near me even offer it. It's also more expensive in China and my salary is so low. The test would cost a quarter of my month's salary.

 

Edited December 15, 2017 by GameofLoans16

[phyanth]

@GameofLoans16, you can apply for a waiver

[Ilikekitties]

1 hour ago, phyanth said:

@GameofLoans16, you can apply for a waiver

Oh yeah? I didn't know that

[phyanth]

@GameofLoans16 https://www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/fees/reduction/

[Ilikekitties]

13 hours ago, phyanth said:

@GameofLoans16 https://www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/fees/reduction/

Thanks!