<p>Hey Elocin, I think your scores look solid. If you write about your research in your statements, it should stand on its own.</p>
<p>CSCmeta, are you sure that GRE scores are used to determine who gets interviews? I don’t know if the cutoff is as sharp as you might believe though, maybe it plays a role, but other aspects of your application probably matter as well.</p>
<p>I believe that >= 90th percentile in GRE Q should be safe (doesn’t help much, but won’t hurt)</p>
<p>Hi everybody,</p>
<p>I’m going to be applying for evolutionary biology and molecular biology programs for fall 2014 (specializing in evo devo). I was going to apply this year, but I recently decided I wanted a year off to work and relax a bit. I did take the gre just before the conversion to the new format and received:</p>
<p>Q: 730 (157 converted)
V: 590 (159 converted)
AW: 4.5</p>
<p>I was satisfied with these scores, but for some reason my percentiles dropped quite a bit from the conversion. I was wondering if I should retake (I’m worried about the quant score) the gre. I really don’t want to spend the time/money on it, but if it could hinder my app I certainly would. I just feel guilty not taking them with the extra time I have, but I am worried about my ability to match that verbal score, though I am confident I could get a higher quant score.</p>
<p>I intend to apply to some top 10 programs like Harvard, Stanford, and Berkeley. I graduated with a 3.924 GPA in biology from a state research university. I will have 3+ years research experience in the same lab with 1 first author pub and 2-3 middle author pubs. I have strong LORs lined up.</p>
<p>Thanks for your opinion in advance!</p>
<p>Hi everyone!</p>
<p>I’m new to CC; I’m in the process of completing my applications and a sudden freak-out over my GREs inspired me to look for some external advice. I’m 1.5 years out of college, with a B.S. in Biology. I graduated with a 3.52 overall GPA and 3.5 major GPA, completed my college’s Honors Program, and was inducted into my school’s Biological Sciences Honor Society, in which I was president for my final year. I also participated in an undergraduate internship at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and have been working as a lab technician for my alma mater since I matriculated. </p>
<p>I took the General GRE on 11/19 and received the following:
151Q (48th percentile)
162V (89th percentile)
3.5AW (30th percentile; yuck)</p>
<p>I thought I did quite well on the AW upon completion of the test, but this just goes to show you that scoring is very subjective depending on your rater(s). The following are schools to which I am applying, in order of preference, followed by their rank on the US News Best Biological Science Programs (2010):</p>
<p>Stony Brook University, #68
St. John’s University, #220
SUNY Upstate Medical University, #160
North Carolina State University, #82
University of Maryland at Baltimore, #100</p>
<p>I’ve noticed that many, if not most, of the users inquiring about potential for acceptance/rejection are applying to top programs and schools. I’m applying to the above because of my knowledge of the research conducted at each of these schools and how I believe I will fit. I’m hoping to follow the advice on the first post of this thread, which is not to worry about my AW score for I’m quite happy about my verbal. I have strong LoR’s from research professors who have worked with me both as an undergraduate and as a staff member. </p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>LORs, experience (which you have), and your SOP is going to go a long way, regardless of GRE scores. As long as your recs are excellent and you can communicate in your SOP why going to those schools will be a good fit for you, I say don’t worry about your GRE scores and go with it.</p>
<p>Some here may disagree with me, but your fit with the culture and research at a university, as well as who you work with, are the most important factors. Applying to a program just because of its prestige, or because it’s an ivy, is rather silly.</p>
<p>@ Elocin: Thank you for your advice, I’m still determined on submitting my applications and seeing this all the way through, but it always helps to have constructive criticism. I took the lab tech position as a means of gaining more experience; I had zero to very little aptitude within the research field (I was pre-med up until my junior year). I believe the five schools I chose are a great for me, and that, if accepted, I would enjoy my time there.</p>
<p>I am a 504 student with disabilities for ADHD that was diagnosed in second grade. Since July my doctor has been unable to submit the documentation to ETS to get accommodations for the GRE. So I got a new doctor, but they didn’t get their records sent to ETS in time for them to grant accommodations. I just took the Gen test yesterday, and the unofficial (end of test) results were: Q: 150, Verbal: 152. ><</p>
<p>My GPA is 3.4 in an Honors program at a public university. The last two summers I have worked as a NSF summer intern at other public universities. I am applying to plant bio/soil sciences programs at public universities and (dream) Cornell. </p>
<p>Should I take the GRE again after ETS grants accommodations and submit them later to the schools? Should I also send them updated grades/GPA since this semester is going really well? </p>
<p>Thanks for any help you guys can give!!!</p>
<p>I am currently in my first year. I took a practice GRE (POWERPREP) and scored a 169 on math and 170 on reading. I am in a science program so I can only assume my reading and writing skills will decline as I am further removed from my strong high school English courses. Should I take the GRE next summer or wait a few years?</p>
<p>^ are you shtting me?</p>
<p>swissmiss- Since you barely broke the 50th percentile in both sections, I recommend that you retake the exam (with or without accommodation).</p>
<p>Buy a prep book, and try to get used to the types of questions the GRE asks. You have to be careful, though, as taking the GRE too many times can also be a red flag.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>^^ No, I am not. I came from an extremely rigourous high school program. We did math contests and in AP English Lang we even did practice LSAT (in 11th grade). I also took AP English Lit.</p>
<p>Anyways, do you see any disadvantage to taking the GRE early, except for the possibility of having to retake it and shell out more money?</p>
<p>What I was trying to say was with those scores, you’re all set when it comes to GREs. They’re near the bottom of grad school considerations. And with those scores, they can only help you, assuming you did ok on the writing part, as in 4-4.5 or better… Save your money.</p>
<p>Hi, I just took my GRE 2 weeks ago. Here is my result:
verbal 150 44 per
quantitative 167 96 per
writing 4 49 per</p>
<p>I am thinking of applying for PhD program in Math in top 20 schools. Research experiences, awards aside, does the score actually undermine me a lot? I plan to take the subject test as well, but should I consider retaking the general?</p>
<p>Hi all,
I am planning on retaking the GRE at the end of Jan in order to apply to a school with rolling admissions. (Previous scores are V 93%/ Q 56%/ AW 73%). </p>
<p>Question is: Should I resend my new score to the schools that I already applied to, or will they not take it in to consideration? Is it worth my time and money? </p>
<p>I expect to significantly improve on Q. I was taking a hormone drug with cognitive side effects when I took the GRE (obviously once I figured out what was wrong I stopped it). My practice score before I started taking the drug was V 93%/ Q 70%/ AW 96%, so I am optimistic that with some prep I will pull up the 56% quant score enough for it to not be a “red flag.” Thoughts?</p>
<p>Hi everyone. I’m applying to M.Ed. programs for Special Education – all of the programs are ranked in the top 50 and two are ranked in the top 10. I took the GRE a few weeks ago and finally received all my scores:</p>
<p>Verbal: 161 (86%)
Quant: 157 (71%)
AW: 4 (49%)</p>
<p>I was pleased with my verbal and quant. scores as they are well-above the averages of all the schools I’m applying to. However, I was pretty shocked and disappointed by my AW score. I’ve always been considered a strong writer and have never scored less than an A- on any college paper. In hindsight, I probably focused too much on the quality of writing in my essay instead of completely answering the prompt. I’m also a slow writer so I only managed to get four paragraphs down for each essay. </p>
<p>So here’s my question: only two of the six schools I’m applying to require GRE scores. I was originally planning on submitting the scores anyway to every school if they would accept them. However, upon receiving my AW score, now I’m unsure. 4.0 for AW is rather low and I feel that it does not accurately reflect my writing abilities. But on the other hand, my verbal and quant. scores are well-above the average scores for the schools. Should I go ahead and submit the scores, even though I didn’t score well on AW and GRE scores are not required?</p>
<p>Also, some background on me: 3.92 GPA, all A’s and A-'s on my transcript, and a good amount of experience in the field.</p>
<p>-Bachelor’s in Political Science / International Affairs, 3.21 GPA (3.7 Major GPA)</p>
<p>-DoD internship + 2 years private sector work experience</p>
<p>Took the GRE about two years ago, unfortunately my score was 430Q, 510V, 4.5 AW.</p>
<p>Is this the type of score mid-level political science graduate schools (Master’s, not PhD) will say no to no matter what? I think I could get higher if I retook. I just don’t want to have to wait a year to be reconsidered.</p>
<p>Strike, I had horrible GRE scores. I took them December of my senior year right before finals. Verbal - 440 40th percentile. For quantitative, 670 52nd percentile. My GPA is 3.3 from a very good university. I had an internship with the EU, but my work experience was in the healthcare field. I was accepted to the only school I applied to - Korbel. I had good LORs and I worked hard on my statement of goals. I am just one case, but just so you know.</p>
<p>Hi everybody,</p>
<p>Many of the programs I will be applying to recommend the GRE subject test. When I register they give me the option to sign up four institutions to receive my test scores for free. Still, would it be smart for me not to sign them up yet, just in case I mess up the test and get a horrible score? I can always send them afterwards, even though I lose a $100 dollars this way.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>When I took the subject test, I didn’t write down names of schools I wanted to send my scores to. However, I did realize later on that when you send your GRE general test and pay the $25 fee, you can also send your subject test with no extra charge.</p>