<p>I'm pretty sure the answer's yes.</p>
<p>550 on the verbal... 620 on the math. Those aren't too hot... but what's even worse is that I ran out of time on the first essay. A solid first three paragraphs, a half-completed fourth (at least a few of the sentences were well-detailed, but I didn't iron out the sentence structure and they are, therefore, not cohesive), and a 1-2 sentence conclusion. Ugh! At least I feel good about my second essay...</p>
<p>The program I want to get into is considered mid-tier, I'm sure (Villanova)... but it's where I want to be, and I'm coming to grips with possibly not getting accepted. In which case...</p>
<p>... ouch.</p>
<p>Ah, well. Be honest with me. My undergrad GPA (counting my time at community college... but I'll give you separate numbers, if you'd like) is just over a 3.5, and my average within major is about the same. My application essay went over how I helped head three completed research projects, which all have produced publishable results.</p>
<p>Hoo, boy...</p>
<p>I think you definitely still have a chance, especially if you're applying to a MS program at a mid-tiered school. MS programs are generally easier to get into than phD.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>If I got a 2 on the first essay (I'm not sure how harsh they'll be on me... as I said, I really liked what I had, but I know they wouldn't give me any more than a 3 at best) and a 5 on the second... that'd come out as a 3 1/2, which isn't terrible. I'm not sure if they combine the two or send them both individually, though...</p>
<p>A 1 and a 4... would be a 3... which still isn't absolutely horrible... gah! So nervous.</p>
<p>Villanova University psych MS admission statistics:</p>
<p>Applicants: 114
Accepted: 47</p>
<p>Mean GRE score: V-574 Q-657
Median GPA: 3.6</p>
<p>Your scores are in the ballpark. Just write a great personal statement and you should be OK.</p>
<p>Oof. Those scores are a bit higher...</p>
<p>I've been told that research matters, so... if it really does, I've got plenty of experience.</p>
<p>At this point, I expect a rejection.</p>
<p>Any reason to not take the GREs again?</p>
<p>Well... and I know this sounds silly, in retrospect...</p>
<p>The deadline for assistantships and the like was upcoming, and I needed to take it on the specific date that I did, so that the scores would arrive in time. I know, I know--all factors considered, I'd be beyond fortunate to get accepted. Being blinded by optimism will be my downfall!</p>
<p>A couple more potentially useful facts:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>The 4 year school I went to is considered to be one of the top public colleges in the area. Statistics from Princeton Review put it on a level similar to William and Mary.</p></li>
<li><p>I took 2 senior requirement courses, even though I only needed to complete 1 to graduate. Admittedly, I didn't do so hot on the first one (still above a C, anyway), and then I aced the latter. The latter's more relevant to my line of research.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I feel like I'm waiting to have my head cut off.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback thus far.</p>
<p>My essay score is a 3.</p>
<p>I was really hoping my education wouldn't end this way.</p>
<p>"I was really hoping my education wouldn't end this way."</p>
<p>It doesn't have to. You can always reapply next year with better GRE scores.</p>
<p>I already took a year off.</p>
<p>So take another. And this time study for the GRE.</p>
<p>I took 2 years off from school.. as long as you're doing something relevant to your field, it doesn't matter. But you could still get accepted this time around!!</p>
<p>I know there are things that can be done (volunteer as a research assistant, find a job within the field, etc.)... but a year's a lot of time to hope to pass.</p>
<p>Don't be so down on yourself. Keep in mind a few things:</p>
<p>a) The numbers posted are the mean scores for acceptance of 47 students. Yes they are higher than your numbers, but that does not mean you are out of the range. I am sure Villanova accepted a number of students with much higher scores which then skews the mean higher. The rest of your experience could easily counter-weight your (still fairly decent) GRE score.</p>
<p>b) I personally think the writing section for non writing intensive grad programs (such as English, Languages, etc) is fairly pointless and in my experience most grad ad coms seem to feel the same way. At least in the sciences, I have rarely even seen any mention of writing scores in their admissions criteria. They seem to, for the most part, ignore it. I mean, look at the stats posted, they do not even bother to mention that part of the test. Think about it this way: when in your psych career have you ever been given a prompt totally out of the blue and had only 30-45 min to write a full fledged essay about it? Does your ability to do so really reflect your ability to throughly research a topic, spend your time thinking about it and come up with a well thought out document? Compound that with the fact that the score is out of 6, in half point increments. A 6 is perfect, but a 3 is only 6 steps down...I am just saying it is much different than the 800 point scale the rest of the test gets where 6 steps down is what, a 740? I would think that a decent psych program is going to judge you more on the quality of your personal statement as a writing sample then your writing score on the GRE. That and the fact that you appear to have 3 publications proves that you can write well enough in the field. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you, but do not give up all hope just yet.</p>
<p>From what I've heard talking to professors on admissions committees for engineering graduate programs, the main reason why they care about GRE writing scores is for non-native English speaking students. They know that many of them go crazy overboard studying for the verbal section, yet still have little to no command of the language. They know they can get their essay prettied up by people who make a living doing that. The one thing they can't do is get a good score on the writing section without being pretty fluent in the language.</p>
<p>Also, from the one person on the admissions committee I was talking to a lot, they said they had only seen one engineer with a score of 6 on the writing section in the 5-10 years they had been looking over applications, and anything over a 5.0 is pretty rare, as well (this is also at a school where perfect math scores and high verbal scores are expected, as well).</p>
<p>I haven't updated this topic in half a year or so, and I figured I'd mention what occurred (even if I don't expect anybody to remember this).</p>
<ul>
<li><p>I was declined for recommendations by 2 professors, including one professor who didn't remember me and was about to retire, and another who... well, let's not go into too much detail. Another professor never sent in his recommendation, despite telling me that he would and that he was honored to be asked. I ended up having 2 letters sent in, including one from my research prof and another from a person who is outside of the psychology department. I was still 1 recommendation short, and couldn't find it.</p></li>
<li><p>I am now back in my undergraduate school for a semester while I try to figure out what to do next. I am working retail part-time for next to minimum wage (and was paying back student loans and paying for rent on this salary, too). I haven't retaken the GRE as of this point.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I'm sorry--that sucks! :(</p>
<p>What are your goals (research/academia with a PhD, clinical practice with a PhD, terminal MS with licensure, etc.)?</p>
<p>Research/academia, for sure. An M.S. wouldn't be my last stop, but it would certainly mean so much to me... particularly because of the experience, but I do hope it will take emphasis off of my undergraduate GPA (3.8 at county college, 3.2 at my 4-year), and give me enough time to study and retake the GRE a couple years down the road.</p>
<p>I decided to call the school even though the Fall semester has already begun, and it seems that they hadn't even examined my GRE scores until I called. They don't take Spring admissions, but are still actively considering my application (for next year, I assume), as old as it may be. As I have said previously in this topic, I believe my low GRE scores make my application difficult to accept (it really didn't help that I had been assaulted by a police officer not too long before I took the test, and I couldn't get the image out of my head... I just couldn't concentrate), so I may want to take the Psych GRE or retake the standard GRE sooner than later. Hm...</p>