Disappointed in my GRE scores; should I retake before applying to psych PhD programs?

Graduate School
1

<p>So I just took my GRE yesterday afternoon, and I was extremely disappointed to find that my estimated scores were 151 for verbal & 146 for quant at the end of the test. (I know the actual scores may change, sometimes they can go up a few points, but still--these scores disgust me.) I studied for months, but I couldn't quite conquer a lot of the quant stuff because I wasn't even taught half of the material in school. I'm pretty bummed about my scores, but I'm not exactly rushing to put myself through that 4 hours of hell again if I don't have to either. </p>

<p>I'm wondering.. with a 3.5GPA (that will be higher by the time I graduate because I've already taken all of my difficult classes), and 151/146 GRE scores (writing score unknown as of now, still waiting for official scores) in addition to some stunning letters of recommendation, do you think I'd still have a shot at getting in to some of the good psychology PhD programs in Michigan without having to retake the GRE? (UM-Ann Arbor, Wayne State, etc?) </p>

<p>As a bonus, I have also completed minors in both Music and German, which I've been told by professors that those will look impressive on applications, considering it takes a lot of cognitive ability to learn and speak a foreign language fluently, and the same applies to music as well. Even still, I can't help but worry that my GRE scores will hurt my application.</p>

<p>I'm currently finishing my last couple of semesters of undergrad at UM-Dearborn now, and I'm planning on getting an internship and (hopefully) research experience in the field before applying to programs to give me an extra boost. I plan on taking at least one semester (possibly even a year) off after getting my BA for internship/research purposes, and to prepare all of my materials for my applications, however, I'm wondering if I should also invest some of that time in studying and taking the GRE again..</p>

<p>Do you think I should retake the GRE? Or do you think that this is perhaps something that I could explain in my statement of purpose as something that doesn't reflect my typical performance? I'm a little hesitant to retake it, as I honestly never had any math classes past basic geometry in high school, and only had to take statistics in college, so the quant section is absolute hell for me. I have never been a great standardized test taker either. My ACT was a whopping 22 (It pains me to admit that) but I had a perfect GPA and was advised not to retake because of that, and I ended up having no problems getting into any of the universities that I wanted to back then.</p>

<p>I'm just not sure if these grad programs will weigh every piece of your application out and consider them equally like undergrad programs do, or if they will see those low scores and throw my application out right away. Neither program states they have a minimum score requirement, but the GRE IS required nonetheless, so I'm pretty nervous and frustrated about it, as these programs are small and tend to be super competitive.</p>

<p>I want to hear your opinions and even your personal GRE/grad school experiences. Did you have "average" scores, yet still get into a good program because of your other achievements? Or do you know someone that did? Do you think my chances are alright now, or should I go for a retake? ..Is this excusable if I explain this in my statement of purpose? ..Are these scores really as bad as I think they are? (They make me want to puke. Honestly.) Would they really be that big of a deal in my consideration if I had research experience and a solid internship to back me up?</p>

<p>You certainly don't have to answer all of my questions (I know I'm asking a lot) but I would appreciate any insight
you could give me, on any of these things! :)</p>

2

<p>GRE scores only very rarely change from the scores you see on the screen after the exam. You should expect them to be exactly the same.</p>

<p>Your verbal is in the 49th percentile, and your quant is in the 25th percentile. Yes, you should retake the GRE; yes, those scores can keep you out. On the old test most top programs were expecting around a 1200; I would say you should aim for at least the 75th-80th percentile in both sections for top programs, maybe a bit lower for mid-ranked programs.</p>

<p>How schools weigh your application depends. Some schools won’t consider scores below a threshold (and the threshold may or may not be posted). Other schools have a “soft minimum,” where they would prefer not to accept students under a certain threshold but will for truly exceptional students. Still others consider people more holistically, and a higher GPA and better research experience can balance out low GRE scores.</p>

<p>Here’s the deal. It’s possible that your programs will look at you more holistically. But remember - psychology PhD programs are very competitive. They usually admit 5-15 people per program per year, and have 100-300+ applicants for their programs. This is ESPECIALLY true at a top 5 program like Michigan. Although you may be an outstanding candidate with low GRE scores, chances are that Michigan has their pick of outstanding candidates with average-to-high GRE scores. The GRE is the one part of your application that you can change, so why allow it to be a potential blot when you can study and retake it with the aim of raising your scores?</p>

<p>The quant section doesn’t test any college-level math. It’s all high school level math.</p>

<p>Last thing. Is there any particular reason why you are only applying to PhD programs in Michigan?</p>

<p>ETA: Found the University of Michigan’s GRE averages for 2012: 621 verbal and 685 quant (161 V and 153 Q). Wayne State says the GRE scores of successful applicants are generally over the 75th percentile in all areas.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>I don’t know which professors told you that minoring can make you look impressive, but in my experience that is not necessarily true. Graduate professors don’t care about minors unless they are related to your application - like if you want to do computational neuroscience and you have a minor in computer science.</p>

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<p>Minoring in German would not suggest that you are fluent in the language by any means, and unless you’re interested in music therapy, I don’t see the minor in music helping you either. Grad programs care much less about their students being “well rounded” upon entrance. They will look at cognitive ability as demonstrated through research experience, recommendations, and writing samples.</p>

<p>What kind of psychology programs are you looking at? Clinical? Social? Developmental? Do you have a clear idea of the research you want to pursue, and know of specific advisors at the Mich schools that are doing research in that area? Don’t just look at school rankings, because the top researchers in your area of interest might not be at the typical “top ten” schools. Being a good “fit” for the program is important, so make sure your research goals have some relevance to the research being done in that program. Limiting yourself to only schools in Michigan can hurt your chances of admission if they are not a strong match for you.</p>

<p>Having research experience will be an important factor on your application, more so than what you majored or minored in, and more than your GPA or GRE scores. Some programs do have soft cutoff scores for GPAs and GREs that they may not advertise on their site, but if your scores are high enough for consideration then the importance shifts to your fit within their program, demonstrated ability to perform quality research, writing samples (if requested), and so on. Solid research experience can trump a lower GPA or GRE once you’re past the “cut off.” …though ideally you’d want to be strong in all areas to demonstrate consistency.</p>

<p>I would strongly suggest retaking the GRE. Did you study by yourself the first time? If you haven’t gone beyond geometry in high school, then consider a tutor to assist you in the quant sections. I assume you are a junior at the moment since you say you have a couple more semesters? I would plan to retake it in the late summer/early fall of next year. Take your time to really master key concepts, take as many practice tests as you can, and get the help you need to do better. If you are a senior about to finish your last year of school, then I would suggest taking a year off to allow yourself the time to prepare and seek more research experience. Many PhD application deadlines are in December - early February, which doesn’t leave you much time to get your GPA up, gain more research experience, and retake the GRE. And many programs only admit students in the Fall, not the spring semesters - though this depends on the program and school. I’ve seen more clinical programs offering spring admission than many other areas in psychology.</p>