<p>How important is the quant score for getting into a grad school in a field that has little quantitative about it? Do the schools even care? My daughter is planning on grad school in Egyptology. When I was talking to my son about the GRE (which he is about to take), my daughter was distressed to hear there is a quantitative component. She did well enough on the ACT math portion, but this was when she was still taking math and she added in review and practice.</p>
<p>How difficult is this portion of the test for someone who does no math in college? Are the questions pretty straightforward or do they try to trip up people with tricky wording?</p>
<p>The Quantitative section on the GRE does not go above the 10th grade level, however, it is made to be a little tricky. You can download a practice CAT gre test from ETS's website to get an idea of what it's like, and they have book's like Barron's GRE that have practice tests and reviews for all three sections. I doubt for her major that they are going to expect a high quantitative score like for the engineering, physics, and math majors. At one department they require verbal score of at least 500 with "acceptable" quantitative and analytical scores for the PhD applicants in her area. I would say an acceptable quantitative score is around 600, but you can always call the department of a potential school to get a range of competitive GRE scores for her area.</p>
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At one department they require verbal score of at least 500 with "acceptable" quantitative and analytical scores for the PhD applicants in her area.
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<p>Just curious which school this is ...</p>
<p>I think she will be able to handle 10th grade math with little difficulty, just will need to review the formulas a bit when the time comes. I'll tell her what you said; I'm sure it will ease her mind that she won't have to remember trig and calculus!</p>
<p>it was Brown; I looked under history with concentration in egyptian studies I believe, it was the closest I could find that put a number on it, the Egyptology depts I googled didn't mention any minimum GRE score requirements .</p>
<p>I spent a couple of weekends with Barron's study guide and managed to get a reasonable score on the GRE. The GRE Scores are, however, just one of many parts of a grad school application. I spent a lot of time on crafting good personal statements and that paid off. I have got admitted to three top 10 schools in my fields (and I still wait to hear from MIT and Berkeley).</p>
<p>You have to remember that sometimes the GRE doesn't matter at all. My friend applied for mathematics PhD programs last year, and she got in the 29th percentile on the subject test (which is generally considered much more important than the general test in math), and she's at McGill with a fellowship. Just shows you how a bad GRE score generally won't take you out of the running if you're spectacular in other aspects.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. It is rather early for my daughter to be thinking about this because she is only a freshman (at Brown as a matter of fact -- so I think the statistics for it will calm her perfectionist worries). She planned on Brown undergrad since she was a freshman in high school, so I guess this is her time to start thinking about grad school :) </p>
<p>My son is the junior who will be taking the test first. For him (in EE), the quant part will be easy and the analytic, too, I think. Do folks think the Barron's guide is the best for prepping for the verbal portion?</p>
<p>I really appreciate all the input. Both my husband and I went to law school and for that, the test (LSAT) seems to be more important.</p>
<p>I mainly used Barron's for my verbal prep, it has 3500 words, so I just made flashcards of the ones I didn't know. It also has exercises and practice tests. But, you don't necessarily have to use only one source. Even though, majority of the time I used Barron's, I also did the Kaplan and Arco exercises. Georgia Tech mentions that the average GRE scores for ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering) applicants is 530V, 760Q, and 4.5 Analytical Writing and consider scores below 400V, 700Q, and 3.5AW VERY LOW. If he uses only Barrons, he should still be able to get at least a 550 or 600 in the Verbal. Also, I would tell him to take the GRE before it changes in October. They are good for up to 5 years.</p>
<p>A year ago I asked three teachers (archeology/anthro) about the importance of GRE scores and was given three different answers. One said that PhD candidates should aim for at least a 500-550 in both sections; the second said that he doesn't look at the scores beyond ensuring that they are not "terrible" (would not define "terrible"); and the third said she only looks at scores if the applicant had poor grades in a particular subject (in her opinion, a high quantitative GRE score would be especially important for someone with low math grades, etc.). </p>
<p>I took the test after being out of math courses for seven years, and started preparing by reviewing basic arithmetic. It turned out OK, though having been away from math or this long meant I had to budget extra time for review.</p>
<p>I'm not sure whether Brown is a good measure of attitudes toward the GRE, though. I was accepted there without submitting scores at all; they seem intentionally relaxed when it comes to traditional statistical markers such as grades and tests. Perhaps her professors would be able to give her advice on what other departments expect.</p>
<p>sweetdreams2k1 -- I will certainly tell my son. Thanks!</p>
<p>Jack Jr. -- I certainly agree with you about Latin. Both my kids took it in high school, as did I.</p>
<p>MaryCeleste -- Are you at Brown now? Yes, they do seem "intentionally relaxed" -- I love that phrase (I'll have to steal it!). My daughter is taking her first two archaeology courses now and loving them. She is planning on a field school this summer.</p>
<p>No, I'm not at Brown now, though I did spend most of last week there on a visit. I'm considering MA programs for next fall. I got to sit in on a few classes and speak with a few people, but not nearly enough... Do you know who teaches the archeology classes that your daughter likes?</p>
<p>She has Gould for the intro course and Rubertone for archaeology of death. She has gone to the anthropology department a number of times seeking information because her Egyptology advisor is a linguist. The people there have all been very approachable. Actually, she says that all the professors at Brown she has talked to have been helpful.</p>
<p>One thing Brown archaeology has going for it is that it is one of the few places that has underwater archaeology (at least this is what someone told me ...).</p>
<p>I agree. My GRE scores were not impressive, but I spent a lot of time writing my personal statement. In addition, I have some previous research experience and letters of recommendation from good people. That really made the difference for me. Despite my GRE scores, I have got admitted to a couple of schools ranked top 10 in my field.</p>
<p>DianeR: is your D going to do the underwater archaeology thing in the Black Sea this year? If I weren't already going to Portugal on an excavation, I would definitely be all up for that.</p>
<p>No, she isn't quite sure yet where she is going. She has gotten acceptances from two field schools (Spain and Bolivia) but hasn't heard back from her two favorites yet (Italy and Ecuador). Her third choice is Monticello, just because the program seems very good, but it doesn't have a deadline for applications like the others. So she hasn't applied there yet, waiting to see particularly about the Pompeii field school. It is by far her favorite, but we think lots of people might be wanting to go there.</p>
<p>As long as I have you here, do you mind if a pick your brains a little? I thought about a PM but someone else might have something to add as well. </p>
<p>The Ecuador application isn't finished yet either because she has to write up a explanation of a "personal project" there (or "research interest" or the like; I can't remember the actual words). To do that she would have to research the site some more. She just thought it sounded cool because it was looking at forts and she is very interested in ancient warfare. But saying that doesn't take a page which is what she needs. Have you ever had to write up something similar?</p>
<p>Have you attended a field school before and if so, where? Do folks need to know scuba to go do underwater archaeology? </p>
<p>Finally, do you know any reason why the Harvard field school (Bolivia) would be so much more expensive -- would we be paying for just the name? The program looks good, but the Monticello one looks just as good -- at least to my unschooled eyes -- and is a fraction of the cost with more pleasant living circumstances. Pompeii is cheaper too -- with even more pleasant living -- but the credit is from N. Illinois (I recall) rather than Harvard. Is that worth several thousand dollars to us?</p>
<p>My daughter tried to get some help choosing among the different schools but the folks at Brown weren't particularly helpful. She was just told not to go to the ones Penn State sponsors in Egypt because they are too short.</p>
<p>I will admit that until a few months ago, I had really not much thought about doing archaeology at all, so I don't know a whole lot, but hopefully someone else will be able to help. I did have to write a page describing my interest in Portugal (part of the group that is going is applying for an UTRA). Basically, I didn't have anything specific to write, and like your D, I kind of just thought it would be cool, so it turned out to be kind of a lot of fluff. However, the trip director added one sentence with a couple of Latin terms and specific details, which made the entire thing sound a whole lot more intelligent. </p>
<p>I've never done field school or anything of the type. If she's interested, though, I would encourage your D to look into this Tongobriga program next year, because it sounds like she could probably be part of the UTRA, and then it would be free. (I haven't gone yet, but I've heard from students who went before that it's a good program.)</p>