<p>I am hoping to apply for a Ph.D. in engineering.</p>
<p>GPA 3.80
I have some research experience</p>
<p>my GRE scores though:</p>
<p>Q: 780
V: 460
AW: still waiting</p>
<p>I think the AW will be somewhere between a 4 and a 5. How much is this verbal score going to hurt me?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Why do people keep asking these questions. No one knows for sure. It is not a great score but it is least important in engineering. It depends on so many other factors, where you are applying, the applicant pool, other things… namely research experience and the quality/length of it, LORs, blah blah blah. If you are not rewritting and applying this year, then wait and see, if you don’t like it and have time to study and re-write, then do so. No one can tell you for sure at this point… it is not a formula.</p>
<p>Where are you applying? Generally, science programs want to see a 500V, but it depends a lot on the rest of your app and the criteria of the schools. Please note that schools that are strong in the humanities are often less forgiving of low verbal scores than strong science schools - Princeton will prob ably turn their nose up at you.</p>
<p>Still, it all comes down to where you are applying, and what your SOP, LOR’s, and research credentials look like…</p>
<p>let me rephrase it then. Is the 460 alone going to keep me out of anywhere?</p>
<p>My first two choices were Brown, and Northwestern</p>
<p>Unless we’re the adcoms at Brown or Northwestern, we wouldn’t be able to answer that.</p>
<p>I suspect both schools will have a problem with your verbal - they both have a strong tradition in the humanities and project that onto their various departments. I have some personal experience with Northwestern, and can see some problems there depending on one other issue - are you a US citizen? If you are they may forgive your verbal to get a few more US citizens in the engineering departments.</p>
<p>I am a US citizen, yes.</p>
<p>Should I try and retake the GRE asap to fix this score? I spent most of my limited free time preparing for the quant section, and AW section. Should have focused abit more on the verbal I guess.</p>
<p>If you are dead set on those schools, and can really devote the next few weeks to serious verbal prep, then it may be worthwhile to retake the test. More realistically, it is too late to do so. You may want to add a few more schools to your list and/or consider waiting until next year. Certainly apply - as I said, US citizens in engineering are a commodity and they may be willing to overlook that score.</p>
<p>I got a 5 on the AW section. Does this help to overshadow the 460 verbal?</p>
<p>A little - it shows you can put together an argument, even if you have some weaknesses in other areas. Still, most schools consider the scores individually so it will probably not change things.</p>
<p>I really think they won’t hurt you, yea it’s not very good score, but it’s not bad enough to keep you away either. If you feel insecure, add 1-2 more lower rank schools</p>
<p>PS: I’m guessing you are not female?</p>
<p>Will it hurt you? Probably. Make no mistake, a 460 is not good, and although engineering programs generally care less about the verbal it is far better to have a solid verbal than a subpar one. Engineers still need to read and write. Your analytical writing more than likely will not make up for it; very few programs consider the AW section on the same level as the other two sections of the test.</p>
<p>Will it be enough to keep you out of graduate school? Who knows? Like others said it really depends on the program. Generally speaking more selective programs that are not in tech-specific schools will take a harder line on the verbal score. Princeton and Columbia might care whereas Georgia Tech, maybe not so much.</p>