tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post64845973532804750..comments2024-03-28T19:14:33.619-07:00Comments on The Splintered Mind: Applying to Philosophy Ph.D. Programs, Part VI: GRE Scores and Other ThingsEric Schwitzgebelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-67734903409373118282018-05-09T10:09:17.286-07:002018-05-09T10:09:17.286-07:00Anon May 9: It really varies at lot by school, and...Anon May 9: It really varies at lot by school, and often even year to year within a school as committee composition changes. There's no firm rule. If the written English in your sample and statement are excellent, that can carry a lot of weight.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-39902378280622271042018-05-09T08:05:38.451-07:002018-05-09T08:05:38.451-07:00Dear Eric,
I am an international student whose na...Dear Eric,<br /><br />I am an international student whose native language is not English. I would be very grateful if you could give me some info about GRE scores expectations of admission comittees on US universities. On two pre-preparation tests in Verbal part I scored 152 and 157 points respectively which gets me around 154 points at the start. How many points would suffice for a non-native English speaker? I would also like to know expectations about other two parts of the test but I am mostly concerned with the verbal part.<br /><br />All the best!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-46594347077450374242018-05-09T08:03:29.867-07:002018-05-09T08:03:29.867-07:00Dear Eric,
I am an international student whose na...Dear Eric,<br /><br />I am an international student whose native language is not English. I would be very grateful if you could give me some info about GRE scores expectations of admission comittees on US universities. On two pre-preparation tests in Verbal part I scored 152 and 157 points respectively which gets me around 154 points at the start. How many points would suffice for a non-native English speaker? I would also like to know expectations about other two parts of the test but I am mostly concerned with the verbal part.<br /><br />All the best!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-15820264996451092442017-10-07T16:24:00.089-07:002017-10-07T16:24:00.089-07:00The AW isn't usually taken seriously, so I'...The AW isn't usually taken seriously, so I'd say that your scores wouldn't hurt you most places. Good luck!Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-25216301830650435052017-10-07T15:31:11.645-07:002017-10-07T15:31:11.645-07:00Hi Eric,
Thank you for all your advice. I have a ...Hi Eric,<br /><br />Thank you for all your advice. I have a 163 (93rd percentile) on Verbal, 164 (87th percentile) on Quantitative and 4 (60th percentile) on AW. Do you think my current score would hurt my applications to the degree that I should retake it? I am applying now and also working on my writing sample. So I would rather not to spend unnecessary time on the GRE if I can use that time to work on my writing sample. <br /><br /><br />Thank you!<br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-14837080044248474652016-12-29T20:52:04.325-08:002016-12-29T20:52:04.325-08:00This has been incredibly helpful-- quite possibly ...This has been incredibly helpful-- quite possibly one of the most insightful posts on the subject matter available on the internet that I could find. Thank you for this. I have a 99% credence level that the information provided will prove to have been valuable after I receive my admission decisions. Danielle J. Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06668000017110579555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-79074252581088637722016-10-07T06:46:32.359-07:002016-10-07T06:46:32.359-07:00Hi Anon -- I can't give a fully satisfying ans...Hi Anon -- I can't give a fully satisfying answer on either, because my sense is that it varies. Those differences in GREs aren't a big deal, but might make a bit of a difference. And some people know about at respect St John's, while others don't.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-91659983813749206222016-10-06T16:47:56.242-07:002016-10-06T16:47:56.242-07:00Hello Eric,
First, thank you for all the resourc...Hello Eric, <br /><br />First, thank you for all the resources you put together on grad school application. They have been the most valuable resource I have found online for this endeavor. <br /><br />Second, a couple questions: how much do committee members who care about GREs care about GREAT GREs? I just scored 170V/161Q (guessing about 5.5 Writing), but I think I can up the Q if I retake it, since I feel I underperformed on test day there. But it's not worth the money and time investment if 170V/166Q and 170V/161Q are very nearly equal, I suppose?<br /><br />Also, do you have any sense for the reputation of St. John's College (my alma mater) with application committees? It's a Great Books school, and technically our degree is "Liberal Arts," but we do read quite a lot of philosophy, and in my entirely biased opinion I think it ought to be well-respected. <br /><br />(I am applying to PGR programs ranked 10-40 this fall and hoping to study normative ethics.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-5327078267218377722016-02-04T09:53:31.383-08:002016-02-04T09:53:31.383-08:00Nah, that's admin boilerplate. Admissions com...Nah, that's admin boilerplate. Admissions committees composed of professional philosophers reach individual judgments about the value of the GRE. Judgments of its value vary school by school and year by year, but skepticism is not uncommon.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-67212683271180008602016-02-04T06:48:59.572-08:002016-02-04T06:48:59.572-08:00Hi Eric--
Just read this on the Fordham website r...Hi Eric--<br /><br />Just read this on the Fordham website regarding funding: "The academic departments and programs rank order for new Graduate School of Arts and Sciences applicants in accordance with the applicants' potential for outstanding graduate work. Typically, applicants are to have had B+ grades or higher in previous coursework and to have achieved the 75th percentile in all sections of the GRE.”<br /><br />In your opinion, should i take that to mean i'm screwed due to my GRE?<br /><br />AnnaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-23594637086213532872016-02-01T14:12:07.886-08:002016-02-01T14:12:07.886-08:00Anna -- you look plausible to me! Not sure about ...Anna -- you look plausible to me! Not sure about which programs have GRE cutoffs, but if your writing sample and letters are excellent, you should have some excellent programs to choose from. Coming from Chicago is a major asset.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-61704753993424207352016-02-01T14:00:10.911-08:002016-02-01T14:00:10.911-08:00Hello Eric,
I am wondering if you could leave you...Hello Eric,<br /><br />I am wondering if you could leave your thoughts on my profile, as i am a prospective phd philosophy student who got a horrible quant score and i want to know if you think i'm still viable as a candidate. you mentioned that a few, not many, programs have combined GRE cut offs-- do you know which those are?<br /><br />Here is my profile:<br /><br />147Q/163V/4.5W<br />3.9 MA gpa from University of Chicago<br />great writing sample<br />3 great letters with one from a major philosopher with name recognition<br />applying to 8 continental programs<br /><br />thank you for any help you can offer,<br /><br />AnnaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-10426741597577083562015-12-07T13:43:24.922-08:002015-12-07T13:43:24.922-08:00Your posts have helped me with a lot of steps in t...Your posts have helped me with a lot of steps in the application process. Thanks very much for writing them. However, there is one thing I could still use some help with: A resume/CV<br /><br />I recognize a resume/CV isn't necessary at many programs, but a few philosophy departments that I'm applying for *do* require one. I'm not really sure what to put on it. I've never had a job, never been an RA, never presented papers at conferences (except one film conference in freshman year, unrelated to philosophy), and never published anything.<br /><br />Besides graduating in the honors program and having a couple of (zero-responsibility) official positions in my university's philosophy club and ethics debate club, I'm really not sure I have anything I can put on it. And yet it is required for a few applications.Willnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-7236433014597868742015-01-29T13:20:31.020-08:002015-01-29T13:20:31.020-08:00Thanks for the catch on the typo!Thanks for the catch on the typo!Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-56197695316155549632015-01-26T15:15:15.079-08:002015-01-26T15:15:15.079-08:00Section VI: Personal Contact and Connections
I be...<b>Section V</b>I: Personal Contact and Connections<br /><br />I believe there is a typo in "Substative."Dean Wnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-70046520696144116042015-01-08T07:13:18.386-08:002015-01-08T07:13:18.386-08:00Kyoung: All these things vary from department to d...Kyoung: All these things vary from department to department, but I haven't heard of any cases where a low writing score was viewed as a problem in the context of an otherwise strong application.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-81624447567756915782015-01-08T00:37:48.879-08:002015-01-08T00:37:48.879-08:00Dear Eric,
Thanks for this series of posts. Those...Dear Eric,<br /><br />Thanks for this series of posts. Those are still enormously helpful!<br /><br />I am a Korean student and have a question regarding GRE. I took the GRE 4 years ago and I got 710(97)/800(92)/3.0(15). My worry is, as you can easily see, the writing score. I was told that philosophy professors tend to discount students' writing scores, but it may be that my score is just too low. Could you tell me your thought on this?<br />Thanks,Kyoungnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-84539736112428329502015-01-08T00:29:30.033-08:002015-01-08T00:29:30.033-08:00Hello Eric!
Thanks for your posts. Those are still...Hello Eric!<br />Thanks for your posts. Those are still enormously helpful!<br />I am an international applicant and I have a question regarding GRE writing section (It may be too late to be notified by you though..). <br />I took the GRE 4 years ago and I got 710(97)/800(92)/3.0(15). My worry is, as you can see, about my writing score. I was told that philosophy professors tend to discount GRE writing score, but it may be too low. Could I hear your opinion whether or not it will be a problem for my application? <br /> <br />Thanks. Kyoungnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-33155254238210894582013-01-28T12:49:19.492-08:002013-01-28T12:49:19.492-08:00I think you put it best, Professor. I myself, desp...I think you put it best, Professor. I myself, despite having recently taken the revised GRE, have no intuition about the new scores. So while with the previous test my aim would have been to obtain a combined score (V+Q) of 1400 or better, I'm not sure exactly what this means with the new GRE. According to the conversion table you provided, I believe I obtained the equivalent of a combined score over 1400, but I am uncertain if it means the same thing. The ETS has changed some additional features, including percentile ranks, so I'm not exactly clear what all this means.<br /><br />Thanks for the link!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-42808203375138178922013-01-28T09:57:54.481-08:002013-01-28T09:57:54.481-08:00Anon Jan 26: It's hard to generalize across de...Anon Jan 26: It's hard to generalize across departments here. Over the years, as I have talked with various professors about the matter, there seems to be a wide variety of attitudes about the GRE. Here's a GRE conversion chart, from the old scoring system to the new:<br />http://www.happyschoolsblog.com/revised-new-gre-score-conversion-chart/<br /><br />I've only been on admissions once since the conversion to the new scale, so my intuitions are all in terms of the old scores still.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-65584580964863769212013-01-26T20:34:26.139-08:002013-01-26T20:34:26.139-08:00Hi Prof. Schwitzgebel,
I was wondering if you mig...Hi Prof. Schwitzgebel,<br /><br />I was wondering if you might be able to say a word about how philosophy admissions committees interpret GRE scores using the *new* scoring system (between 130-170). <br /><br />Perhaps I should re-frame the question. According to what I have read on your blog, my understanding is that while low GRE scores can raise doubts about an application, high GRE scores don't really count in favor of an application. So, my question then is, using the new scoring system, what counts as a "low" enough GRE score (on the new scale) for doubts to be raised in the minds of admissions committee members?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-19591370023846959692012-12-17T07:33:23.563-08:002012-12-17T07:33:23.563-08:00Well a quant of 148 is pretty low, so those who ta...Well a quant of 148 is pretty low, so those who take GRE scores seriously will see it as a strike against you. But most programs don't seem to have strict GRE requirements so it's not necessarily a defeater. Coming from CUNY is good, especially if you have a strong letter from a prominent philosopher.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-65330878425830432212012-12-16T14:07:38.667-08:002012-12-16T14:07:38.667-08:00Professor Schwitzgebel,
I am applying this fall f...Professor Schwitzgebel,<br /><br />I am applying this fall for admission to both MA and PhD programs in philosophy. Irecently took the GR. My combined score is 311. My verbal score is 163 and my quant score is 148. The FAQ portion of UCR's site says that anything below a 310 is a strike against an applicant. That said, do think my quant score will put my application in the trash at most programs?<br /><br />Also, I am an undergrad at one of the better known CUNY senior colleges. I've noticed that CUNY is highly ranked on the PGR. Will CUNY's rank help me at all in the admissions process? <br /><br />Thanks,<br />EdmondAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-68965413684219780512012-12-05T13:23:34.890-08:002012-12-05T13:23:34.890-08:00Those are good scores in the verbal and quantitati...Those are good scores in the verbal and quantitative. Most philosophy professors I know don't take the analytical writing section seriously, so I wouldn't worry *too* much about that part.Eric Schwitzgebelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11541402189204286449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26951738.post-30937213281706153322012-12-05T02:06:42.509-08:002012-12-05T02:06:42.509-08:00Dear Prof.
I am an Iranian MA graduate in philos...Dear Prof. <br /><br />I am an Iranian MA graduate in philosophy. Now, I'm applying for the doctorate degree in philosophy to some U.S. universities. I just got my Gre scores: 165 in Verbal, 164 in Quantitative, and just 3 in Analytical writing! I expected 5 or at least 4. I'm thinking about requesting a review from ETS, but anyway, could you please let me know that how these scores can affect my application?<br /><br />Best,<br />Farshad<br /><br />P.S. Sorry, a couple of minutes ago, I posted the comment in a wrong placeFarshadnoreply@blogger.com