So I've lurked here for almost a year now, but having gotten my GRE score report I've gotten up the nerve to join. Now I have a raft of questions, re: AWA score, recommendations, languages, suggestions for further action. I'm applying, next year, to PhD programs in 18th century European intellectual/cultural history.

i have great gre scores (700V, 760Q) -- except on analytical writing. i read a bunch of gre prep books and followed their advice, yet still somehow ended up with a 4.5 (54th percentile :-()

i wasnt going to worry about it too much, but today i read on another board that pretty much everyone that gets into good social sciences programs has a 5.0 or above on the AW.

can anyone assure me that i'll still be ok with my 4.5? i'm applying to developmental psych/human development phds, mostly pretty competitive ..

(i need to start hearing back from schools so i stop spending all my time worrying!)

Hey guys. I wish I found this community earlier in my grad school search, but I'm just now coming across it.

None of my friends have any intentions of going to grad school, and none have taken the GRE. So, I'm hoping to appeal to the collective expertise of all in this forum for advice.


Basically, I'm applying to M.A programs in both Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communication. I earned a B.A. in Communication (with a Media emphasis and a Business minor) from a small/mid-sized liberal arts college in NY state. I graduated two years ago with a 3.5 GPA, 3.8 upper division.

I was anxious about the GRE, but relieved when my computer showed my V-580 Q-680 scores, higher than the averages of each program I'm considering. However, the score report I received in the mail left me upset and confused when I found out my Analytical Writing section was scored a 3.5 (18th percentile, by the way).

I took the test again rather than have the AW section re-scored because I figured I could do a better job this time knowing that the first one didn't cut it. (Also, it was quicker to retake the test. There was a chance of a missed deadline if the re-scoring process went long)

This time, my Verbal was 570, and my Quantitative went up to 700. Upon leaving the testing facility, I was very confident in my AW section. I thought my responses were much better this time and that I'd get at least a 4.5. What do I get in the mail just in time for the holiday weekend? Analytical Writing - 3.0   Percentile - 07%

That just seems ludicrous to me. I know I've been out of college for two years, but I refuse to believe that I have lost all ability for critical thought and analysis.


So after all that, here are my questions: Is it worth going through with the application process? Should I have the AW section re-scored? (The re-scoring would be too late for my top choice, but not my others.)

My first choice program has an average undergrad GPA of 3.33, Verbal score of 517, Quantitative score of 631, and Analytical Writing score of 4.5. Does my horrible AW score kill my chances even assuming that the remainder of my application package is great?

Thanks for any insight you guys can give me. Up to now, I've kind of been flying blind in my grad school inquiry.


Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, Seasons Greetings!
-Kid