Just took GRE..plus a question re averages

[twiggers]

Well it went OK...score wasn't spectacular..total in the mid 1200s..but quant was a little low.

So my question is : The averages listed on websites......how far below them should I be and still feel comfortable....30 40 50 60 pts.???? Any opinions????

I've eliminated 2 schools because their average was 1400 and 1350 so I'm not even close enough.

I do plan on emphasizing my GPA in my personal statement as a way to offset the average GRE score.

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[Janusdog]

So my question is : The averages listed on websites......how far below them should I be and still feel comfortable....30 40 50 60 pts.???? Any opinions????

What's the standard deviation?

 

[twiggers]

They of course do not tell you that. Most websites simply list the average verbal and then the average quant scores. That is why I am wondering how much I should risk it by being below some of the school's averages.
Well actually I'm below quite a few school's averages but typically by about 10-20 points on the verbal and 20-50 points on the quantitative.

 

[edieb]

I have friends in my program (Ph.D. clinical) who had GREs that were about 100 points lower than the program average. In order to bolster the strength of their application, they took courses such as microbiology and made "A"s in them. Committees like this because clinical is inexorably moving toward a biological orientation.

A lot of people make the mistake of trying to buttress their weak GREs with more research experience; however, grad schols realize that research experience as an undergrad is akin to work an untrained ape could do (i.e., having people fill out surveys and the like). This strategy does not work.

If I were you, I would go ahead and apply this year but concurrently enroll in classes like microbio for Spring 05 and LIST THAT ON YOUR APPLICATION to the schools. If you don't get in this year, you will have a mighty strong app next year.

Good Luck -

They of course do not tell you that. Most websites simply list the average verbal and then the average quant scores. That is why I am wondering how much I should risk it by being below some of the school's averages.
Well actually I'm below quite a few school's averages but typically by about 10-20 points on the verbal and 20-50 points on the quantitative.

 

[Janusdog]

Well,

Of course they don't tell you that. Is there a way to estimate?

How many people do you think took it in preparation for this application year?

What is the average score for individuals in the major course of study?

With some estimates, try some of the stats you know.

 

[kaylie]

I'm in a clin psych program now. My GRE scores were in the 1200 range too and I did not let that deter me from applying to schools. For my entering class, I scored 40 points lower than the average on the verbal section and 30 points lower than the average on the math section. I also had a GPA that was .3 below the average.

I don't think it's all that useful to base your chances of admittance solely on GREs alone.

With 1200s, as long as the rest of your application is strong (particularly research experience and letters of rec), you should apply to a range of schools that you see as a good fit for you and hope for the best

 

[twiggers]

Thanks all! I do have some chem, calculus, and several biology classes under my belt (although one chem course I only got a C+ and one of the calculus classes was a B-...but 2 other chems were A+ and two other calculus were A- and two bios were A). So my science background is somewhat OK I think.

Ahhh heck who knows what goes through their minds!

 

[psychgeek]

Well it went OK...score wasn't spectacular..total in the mid 1200s..but quant was a little low.

So my question is : The averages listed on websites......how far below them should I be and still feel comfortable....30 40 50 60 pts.???? Any opinions????

I've eliminated 2 schools because their average was 1400 and 1350 so I'm not even close enough.

I do plan on emphasizing my GPA in my personal statement as a way to offset the average GRE score.

I wouldn't worry too much about GRE scores that are lower than the published averages unless they are substantially (i.e. 200+ points) lower. I have heard that general GRE scores are primarily used to make the first cut in application reviews. Since the published means typically refer to the incoming class, the GRE score necessary to make it past this first cut is often significantly lower than mean of the incoming class.

That said, the acceptance rates for clinical psychology PhD programs are depressingly low. Professors in many programs literally receive a hundred qualified applicants for a single funded position. It is really important that the faculty who read your application not only consider you to be a generally strong candidate but also particularly interested in and willing to contribute to their research. Being a good match for a position is far more important than having phenomenal GREs (or a good GPA for that matter). To this end I would make sure that your experience fits with the positions you seek and that you do a lot of research into faculty interests before writing your application essays.

One other tip. Try to present yourself as broadly interested in the fields of research conducted by the institutions to which you intend to apply rather than mentioning specific projects or faculty. If you get too specific and there are no open positions on that particular grant or in that particular lab you will likely be rejected.

Good Luck