Retake GRE for the writing portion?

[purpleflower432]

bad score on writing??

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[jaboo]

Hey guys, I'm wondering if anyone has insight on this. I took the GRE this past month and got a 164 in verbal and 165 in quant, but got a 4 in the analytical writing section. Normally I would be happy with these scores but I am applying with a poor GPA (3.2). I know some schools don't even look at the writing score, but I'm applying to 20 schools so I'm sure some do. I would love some advice on this!

Those are really great scores! Honestly, I feel like most of the schools I applied to didn't care about the writing portion so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Someone else who applied to different schools may disagree with me, though.

 

[deleted676737]

Most vet schools don't really look at the AWA scores for admissions purposes. Even those that do don't weigh it very heavily.

Honestly, a 4.0 isn't even that bad and I think that your V and Q scores more than make up for that. I don't think it's worth paying to retake the GRE just to bump up your AWA score.

 

[battie]

but I'm applying to 20 schools

I'm going to touch on something else real quick. Have you posted your application info in the "what are my chances?" thread? I would strongly not recommend applying to 20 schools. Not because I doubt you'll get in; but because it will ultimately be a massive money and time suck.

A lot of the schools interview within the same time frame, so with a school list at 20, you will undoubtedly have to forfeit interviews because you'll end up having conflicts that schools won't accommodate (even if only half the schools you're applying to interview). At that point, the return on investment will be in the negative by at least $100 due to VMCAS and supplemental fees, not to mention the time spent on the application. Getting the interview isn't worth anything if you don't get to go to it.

Having a shorter, more tailored school list is much more likely to get you interviews and acceptances than a longer, broader list. The quality of your school list matters a whole heck of a lot more than the quantity.

 

[deleted676737]

I'm going to touch on something else real quick. Have you posted your application info in the "what are my chances?" thread? I would strongly not recommend applying to 20 schools. Not because I doubt you'll get in; but because it will ultimately be a massive money and time suck.

A lot of the schools interview within the same time frame, so with a school list at 20, you will undoubtedly have to forfeit interviews because you'll end up having conflicts that schools won't accommodate (even if only half the schools you're applying to interview). At that point, the return on investment will be in the negative by at least $100 due to VMCAS and supplemental fees, not to mention the time spent on the application. Getting the interview isn't worth anything if you don't get to go to it.

Having a shorter, more tailored school list is much more likely to get you interviews and acceptances than a longer, broader list. The quality of your school list matters a whole heck of a lot more than the quantity.

Yep. I was about to edit my post to say exactly this.

 

[purpleflower432]

Those are really great scores! Honestly, I feel like most of the schools I applied to didn't care about the writing portion so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Someone else who applied to different schools may disagree with me, though.

Thanks so much for the input!

 

[purpleflower432]

I'm going to touch on something else real quick. Have you posted your application info in the "what are my chances?" thread? I would strongly not recommend applying to 20 schools. Not because I doubt you'll get in; but because it will ultimately be a massive money and time suck.

A lot of the schools interview within the same time frame, so with a school list at 20, you will undoubtedly have to forfeit interviews because you'll end up having conflicts that schools won't accommodate (even if only half the schools you're applying to interview). At that point, the return on investment will be in the negative by at least $100 due to VMCAS and supplemental fees, not to mention the time spent on the application. Getting the interview isn't worth anything if you don't get to go to it.

Having a shorter, more tailored school list is much more likely to get you interviews and acceptances than a longer, broader list. The quality of your school list matters a whole heck of a lot more than the quantity.

Thanks for the tip! I figured I would need to apply to as many schools as possible with my GPA..

 

[purpleflower432]

Most vet schools don't really look at the AWA scores for admissions purposes. Even those that do don't weigh it very heavily.

Honestly, a 4.0 isn't even that bad and I think that your V and Q scores more than make up for that. I don't think it's worth paying to retake the GRE just to bump up your AWA score.

Thanks for the input!! Based on the replies here I think I won't retake it..

 

[jaboo]

I'm going to touch on something else real quick. Have you posted your application info in the "what are my chances?" thread? I would strongly not recommend applying to 20 schools. Not because I doubt you'll get in; but because it will ultimately be a massive money and time suck.

A lot of the schools interview within the same time frame, so with a school list at 20, you will undoubtedly have to forfeit interviews because you'll end up having conflicts that schools won't accommodate (even if only half the schools you're applying to interview). At that point, the return on investment will be in the negative by at least $100 due to VMCAS and supplemental fees, not to mention the time spent on the application. Getting the interview isn't worth anything if you don't get to go to it.

Having a shorter, more tailored school list is much more likely to get you interviews and acceptances than a longer, broader list. The quality of your school list matters a whole heck of a lot more than the quantity.

Thanks for the tip! I figured I would need to apply to as many schools as possible with my GPA..

3.3 cum. GPA here. I applied to 5 my first cycle and 6 my second cycle. 1 waitlist the first time, 2 waitlists the second time and I got off one of them. And my GRE's weren't as good as yours! My biggest mistake was applying to schools that didn't match my strengths. I for example shouldn't really have applied to Tufts because they stress GPA a lot (that's just my experience, others may disagree).

I second the tip to post to the "What are my chances?" thread. That's a great place to list your stats and get more involved feedback on what schools would match your strengths well. A few schools I think basically "delete" your GPA from your record if you get offered an interview.

 

[battie]

Thanks for the tip! I figured I would need to apply to as many schools as possible with my GPA..

I applied with a 3.3 cGPA. 5 schools my first cycle (1 wait list), 2 my second cycle (wait list at the same school again), and 8 my last cycle (1 acceptance and 1 wait list).

Of the schools I applied to, there are at least 4 I can think of off the top of my head I should not have applied to simply because they did not play to my strengths. Those schools would have been Penn, Mizzou, Oregon, and Louisiana. Meanwhile, Illinois disregards your GPA when you reach the interview stage, making it a great fit for my application (and where I was ultimately accepted).

 

[SkiOtter]

Meanwhile, Illinois disregards your GPA when you reach the interview stage, making it a great fit for my application (and where I was ultimately accepted).

Same tho

 

[purpleflower432]

I applied with a 3.3 cGPA. 5 schools my first cycle (1 wait list), 2 my second cycle (wait list at the same school again), and 8 my last cycle (1 acceptance and 1 wait list).

Of the schools I applied to, there are at least 4 I can think of off the top of my head I should not have applied to simply because they did not play to my strengths. Those schools would have been Penn, Mizzou, Oregon, and Louisiana. Meanwhile, Illinois disregards your GPA when you reach the interview stage, making it a great fit for my application (and where I was ultimately accepted).

How do you figure out which schools play to your strengths?

I'm coming in with a strong research background and an interest in veterinary research. I am of course trying to target schools with a research emphasis but am otherwise unsure how to pick schools!

 

[battie]

How do you figure out which schools play to your strengths?

I'm coming in with a strong research background and an interest in veterinary research. I am of course trying to target schools with a research emphasis but am otherwise unsure how to pick schools!

I looked at the admissions process for the schools. I found the ones I had the prerequisites for first (no oChem 2 on my end), then figured out which schools don't focus so strongly on cGPA

 

[DVMoftheFuture]

How do you figure out which schools play to your strengths?

I'm coming in with a strong research background and an interest in veterinary research. I am of course trying to target schools with a research emphasis but am otherwise unsure how to pick schools!

If you post in the stickied "What Are My Chances?" thread, people will be able to give you advice. It can sometimes not be super obvious what schools play to your strengths, but many SDNers have experience with a bunch of different schools, so if you post your stats, we can point you in the right direction.