to retake the GRE...or not?

[sunnex3]

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first off, i KNOWWW that this is like the hardest question to answer EVER without looking at the rest of my app, like essays and LORs. however, i am really trying to debate whether or not to spend the next few weeks of my summer studying my ***** off for my 2nd try at the GRE.

i just took it for the 1st time on Tuesday, preliminary scores are Q = 750 and V = 590. Writing should be between 4-5. My GPA = 3.94, I have a variety of experience (all SA, but in 3 different settings: shelter, private practice, specialty/emergency hospital, as well as lab experience), 3 vet LORs, 2 academic LORs.

i'm already signed up for it in July (July 23rd) but would rather get the 1/2 refund if i don't need to torture myself over studying the verbal over the next few weeks. anyone know on average, what the percentile ranges are for my Q and V scores?

anyone with any input is greatly appreciated, as i know this is a tough question to answer, if not impossible, but i just need some opinions from others than myself.

thanks in advance!

 

[NStarz]

first off, i KNOWWW that this is like the hardest question to answer EVER without looking at the rest of my app, like essays and LORs. however, i am really trying to debate whether or not to spend the next few weeks of my summer studying my ***** off for my 2nd try at the GRE.

i just took it for the 1st time on Tuesday, preliminary scores are Q = 750 and V = 590. Writing should be between 4-5. My GPA = 3.94, I have a variety of experience (all SA, but in 3 different settings: shelter, private practice, specialty/emergency hospital, as well as lab experience), 3 vet LORs, 2 academic LORs.

i'm already signed up for it in July (July 23rd) but would rather get the 1/2 refund if i don't need to torture myself over studying the verbal over the next few weeks. anyone know on average, what the percentile ranges are for my Q and V scores?

anyone with any input is greatly appreciated, as i know this is a tough question to answer, if not impossible, but i just need some opinions from others than myself.

thanks in advance!

Are you really asking if you should retake a 1340 GRE?

No.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

Are you really asking if you should retake a 1340 GRE?

No.

Personally, I wouldn't consider retaking a 1340, especially with such a solid GPA.

Heck, my cumulative was downright scary and I rejoiced at my 1300 (650/650), having expected to flub the quant section big time.

If you're really concerned about percentiles, there are sites that offer ballpark figures. I'd give you a link, but I lost mine when my old laptop bit the dust a few months ago. I think it was pretty easy to find, though. 🙂

 

[sunnex3]

Are you really asking if you should retake a 1340 GRE?

No.

sorry for the question, but i was really being serious. i am trying to make every part of my application as strong as possible, i don't want it to be lacking in any area if possible, especially since i am taking time off (just graduated, taking a year off) so i've had time to strengthen my application... 🙂

 

[NStarz]

sorry for the question, but i was really being serious. i am trying to make every part of my application as strong as possible, i don't want it to be lacking in any area if possible, especially since i am taking time off (just graduated, taking a year off) so i've had time to strengthen my application... 🙂

Many schools just have a cutoff that you need to get past, after which they never look at your academic qualifications again. A 1340 will get you past every one of those cutoffs. With your GPA being so high, you don't really need to worry about that high of a GRE score. If you had a 1000, I'd probably be singing a different tune, but you're probably set.

Sorry for the bluntness earlier--had a crappy day at work (I was yelled at by the girl I was training with for kissing a dog on the head--really??)

 

[twelvetigers]

You did good! Impressive score! Go have a beer and fuhgeddaboudit.

Work on the rest of your app now. You're doing good. 🙂

 

[Cautionary Tail]

Sorry for the bluntness earlier--had a crappy day at work (I was yelled at by the girl I was training with for kissing a dog on the head--really??)

Not to hijack the thread, but... why?!

 

[StartingoverVet]

Re: percentiles.

Of course they change all the time... But you can probably guess on both of those scores being in the 80s. Verbal maybe lower to mid 80s, quant maybe mid to upper 80s.

Both are going to be fine almost everywhere. No NEED to take again. But if you feel you can do better then that is for you to decide.

Either way you will be above average, but not among the best, for vet students.
Who knows if it would help you to improve your chances or not?

 

[NStarz]

Not to hijack the thread, but... why?!

Yeah, right? This girl was a psycho, like legit. She didn't allow me to touch any patients without her express permission (I know I'm new, but I'm not an idiot)--overall, it was not a fun day 🙄

 

[EllieGirl89]

Yeah, right? This girl was a psycho, like legit. She didn't allow me to touch any patients without her express permission (I know I'm new, but I'm not an idiot)--overall, it was not a fun day 🙄

Ugh, sorry you got yelled at =( I really hate that-why can't people just communicate nicely? Though, I think not being allowed to touch animals until you're fully trained is more common than we might think. When I worked at a dog boarding kennel, I wasn't even allowed to PET a dog or cat until I was fully trained, which took about 6 weeks. It seems silly but I bet there is some sort of insurance or liability thing to go along with it.

Hope things get better for you on that front!

 

[NStarz]

Ugh, sorry you got yelled at =( I really hate that-why can't people just communicate nicely? Though, I think not being allowed to touch animals until you're fully trained is more common than we might think. When I worked at a dog boarding kennel, I wasn't even allowed to PET a dog or cat until I was fully trained, which took about 6 weeks. It seems silly but I bet there is some sort of insurance or liability thing to go along with it.

Hope things get better for you on that front!

Except I've been touching animals ever since I got to this place 3 weeks ago. It was only this girl.

Anyway, sorry to hijack!

 

[LetItSnow]

Except I've been touching animals ever since I got to this place 3 weeks ago. It was only this girl.

Anyway, sorry to hijack!

It's hard, because you feel like you're absolutely certain that you know what you're doing, but .... try a little to put yourself in her shoes. Maybe she had an experience where someone she was training got their face bit off. Maybe she just had an injury of her own recently. Maybe nobody got bit, but the last person she trained handled animals inappropriately and wasn't responsive to correction and she's a bit frustrated and taking it out on you. Who knows. I don't really think it's ever ok to YELL at someone, especially in a training context, but if you set that aside you might see that her point was still valid.

Frankly, there are very, very, very few animals at the clinic I'd ever kiss on the top of the head. I don't know what kind of environment the animals are in when they aren't at the clinic. And that puts my neck, eyes, and the rest of my head far closer to the animal unnecessarily than I want. I'm not scared of animals, but I'm respectful of what they can do to a human face, and I've seen enough people (with far more experience than I'll ever have) bitten/scratched that I can keep my snuggling to my own animals who are used to me.

Anyway. Not trying to come down hard on you .... just encouraging you to see it from her side. Part of her job training you is to keep you safe. If I saw you unnecessarily kissing an animal at the clinic, I'd get jittery too. My hunch is that if you demonstrated a very deliberate approach to safety, she might lighten up a bit.

 

[twelvetigers]

Kittens and puppies might warrant cuddles and kisses, but I only worked at a clinic and you don't generally smooch other people's pets. I keep my squishy cuddles for my own pets. And I would never kiss most dogs just because you never know how a (grown) dog might react. I remember once I got my face a little bit too close to a seemingly friendly lab - totally put my guard down - and he growled at me. Never again will my guard go down with unfamiliar dogs, and especially anywhere near my face.

That said, it's always good to have a reason calmly explained to you in a kind way, but some people aren't capable of that.

 

[LetItSnow]

Kittens and puppies might warrant cuddles and kisses,

Ok, ok, I have to admit even I make exceptions for kittens and puppies. It's not like I'm the cold-hearted bastard y'all think. 🙂 But the OP did say "dog," so I just presumed 'adult dog'....

That said, it's always good to have a reason calmly explained to you in a kind way, but some people aren't capable of that.

Totally agree. But it's also important to remember that just because someone is yelling at you and they shouldn't .... doesn't inherently mean they're WRONG. It just means they're presenting themselves inappropriately. It's really hard not to get defensive, but it's important to make an attempt to separate out your feelings and ask "Does this person have a valid reason issue here...?" Usually, though, people just go straight to defensive, the point gets lost, feelings get hurt, and drama ensues. It's life. 🙄

 

[Bismarck]

Re: percentiles.

Either way you will be above average, but not among the best, for vet students.

For reference, Above what threshold would the 'best' applicants fall in your opinion? Most schools give a range but not much else (e.g. distribution)

 

[equitate]

i just took it for the 1st time on Tuesday, preliminary scores are Q = 750 and V = 590. Writing should be between 4-5. My GPA = 3.94, I have a variety of experience (all SA, but in 3 different settings: shelter, private practice, specialty/emergency hospital, as well as lab experience), 3 vet LORs, 2 academic LORs.

Based on your stats, I would not spend my time studying to improve a 1340 GRE. Your GPA is obviously very high and your GRE is more than adequate = you are academically very strong and should try to make the rest of your application just as competitive. Therefore, I would try my hardest to spend those hours writing awesome essays and getting more experience (since all 3 of your vet experiences have been with small animals, I think you would really benefit from racking up some large animal hours this summer). That would make you more well-rounded and be of greater value than an even higher GRE score. JMHO 🙂

Editing to add other suggestions for rounding out your application: If you haven't already, do some volunteer work (either vet related or not) and work on community activities/personal interests. If you're already stacked in that department, disregard this suggestion. Just a thought of something else you can improve if necessary.

 

[twelvetigers]

I think 1340 is fast approaching the 'best' in my opinion. Maybe a 1400+ would be what SOV meant. He's biased because he and his wife both did amazing on the GRE. I got a 1290 and wa happy with that, plus was over the average for most schools I applied to.

 

[Minnerbelle]

I wouldn't retake it. Generally, above 70th percentile = competitive, and shouldn't hinder your application. I would say above 80th percentile would put a plus on your apps. When I took it like 4 years ago, 590 on verbal was at a higher percentile than math at 760, both in the mid 80th percentile range. Don't fret it at all unless you have any major weaknesses in your application (and if you do, you'll probably do better if you work on that!). And if this score is your worst "weakness," you should never ever ever post about your chances again 😉.


As for kissing dog on the head. I think outside of being bit, one of the most dangerous things a bigger dog can do to someone is to jump up from a sitting position into your face. Both of those are possibilities when you have your head that close to the dog's. That hurts like a b**** and you can easily get a bloody mouth/nose from that. As others have said, perhaps she didn't do it in the most appropriate fashion, but I wouldn't totally dismiss the reasoning behind why she "schooled" you. That and maybe she had a bad day too and was being extra harsh? I wouldn't let it bother you too much. If she is just a mean control freak, then you can show her up once you're fully trained with your awesome skills.

 

[NStarz]

Okay, soooo I really appreciate all of your guys' concerns about my safety. However, you guys don't really know the whole story, and while it may not have been the best thing to do at the time, if you'd been there, you would probably see how ridiculous this whole thing really is. There are tons of circumstances leading up to it that I don't really have the energy to go through right now, but everyone at the clinic did find it to be super messed up. Apparently this girl is like a psycho anyway, but that's besides the point. (And no, I did not bend down, lean over the dog, and kiss it on the head. It was already in my arms and by my face where it had easy access to my eyes and nose if it deemed it would like to kill me 😉 ) Soooo let's just drop the whole thing, okay?

Thanks for all the feedback 🙂

(And honestly, I only posted that bit because I thought it was the most messed up, but this girl also doubted my ability to put a blanket in a cage--that's kind of where I'm coming from with her.)

 

[sunnex3]

thanks everyone for the responses. i really appreciate everyone's wise advice 🙂 applying is so stressful, but i'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible!

 

[cowgirla]

(And honestly, I only posted that bit because I thought it was the most messed up, but this girl also doubted my ability to put a blanket in a cage--that's kind of where I'm coming from with her.)

those blankets can get nasty if you don't tuck them into the corners just right. What if it jumped up, wrapped itself around your head and smothered you? She's right to be concerned, it's the most dangerous job of all.

 

[NStarz]

those blankets can get nasty if you don't tuck them into the corners just right. What if it jumped up, wrapped itself around your head and smothered you? She's right to be concerned, it's the most dangerous job of all.

Thanks for the laugh cowgirla!

 

[jmo1012]

Okay, soooo I really appreciate all of your guys' concerns about my safety. However, you guys don't really know the whole story, and while it may not have been the best thing to do at the time, if you'd been there, you would probably see how ridiculous this whole thing really is. There are tons of circumstances leading up to it that I don't really have the energy to go through right now, but everyone at the clinic did find it to be super messed up. Apparently this girl is like a psycho anyway, but that's besides the point. (And no, I did not bend down, lean over the dog, and kiss it on the head. It was already in my arms and by my face where it had easy access to my eyes and nose if it deemed it would like to kill me 😉 ) Soooo let's just drop the whole thing, okay?

Thanks for all the feedback 🙂

(And honestly, I only posted that bit because I thought it was the most messed up, but this girl also doubted my ability to put a blanket in a cage--that's kind of where I'm coming from with her.)

honestly at all of the ER places i've ever been/worked, all the doctors and techs kiss the patients. if it makes you feel any better 🙂