Like many respondents I have a really mixed view of GRE scores. On one hand, they simply don't assess the abilities that most of us consider important for success in grad school. But on the other hand, a student who can't find a way to overcome whatever testing issues they have and figure out how to achieve a minimally acceptable score may also be weak in some areas (initiative? stamina? bloody-mindedness?) that a grad degree also ultimately demands. So low scores probably do tell us something.
But another point I make to many of my students: while these scores often have to do with your admission to a program in the first place, there can be a second (and maybe equally important) consideration- potential early institution-based scholarships. At my institution, we have several lucrative awards open to first and second year graduate students. At this point in your career, there are few differences in grades, and (especially in a large, diverse department) assessment of letters of recommendation can be very subjective. But whatever differences of opinion exist among members of Awards Committees, we can all count, and so the apparent "objectivity" (and certainly "defensibility" to one's collegues) of things like GRE scores become more compelling. ---------------------------------------------------------- Professor John A. Berges Department of Biological Sciences and School of Freshwater Sciences University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 3209 N. Maryland Avenue Lapham Hall Room 181 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211 (414) 229-3258 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 20:22:33 -0400 From: Asya Robertshaw <[email protected]> Subject: Re: GRE Scores In Picking a PhD Student. Do they Matter? I am a current PhD student and I will admit that my GRE score was pretty mediocre. I've never been good at taking standardized tests (I didn't do very well on the SAT either). I love math, but English is not my native language, so I've always struggled with the verbal sections of the test. I personally don't think that these standardized tests are a good way of evaluating the student's academic potential or his/her potential to conduct research. Despite my low scores on the SAT and the GRE, I graduated with a 4.0 GPA from both high school and college. I had extensive research experience as an undergrad and was even able to publish a paper on the research I conducted with my undergraduate mentor. Over the past fee years of my graduate career I have had a number of my research proposals funded, I've won a couple of poster competitions, I was awarded the NSF-GRFP fellowship, and have manuscripts currently in review. I intend on submitting (and hopefully publishing) my thesis before graduating. I feel very lucky that my advisor overlooked my low scores and still accepted me into her lab. Without that opportunity, I would not have been able to pursue my passion in research! Asya Robertshaw Doctoral Candidate Purdue University Dept of Botany & Plant Pathology 915 W State St West Lafayette, IN 7907 On Sep 2, 2014 7:37 PM, "Alex M. L" <[email protected]> wrote: > Last weekend I got into a long discussion on the value of GRE score in a > PhD > student. As the 2015 applicants start, I open up the discussion to the > community: > > I have a female student that has both a Masters (thesis) and publication > with > several years research experience. However, her GRE score are quite poor. > Should I really pass up a seemingly great applicant because of low scores? > > If a student has a biology Masters or a publication... do GRE scores > matter? > Have we not moved past GRE scores when picking the next round of PhD > researchers for our lab(s)? > > If you have a personal story of low scores and still attaining your PhD or > accepting a similar student... I would love to hear from you! > > Cheers! > Alex M.L >
