Hi Marisola,
The counsel I've been given about GRE scores is that schools with a particularly high volume of applicants may use the GRE as an initial culling mechanism: they start with the applications in the higher range of GRE scores, and sometimes don't get around to looking at the ones whose GRE scores are the lowest. I don't know how often this is actually done, but I've heard it often: it's not that you should expect philosophy departments to put much stock in the GRE score as a measure of your abilities, it's just something that gives your application a better chance of getting an audience.
This doesn't mean your application doesn't have a chance. It does mean that, if you don't get the acceptances you want, you shouldn't be discouraged: make it a project to get a better score on the GRE and apply again next year.
If you ever decide you want to retake it, I know some things about how to study for it successfully, and I'd be happy share: [log in to unmask]
Best of luck!
S
________________________________
From: Feminist ethics and social theory [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Kathryn Norlock [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2012 1:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: advice to prospective PhD students
Hello, ethicists and feminists. Marisola, I'd like to add to these observations that I was the reverse: An applicant with a high GRE and a really terrible undergraduate record. My transcripts were an alphabet soup of past difficulties. Heck, I wouldn't even say I was motivated to do philosophy, as I was trying it out without having actually ever taken a course in it. I was admitted without funding to Wisconsin, which at the time didn't even bother providing funding to first-years and really considered us to be taking our own crazy risks (ah, the '90s). But we found mutual fulfillment, as the department decided I was well-suited to the field, and I decided the field was well-suited to me.
I do not believe I was destined to succeed or anything like that, and I take Sophia Isako Wong's cautions as the good and provocative warnings they can be. My point is merely this: An application with a rusty spot is not necessarily a bad application. It is not even easily predictable which programs will accept you (why would NYU take me and not UIC? why Wisconsin and not Minnesota?). So whatever advice you get, good as it all may be, is only the best guessing of those of us who have gone before you. Good luck,
Kate
Kathryn Norlock ([log in to unmask])
> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:30:51 -0500
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: advice to prospective PhD students
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Dear Marisola,
>
> While I can't answer your question directly, I can offer you this: I have
> a dear friend who was in a similar situation over a decade ago (English was
> her second language, her family was quite poor, and so her pre-college
> education was quite poor), except she was applying to programs in another
> humanities field and in women's studies. Her abysmal GRE scores had no
> apparent effect. She wound up with great fellowship offers from several
> excellent universities, wound up going to an Ivy League university where
> she earned a Ph.D., and has been doing quite well in the job market. Again,
> she is not in philosophy, but rather is in another humanities field.
>
> I suspect a lot of philosophers who subscribe to the FEAST list are
> incredibly skeptical of the value of GRE scores -- I hope that is the case!
>
> I wish you well! Philosophy totally needs people like you, so I look
> forward to seeing your name on conference programs in a few years!
>
> Best regards,
>
> Tom
>
> Tom Digby
> Professor of Philosophy
> Springfield College
> 263 Alden Street
> Springfield, MA 01109
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
> "Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire."
> --William Butler Yeats
>
>
>
>
> From: Marisola Xhelili <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 01/23/2012 11:19 AM
> Subject: Re: advice to prospective PhD students
> Sent by: Feminist ethics and social theory <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
> Dear FEASTers,
>
> As someone who just applied to Philosophy PhD programs, I found Dr. Wong's
> list on advice for prospective students very encouraging on all fronts
> except for the GRE bit. I consider myself very motivated, have excelled in
> all of my philosophy courses as an undergrad, have attended institutes and
> won awards for my research, but my GRE scores are, to put it mildly,
> embarrassing. I know this has a lot to do with the timed aspect of the
> test, and how counter-productive rushing madly is to producing anything of
> quality. I can blame the fact that English is my second language, or that I
> couldn't afford to formally prepare how to take the test, but all in all I
> know that standardized tests are not my strength.
>
> I would really be interested to get some opinions from philosophy
> professors on how heavily the GRE scores are weighed against other aspects
> of the application. I feel like it's the one rusty spot on my otherwise
> shining application.
>
> Many thanks,
> Marisola.
>
> On Sun, Jan 22, 2012 at 5:01 PM, Sophia Isako Wong <[log in to unmask]>
> wrot
> Dear FEAST colleagues,
>
> I put up this webpage for the students who have asked me about applying
> to PhD programs in philosophy. Since they are mostly students of color,
> it is written especially with them in mind. Feel free to forward it to
> your undergraduate students if you think it will be helpful.
>
> http://sophiawong.info/mentoring-resources/phd
>
> Best,
> Sophia
> ¨°¨¨¨¨¨°º°¨¨¨¨¨°º°¨¨¨¨¨¨
> Sophia Isako Wong
> Associate Professor of Philosophy
> Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus
> http://sophiawong.info
>
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