To retake or not to retake

[filmfanatic09]

I’m going to be applying to MA/PhD programs in the Humanities at schools of varying levels of prestige: mostly state schools whose programs are ranked in the top 30, along with a few schools like Northwestern and Berkeley that carry a little more cachet.  That being said, my GRE scores are woefully less than stellar: 500 quantitative, 580 verbal

Comments

[kleis]

I think you should re-take it. Your score is almost exactly what my first GRE score was, and I was told by faculty in the humanities that it was a "big show-stopper" and disappointment in an otherwise good application. I was advised to re-take it. Don't give anybody an excuse to put aside your application.

[fullofpink]

What do you mean by "humanities?" It really depends on what branch and why you wish to go to those schools. English at Northwestern/Berkeley is going to be completely different than say, art history or anthropology. And within these branches there are individual underlying interests that may or may not correspond with YOUR interests. Personal interest in what the department teaches over prestige should be your motivation.

[filmfanatic09]

Sorry, I suppose I should have been more specific from the outset. The branch of humanities I'm interested in is film studies (media studies, screen culture, rhetoric--it seems like every school has a different name for it!) None of the schools I'm applying to were picked for any sort of "prestige factor." They all have programs structured around the sort of curriculum I'm after, as well as have faculty I'd just about die to work with--two things that will be reflected in my statement(s) of purpose.

[fullofpink]

Is this humanities or the arts? If arts then the GREs will probably matter a lot less than if it is branched in the humanities :)

[fullofpink]

Also, I'm saying this because my school is a top 5 art program and art history/film studies is in the school of the arts, not the humanities.

[inafuturelife]

and thanks to mentalcase for iphone/itouch, i don't even have to carry around flashcards! the program does spaced repetitions and keeps putting back in ones you got wrong until you get it right so many times or something...it's helped me a ton with my intense spanish courses this summer, can't wait to use it for GRE vocab. i also did download a kaplan vocab program that was 4.99 i think for the iphone, but i haven't played with it yet.

[coaldustcanary]

In your shoes, I'd personally try to take them again. I read your post above that you didn't put a huge amount of work into studying (for reasons I think are legit - some people can do okay on them without studying, and if you're otherwise busy and can afford the test, why not do it?) but those scores are low for places like Northwestern and Berkley, and some other top state school programs. (For what it's worth, I'm on the social science side of media studies, but I know plenty of people over in the humanities-focused departments, at my school and others.)

[nossing]

I heard somewhere on the internet that some guy said that you should retake the GRE if you don't get over 1200. That guy's cousin added that his brother's girlfriend said that if you want to go to any school worth going to you should get over 1200.