Profile Evaluation for European Master

[peter mouganie]

Originally Posted by slightlyconfused1

You cannot be serious. You want to spend five years pursuing a Ph.D in economics -- presumably with the goal of becoming an academic economist -- and yet you can't cough up $150 and a few hours of your time to retake a test that is critical to your admissions prospects and hence your career? But you're willing to spend far, far more time and money on a European master's program that will do little for your candidacy to US Ph.D programs (which you say is your goal) without a better GRE score?

Okay first off, your argument is s wrong on so many levels. I am looking for a correlation here, but it seems that you let your fingers do the typing. If he got a 750, then under your argument, if he gets an 800 then he will get into the PHDs he wants. Did you take a look at his gpa? Wow, if you think the GRE is that important, than you may have a surprise instore for you

Second of all, How does a European master's program not enhance his opportunity for a PHD in U.S.A. I know at least 5 people who were undergrads at my university with more than average grades (but not enough) who didn't get into their desired schools,but ended up utilizing the Master's route. And contrary to your illogical argument. ALL (of whom i personally know) got accepted into top 30 PHD schools. I wonder how people like you can judge and mislead people with a tap of the keyboard, without having prior knowledge of the subject at hand. Please refrain from giving misleading facts next time. You could end up seriously damaging one's life. And by the way, all you have do is look at the placements of these so called "useless" European masters schools. And i'm pretty sure you can find them online.

PS: stop being so rude to people, what kind of response was that (basically calling the guy an idiot). Makes me sad to see that even online people have lost touched with empathy. Sigh..

[slightlyconfused1]

PS: stop being so rude to people, what kind of response was that (basically calling the guy an idiot). Makes me sad to see that even online people have lost touched with empathy. Sigh..

I am perfectly happy to stand by my statement. If the poster intends to go to Ph.D programs in the US (as he/she says), it is an extraordinary error in judgment to let that GRE score stand. The reasons he provided made no sense: the amount of time, effort, and money that the GRE involve are minimal compared to the investment in a European master's program, much less a Ph.D and an entire academic career. It is far better that he suffer my "rudeness" and be startled into reevaluating his irrational decisions than to discover only when it is too late that he shot himself in the foot by not retaking the GRE. Bland positivity accomplishes nothing.

If he got a 750, then under your argument, if he gets an 800 then he will get into the PHDs he wants. Did you take a look at his gpa? Wow, if you think the GRE is that important, than you may have a surprise instore for you

You appear incapable of distinguishing between two very different statements:

(1) Especially at the 750Q margin, the quantitative GRE has an extraordinarily strong effect on admissions relative to the amount of time, money, and effort it involves. It is irrational to avoid retaking the GRE because of time or monetary considerations when all other plausible avenues to improve an application require far more time and money to achieve a comparable payoff. (This is what I said.)

(2) If the poster gets an 800Q, he will be accepted into his target Ph.D programs. (This is not what I said.)

Second of all, How does a European master's program not enhance his opportunity for a PHD in U.S.A. I know at least 5 people who were undergrads at my university with more than average grades (but not enough) who didn't get into their desired schools,but ended up utilizing the Master's route. And contrary to your illogical argument. ALL (of whom i personally know) got accepted into top 30 PHD schools.

My "illogical" argument is that a 750 Q GRE is so devastating to chances in the top half of American Ph.D programs that it is difficult to overcome with a European master's program, and that the marginal benefit of such a program will be far greater if he can improve this glaring weak spot in the application. I am not arguing that European master's programs are never useful -- indeed, that would be a very stupid thing to say. Your attempt at refutation by anecdote is itself illogical, since you provide no information about the GRE scores of the students in question.

[badgre]

Originally Posted by slightlyconfused1

and yet you can't cough up $150 and a few hours of your time to retake a test that is critical to your admissions prospects and hence your career? But you're willing to spend far, far more time and money on a European master's program that will do little for your candidacy to US Ph.D programs (which you say is your goal) without a better GRE score?

(1.) I'm living on a tight budget now and if I were to retake the GRE, I will have to cough up about $200 ($150 + $50 for buses and taxis) and that will be coming from my current budget. But for the Master's tuition fees, that will be coming from someone's budget.

(2.) I never intended to apply to any US PhD in my current state because I know the courseworks are very intense. This is why I want to do a Master first and I'll know what to do thereafter.

(3.) Regarding time costs, I am a lot younger than a vast majority of seniors in my school. And, I enjoy school a lot.

(4.) Not retaking now, or in the near future does not mean I won't retake it in 1 or 2 years' time.

And if I'm not mistaken, most schools in Europe does not require GRE, though it is encouraged to report scores. Am I right?

Finally, please no more digression from the topic.

[Gecko]

Reporting your GRE will help you get an edge when it comes to funding, even for schools that don't explicitly want it.