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2016-2017 Application Thread

By PACrankset
in Duke University

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mischiefmanaged

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@futurepanc you sure you are applying to the right school? "This is where I want to be" sounds pretty unjustly confident when describing the #1 school in the country...... sorry you just sound very entitled. We all want to be here...

 

 

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Seems like a harsh takeaway from a post just asking how competitive the GRE scores are this cycle. Futurepanc said "want to be" not "deserve to be"...we all WANT to be there, and there should be no judgement about our confidence (justified or not) based on such a common sentiment.
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Guest GoyaHoya69

Guest GoyaHoya69

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Thank you mischiefmanaged, you get what I'm saying. At full disclosure I cannot get close to a 300. Any advice?

You just gotta study and retake it, pal. Many competitive schools, including duke I think, have a 300 cutoff score. So unfortunately they may filter your app out of consideration. If you're looking for good GRE study materials, the Manhattan set of 8 books plus 1000 vocab flash cards did me wonders. I beasted my GREs. But always understand it's just one component of your app .. I haven't even been invited to duke, at least not yet. Good luck.

 

 

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mischiefmanaged

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Thank you mischiefmanaged, you get what I'm saying. At full disclosure I cannot get close to a 300. Any advice?

My first reaction is "oof...that might be a deal breaker." My second reaction is that Duke takes their holistic approach seriously and they consider a multitude of variables when considering candidates. Fill out your supplemental with that in mind and hope for the best. Then, if you have to apply next year, study and pay for a GRE prep course and take it again.

You can only do your best, if you feel like your best wasn't good enough for YOU, do it again. If you feel that IS the best you can do, you'll need to understand that sometimes your best isn't good enough for THEM.

No harm in hoping, just like the 2000 applicants that won't get in this cycle.

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Guest GoyaHoya69

Guest GoyaHoya69

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Goyahoya69 thank you for the advice. I'm retaking it Monday and it's my last shot. I hopefully can do much better this go round but the pressure is intense. I really hope they don't filter me out but there's nothing I can do about it.

Don't retake it unless you're ready, it'll save you money and the bad feeling of not doing as well as you'd hoped. I also wouldn't want to take the GRE more than 3 times. No inside info, but I just feel like programs would look down on that.

 

 

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mischiefmanaged

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Yea that oof reaction is what I'm trying to avoid lol. I haven't seen most of these math concepts in years and I've been out of school awhile. It's definetly a confidence killer.

Most programs look at the GRE as an indicator of your ability to take a test. After all, at the end of the program, no matter how much you know, you'll have to prove it on the PANCE. To them, if you aren't a good test taker, what is the difference between the GRE and the PANCE?
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winnied123

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Most programs look at the GRE as an indicator of your ability to take a test. After all, at the end of the program, no matter how much you know, you'll have to prove it on the PANCE. To them, if you aren't a good test taker, what is the difference between the GRE and the PANCE?

Exactly! That's what I meant by my post. I'm sorry it was aggressive, rude, and stupid. I'm sorry! I just meant the top schools are the top because of their basically perfect pass rate of the PANCE. If you say you are a horrible test taker and you fall on your face, how can the #1 school trust you to keep up their top pass/fail rate of the reflection of their ability to prepare you to be the best PA

 

 

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futurepanc

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Oh no I completely get what you are saying. You guys are super helpful and I have to take whatever honest opinions you guys have. I've been studying the last month, so hopefully I've retained something. Duke is dedicated to the underserved population and has ultimately led me to this program. Their values are so closely matched to how I feel, but if I don't make that minimum then there's nothing I can do.

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WINO

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Hi everyone! I applied and now I'm completing my supplemental. For those called for an interview, how competitive were your GRE scores. Everything I have I feel is competitive but this one thing. I'm a horrible test taker and this is where I want to be. I hope this is my future PA class and good luck to everyone.

To answer your question, my GRE scores are absolute caca and I got an interview. However my GPA may have offset this, as I haven't had problems this cycle. Hope that alleviates some worry!

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Petunia

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futurepanc-  if you are solid everywhere else besides GRE, why not apply heavily to the programs that don't require GRE?

 

My GRE was...meh.... it was well above 300, but not ridiculous like many people.  I am jealous of all the 98% I see....lol

I have tons of PCE and science GPA is above average- which I think offset my unremarkable GRE and let me be part of the first week of interviews at Duke

 

Good luck!

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Onward&upward

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I think some programs emphasis more on GRE than others, but at Duke I think they look at everything, so a poor GRE should not exclude you. But on other hand I am pretty sure most of programs want a GRE score of 300+ and some schools filter out students that do not meet their minimum requirements. 

I would say if your Healthcare experience is great with lot of hours, and you have a background to show that your committed to serve patients, along with good Science grades then all that can compensate for a poor GRE score. 

 

My advice is, do apply to Duke but also check schools that do not emphasis on GRE much, this is in case you are still stuck with below 300 score. Although personally I feel like GRE is pretty easy, I only prepared around 2 weekends and did some preparation during week while I was working and had some downtime. I used Princetown review book and just went through it to understand how test is taken. Did Math practice tests because last time I did any math was in High school which was ages back. For Vocab, I did not do much because I thought there is no way to improve it in couple of weeks. Although I did some practice tests from review book to refresh some word meanings. I scored around 320. 

 

Good luck for taking it again and hopefully you will get it right this time. Just work on your weaknesses and take test with confidence. This is just a small part of your application and HCE, GPA and others matter more. 

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Emma_E

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Hello guys! I am a current first year student. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions regarding the process. Usually Duke has 5-6 weeks of interviews and they designate almost the whole week for the interview for about 8 to 10 students on each day. Duke has a very holistic approach I know that doesn't calm your nerves, BUT come prepared to talk about yourselves. Be honest and respectful and you should be able to impress the faculty. 

 

Good luck!

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