{"642018":{"#nid":"642018","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GRE Waived for Fall 2021 Graduate Admissions across College of Sciences; Several Schools and Programs Permanently Drop the Exam Requirement","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOver the past ten months, colleges and universities across the nation have rapidly transformed and adapted to the shifting landscape of higher education in the midst of a pandemic. One of the more notable changes within the College of Sciences, however, centers on a standardized test that began raising questions on campuses beyond Georgia Tech long before Covid-19 first dominated headlines and the college experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ets.org\/gre\u0022\u003EGraduate Record Examination (GRE)\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;test was established in 1936 as a way to measure reasoning and critical thinking skills for students entering graduate collegiate programs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech College of Sciences is waiving the GRE (subject and general test) and will not require the exam for fall 2021 applications into any of the College\u0026rsquo;s graduate programs. Information on requirements across campus for fall 2021 applications can be found at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\u0022\u003EDegree Programs\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;page of the Georgia Tech Graduate Studies section of the Institute\u0026rsquo;s website.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESeveral College of Sciences programs have also opted to permanently drop the requirement, joining a movement coined throughout academic circles as \u0026ldquo;GRExit.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe GRE is permanently no longer required for entrance into Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Schools of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBiological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEarth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EChemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E. The\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/qbios.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EQuantitative Biosciences Ph.D. Program\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/graduate\/phd-applied-physiology\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EPh.D. in Applied Physiology\u003C\/a\u003E program, as well as the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical \u0026amp; Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(ChBE) in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.coe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECollege of Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, have also permanently dropped the exam as a graduate admissions requirement.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EBoosting diversity and equity in graduate admissions\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/glass-dr-jennifer\u0022\u003EJennifer Glass\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS), who also holds a courtesy appointment in the School of Biological Sciences, has been active in asking programs across the Institute and beyond to take a closer look at whether the GRE makes sense in their individual admissions processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The impetus for our efforts came largely from conversations with graduate students, who told us that removing the GRE requirement was an essential step towards boosting diversity and equity in graduate programs,\u0026rdquo; Glass says, noting that recent data also represented that the GRE can be \u0026ldquo;biased against underrepresented groups \u0026mdash; and that it is not a good predictor of graduate school success.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGlass joined fellow EAS professor\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/cobb-dr-kim\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Kim Cobb\u003C\/a\u003E, who also serves as an ADVANCE Professor and Georgia Power Chair; EAS graduate student \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/monteagudo-minda\u0022\u003EMinda Monteagudo\u003C\/a\u003E; and faculty from\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gsu.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia State University\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/\u0022\u003EBoise State University\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in writing a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eos.org\/opinions\/geogrexit-why-geosciences-programs-are-dropping-the-gre\u0022\u003Esummer 2020 op-ed\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;about the GRE for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eos.org\/\u0022\u003EEos Magazine\u003C\/a\u003E, which is published by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.agu.org\/\u0022\u003EAmerican Geophysical Union\u003C\/a\u003E. The op-ed, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eos.org\/opinions\/geogrexit-why-geosciences-programs-are-dropping-the-gre\u0022\u003E\u0026ldquo;#GeoGRExit: Why Geosciences Programs Are Dropping the GRE\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026rdquo; refers to the social media hashtags #GRExit and #GeoGRExit that have surfaced as academics and students around the country discuss their personal experiences and research related to how the standardized test can narrow and stymie inclusivity efforts and representation related to science, technology, engineering, and math-based (STEM) professions \u0026mdash; with a particular focus on bio- and geosciences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring a fall presentation on #GRExit to Georgia Tech graduate admissions leaders, Cobb shared that\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1MYcxZMhf97H5Uxr2Y7XndHn6eEC5oO8XWQi2PU5jLxQ\/edit#gid=0\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;340 biology\/EEB (ecology\/evolutionary biology) graduate programs\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in the U.S. have dropped their GRE requirements, as have\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1ZUZowZJ25DtqCgr3kK_Ief1C0YOnrZeADcm4K81bq08\/edit#gid=0\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;75 geosciences graduate programs\u003C\/a\u003E. (That biology graduate program number has increased to 370 programs since then, according to that database\u0026rsquo;s keeper,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bbsp.unc.edu\/employee\/joshua-hall-phd\/\u0022\u003EJoshua Hall\u003C\/a\u003E, Director of Admissions for the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.unc.edu\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sarahhledford.weebly.com\/\u0022\u003ESarah Ledford\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor at Georgia State University who co-authored the Eos op-ed, publishes the geosciences database.)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETwo years ago,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0206570\u0022\u003Ea study\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;published in the journal\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/\u0022\u003EPLOS ONE\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;examined the efficacy of the GRE in predicting Ph.D. completion related to STEM fields. The study analyzed the academic performance of 1,805 students from four flagship universities. Its lead researcher\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/admissions\/article\/2018\/11\/05\/study-raises-questions-about-use-gre-stem-doctoral-admissions\u0022\u003Etold Inside Higher Education\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;that although the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which owns and administers the GRE, explicitly discourages the use of cutoff scores on any part of the GRE, \u0026quot;this is a common practice ... our study shows convincingly that the scores [were] not useful for identifying students most likely to finish STEM doctoral programs. In fact, the scores [were] negative predictors of completion rates for men.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researcher added that \u0026ldquo;one reason given for using GRE scores to compare students is to \u0026lsquo;level the playing field\u0026rsquo; for students coming from undergraduate institutions differing in prestige. It has been suggested that without these scores, admissions committees may show implicit bias that could hurt the chances of admitting students from underrepresented groups who often come from lesser-known institutions. However, for undetermined reasons women and non-Asian minorities continue to score less well than white males and Asian Americans and, therefore, the pool of \u0026lsquo;acceptable\u0026rsquo; women and minority candidates is reduced substantially.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EETS responded, sharing that \u0026ldquo;The GRE test does not predict graduate or doctoral completion rates ... Rather, the test provides a measure of graduate school readiness by assessing skills that are necessary to handle graduate-level work: verbal and quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EBreaking down the barriers\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeyond concerns with cutoff scores and true readiness assessment, students and faculty alike have noted other barriers that the exam can add to the process of applying for grad school. \u0026quot;The issue of cost, for example ($205 to take it and $27 per report) is a major barrier for many students,\u0026quot; notes Cobb. \u0026quot;This entire initiative (at Georgia Tech) was really the brainchild of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/graduate-student-diversity-council\u0022\u003ECoS Graduate Student Diversity Council\u003C\/a\u003E, on which Minda (Monteagudo) sat.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026#39;s exciting to see the College of Science remove the GRE requirement in some programs temporarily, and in other cases more permanently,\u0026rdquo; Monteagudo adds. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026#39;m grateful to the CoS Graduate Student Diversity Council for their leadership on this issue, as well as the faculty and administrative support that made this change possible. I\u0026#39;m hopeful that removing the GRE requirement is an important first step towards making the graduate admissions process more equitable.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe following links are for the individual degree program requirements for the College of Sciences graduate programs:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/biology\u0022\u003EBiology\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/bioinformatics\u0022\u003EBioinformatics\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/ocean-science-engineering\u0022\u003EOcean Science \u0026amp; Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/mathematics\u0022\u003EMathematics\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/quantitative-biosciences\u0022\u003EQuantitative Biosciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/statistics\u0022\u003EStatistics\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/chemistry-biochemistry\u0022\u003EChemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/applied-physiology\u0022\u003EApplied Physiology\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/psychology\u0022\u003EPsychology\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/physics\u0022\u003EPhysics\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026middot;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/earth-and-atmospheric-sciences\u0022\u003EEarth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMore information on testing and graduate admissions at Georgia Tech, including the latest on testing delays due to Covid-19, can be found at this\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/helpdesk\/knowledgebase.php?category=6\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Elink\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;in the Graduate Studies section.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Graduate Record Examination will not be required for fall 2021 application into any College of Sciences graduate program. Additionally, three Sciences schools and two graduate programs have opted to permanently #GRExit \u0026mdash; no longer requiring the exam for application and admission.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Graduate Record Examination will not be required for fall 2021 application into any College of Sciences graduate program. Additionally, three Sciences schools and two graduate programs have opted to permanently #GRExit."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2020-12-10 14:37:01","changed_gmt":"2020-12-11 14:44:42","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2020-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"642020":{"id":"642020","type":"image","title":"Tech Tower ","body":null,"created":"1607612756","gmt_created":"2020-12-10 15:05:56","changed":"1607612756","gmt_changed":"2020-12-10 15:05:56","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243913","name":"Tech Tower overhead shot.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tech%20Tower%20overhead%20shot.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tech%20Tower%20overhead%20shot.png","mime":"image\/png","size":472368,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tech%20Tower%20overhead%20shot.png?itok=UiYftRXO"}}},"media_ids":["642020"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"443951","name":"School of Psychology"},{"id":"565971","name":"Ocean Science and Engineering (OSE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"186417","name":"Graduate Record Examination"},{"id":"736","name":"diversity"},{"id":"10351","name":"inclusion"},{"id":"186418","name":"Graduate Student Diversity Council"},{"id":"33791","name":"kim cobb"},{"id":"79441","name":"jennifer glass"},{"id":"186419","name":"Minda Montegaudo"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"166926","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"168854","name":"School of Mathematics"},{"id":"167710","name":"School of Psychology"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJessica Hunt-Ralston\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Director\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-385-5207\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}