RECORD EXAMINATIONS

To the Editors of the Crimson:

The statements attributed to me concerning GRE scores in psychology are sufficiently inaccurate to warrant correction. In the first place, I did not say that highly-rated graduate departments "place very little importance on test scores," but rather that GRE scores are but one input among many in the admissions process. In particular, undergraduate academic achievement and faculty recommendations are likely to be given more weighty consideration. Furthermore, it is important to distinguish between the GRE aptitude test scores and the GRE advanced test (psychology) score: a number of graduate departments consider the former to be a valuable indicator, while discounting the value of the latter.

Secondly, I stated that students graduating from undergraduate institutions smaller and less well-known than Harvard (not students applying to lesser known graduate schools) are likely to be judged to a greater degree on the basis of GRE scores. This results simply from the fact that the undergraduate curriculs and faculty recommendors at these schools may be less familiar to graduate departments, a situation which may cause graduate admissions committees to rely more heavily upon GRE results. Ann Bennett Spence   Assistant Director   Office for Graduate and Career Plans