I will be applying to graduate schools--both MA and PhD programs--in Russian Literature at the end of this year, and I will be taking the GRE in a couple of days. My concern is that it has been almost ten years since I have done any math similar to that which is seen on the GRE, not to mention that math is something I have always struggled with. Assuming that the practice tests are an accurate gauge of how I should perform on the actual test, I am looking at landing in the mid-700's for verbal, and somewhere between 500-550 quantitative (yes, this is even after a considerable amount of studying). Being aware that for most reputable graduate schools, GRE quantitative scores are well into the 700's, I am wondering how (if at all) detrimental my less than stellar math score will prove to be when applying to a program in the humanities. Since so many factors come into play when applying to grad. school, I will also say that I already have a degree in English (w/ a 3.58 GPA), and returned as a postbaccalaurate to focus on Russian Lit. (earning a scholarship and 4.3 GPA for the year I have been back in school); I will be studying in Russia for the next year to gain experience and perfect my language skills; I have what I feel (and am told) to be a strong work sample, as well as recommendations from professors who earned their PhD's from two of the strongest universities in the field. I plan on applying to mid- to top-tier schools.
Will the programs I am applying to even bother with my GRE quantitative score? If so, should I reconsider which schools I apply to? I feel rather in the dark about this whole thing, and it has become the source of more than a little anxiety. Any guidance/recommendations/suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.