bahmed816

I am in an incredibly similar position as you. Our GPA is close to identical..I have similar work/internship experience...but my GRE didnt go so great. I could retake it, but i'm not sure how well ill do anyways (not a good standardized test taker). I think what you should suggest in your essays is that your recent upward trend in grades and internship/work experiences are a better testament to your academic and professional potential (it truly is). Otherwise, what I am currently doing is emailing some of the schools and getting their opinions. For some of the top schools, they typically have a cutoff on scores. The only way to avoid that "weed-out" process is to get your name out there. Just email people. Its possible that it would help. Also heavily push your upward trend in grades/major GPA/work experience

Check out NYU's MPA in Healthcare policy and management. Its expensive, but a reputable program. Also the deadline is approaching I think..

Thanks for the response. I've been studying Kaplan, but my practice exam was actually the ETS software. Hopefully all goes well...I really dont want to have to retake the exam.

Applying to Masters in Health Administration/Management programs Currently in undergrad, studying Healthcare Policy and Administration - which is closely tied to what I am pursing in graduate school. I have a solid 3.4 GPA with some blemishes (D+ in Pre-Calculus, retook Business Calculus that I received an F in and got a B the 2nd time). I also spent my first 2 years of my undergrad at a community college where I got a 2.9 GPA...with some W's all over the place...Had no idea what I was doing. However, my major GPA is very good (at University)...and I have a very nice upward trend, including a 4.0 this past quarter. I had 2 very good internships - American Medical Association as a policy analyst, and a research assistant at the University of Chicago. Also recently got hired as a Administrative assistant at a local clinic. Haven't taken my GRE yet, but based on practices..I anticipate scoring around 150-154 range on Quant...and probably really low on Verbal..140-145 range. These programs typically expect you to score above 150 for both sections. My LOR's are from my internship at the American Medical Association, my current boss at the private practice, and my third from a healthcare professor. Expecting all to be very solid. My biggest variable is the GRE. I dont think it will help my case....I'm kind of praying that my upward trend in my grades--especially because of my major being very closely related will help bail me out. And also because my amount of work experience is unique since they're competitive and not many undergrads have this much experience in healthcare. Thoughts? Suggestions? Feedback? Anything please

So i've been preparing for the GRE for about 2 months on and off. I am still in my undergrad, so I had a full class load + finals to worry about while studying. However, now I'm on break and studied for a solid 9-10 days consecutively. I'm not particularly good at standardized tests. I've been able to work my way up to a respectable 153Q score (it was once a lot worse)...but my verbal is still lacking. My practice score was 141V. I just cant seem to find a way of mastering this portion of the test. Over the last few days I memorized about 250 common GRE words and that did actually help for 1-2 questions, but nothing drastic. Some other practices sets that I take I either do pretty well on, or terrible. Honestly, I feel like it comes down to luck as to whether or not my exam has words I recognize or reading passages I can comprehend. I'm applying for Masters in Health Administration programs, and most if not all programs expect you to score above 150 in both sections (per their websites). Does anyone have advice on how to approach the Verbal section? Also, hypothetically speaking..if I were to score close to what my practice was Quant - 150-154 and Verbal 141-145...Do I cancel my test? My undergraduate degree is in Healthcare Policy and Administration (clearly relevant courses) and I have a 3.4 GPA with a good upward trend + great internship/work experience. Will that be enough to compensate for a low GRE? Sorry for the long read! Just a little nervous.....