Greetings! I've been a lurker here for some time, and figured I might as well ask my question directly. This fall, I'm planning on applying to a number of history Ph.D. programs. The institutions I'm most interested in are Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Chicago, and CUNY. My GRE scores are as follows: 163 (VR), 147 (QR), and 5.5 (AW). I'm currently in an M.A. program for historical studies in which I have a 4.0; I graduate in May. I will also be serving as a teaching assistant this fall, as well as a research assistant for this final year. I know that the GRE only comprises one component of the application as a whole. Additionally, I recognize that one's research interests and project fit some institutions better than others. Given my scores, would I be better served to spend my time on focusing on my statement of purpose, writing sample, and gathering letters of recommendation (of which I have formed excellent relationships with my letter writers) rather than taking it again to improve my QR score? I should also add that for my undergraduate studies, in which I earned a B.S., my GPA was a 3.28 overall and a 3.8 in history (my major). I know many programs vary from one to the next, but I figured it couldn't hurt to have an idea of everyone else's experiences here.
Thank you all for your time and input!
