GRE: Submit or Retake?

[PolityGrad]

Hello! 

I have taken the GRE last month and got V:164, Q:161 and AWA: 4.5. 

I am planning to apply to the top 5-10 Political Science programs in the U.S. (comparative). 

My GPA is around 3.90, and my undergrad school is among T3 in Canada. I have 3-5 reliable references (all received their Ph.D. from T5 in the U.S.) and a relatively original and quantitative writing sample, though not a publishable one. 

Do you think, given the current cycle's conditions, I should submit these GRE scores to the schools that have made it optional? Or do you think I should re-take the test before the applications are due? 

Also, I was wondering if any of you know how important the AWA section is for adcoms.

 

Thank you so much ?

 

[smug-face]

I'd try retaking if you want to send it to GRE-optional places, but the soft cutoff tends to be 160 for most non-quant places and you cleared that, so it's up to you really. And AWA doesn't seem to carry much weight (they can see how you write from SoP and sample).