MA/M.ED elementary education programs & chances

[eunice]

Hi everyone, new here. I'm a graduating senior this August, and have started looking into graduate programs a long time ago. I went through phases: from my background/degree (Art History), Museum Education (which for a while I thought was my path), and now shifted to Elementary Education.

Facts:

Graduating with a BA in Art History from a low-tier state university in Portland, OR.

Current GPA is 3.62. However, I have two quarters left, including the current term, to improve that.

Sadly, I am not involved with organizations since I was either working part-time or taking too many classes.

I currently intern at a local museum as an education intern (with hopes that that working in museums would up my chances to MuseumEd programs).

Last, my senior capstone/project will involve working with a community program that works with low-income high school students.

Future:

Things to do after graduation.. I really don't want to travel right after. Instead I want to use my "one year off" wisely... so I've been compiling a list of elementary schools that have job openings for Teacher's Assistant positions for this coming school year, and will start applying to those soon. If I don't get a job, I'm excited to volunteer/intern in different schools full-time, even try to continue my internship with the museum.

My plan is to go back to school Fall 2011. These are the schools with Elementary Education/Childhood Education programs that I'm really interested in:

Columbia (TC), Simmons, Tufts, BU, NYU, Lewis & Clark (hopefully I get in so I don't have to move), and GWU

Thoughts on the schools? What are my chances of getting in? Correct me if I'm wrong, TC, NYU, and L&C don't require the GREs... and I'm pretty sure on the TC website it says "not required (with not in bold and italicized). For those in the TC program, do they prefer that you stick to the requirements and not worry about GREs (I know this sounds like a stupid question)?

Thanks,

E.