Great verbal score, terrible quant score. Am I screwed?

[soaps]

Hi all. No one seems to pay attention to the "Am I Competitive?" thread, so I thought I'd create my own because my situation is a bit unique. It's unique in the sense that I have a huge disparity between my verbal and quant scores: 168V/148Q.

Applying to: HKS (Harvard), SIPA (Columbia), MPhil/IR (Oxford)

Undergraduate GPA: 3.89 at a Big State University
Undergraduate Majors: Political Science and Philosophy
Study Abroad: Italy
GRE Quantitative Score: 148 (600, 35%)
GRE Verbal Score: 168 (730, 98%)
GRE AW Score: Haven't gotten official scores back yet
Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 2
Years of Relevant Work Experience: 2
Describe Relevant Work Experience: Several internships and a job with that same foreign policy think tank. Most recently volunteered abroad in northern India.
Languages: Latin (I'm an idiot), Italian (very basic)
Quant: None, really. Currently taking micro- and macroeconomics classes at a local university to improve my chances. I have in A in both classes at the moment.
Strength of SOP: Haven't written it yet, but I'm sure I'll pull it out. I know exactly what I want to write, how to connect the dots, etc.
Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): They'll be strong, but I'm deciding to use a professional reference from an internship rather than a full-time job. The reason is that I did a lot more policy-related work at my State Dept. internship, and I also completed a project there that involved compiling statistics on different countries (I'm trying to prove I can do math). With my most recent experience in India, neither of the guys I worked for are capable of writing a letter on their own (as in, I'd have to help). I'm not sure if that's honest or not.

I'm looking to study human rights as a subfield. I feel like my range of experiences might be unique enough to qualify me, and I know I can tell a compelling story. I also know I'm capable of doing math in an applied environment. I don't know why I'm so horrible on GRE quant. I studied quant for a month beforehand and didn't improve much at all, and I didn't do any verbal preparation except a couple practice tests. I know some of you might just say to take the GRE again, and I definitely will be, but I don't have time before Harvard's deadline. Any advice/opinions? Thanks!

Edited March 13, 2013 by rising_star
to remove some identifying information

[ZacharyObama]

I would say you've got some varied international experience and internships and a solid GPA. I feel you on the GRE quant. I managed to wing a 162 verbal (I feel like I could score higher) and a 149 on quantitative. I think most of the people who are scoring high on both are studying for a long period of time and/or are over-achievers.

I would get cracking on your SOP's. I would write a customized one for each school and I would do it as a thorough process. The SOP is easily the single most game-changing part of your application. I would also get cracking on getting your letters of rec written. I made my requests about a month ago and most are just getting to work on them now. You seem like you're already kind of behind schedule - "but I don't have time before Harvard's deadline."

Also, you seem to be aiming at all top-tier schools. You might want to consider adding a safer bet or two if you're intent on matriculating next year. But really, I'm not expert on this, am only applying to one school right now (USC). Good luck.

Edited October 24, 2012 by ZacharyObama

[soaps]

Thanks for the reply. Anyone else have any thoughts?