Low AW Score - MPA Programs?

[azuljen88]

Hi all,

 

I took the GRE a few months ago and received:

 

V- 168

Q - 162

AW - 4.0

 

I'm looking at top-tier MPA and potentially IR programs. I'm American and I attended a top-10 liberal arts college in the US and had a 3.79 GPA. Since graduating 2 years ago, I've been living in a developing country in Asia and have held increasingly higher-level positions in NGOs. Do you think I should retake the GRE to raise my AW score? I'm concerned it will prevent me from getting into the best programs, but I'm also concerned that my other scores will go down since I haven't studied for the test in a long time!

 

Advice please?

[doclover]

I wouldn't retake but I'd be curious to know others thoughts.

 

Sounds to me like you have strong enough credentials to be competitive. I'd spend my time on something else like SOP.

[Quigley]

I think most (all?) admissions committees know that the writing a spontaneous essay in 30 minutes really doesn't provide an accurate indication of whether or not you can handle the rigor of a graduate program.  Your statement of purpose, essays, and work sample all provide a better demonstration of your writing ability than your AW score would.  Your Q/V scores are solid, as are your other credentials.  You also run the risk of scoring worse on the other sections of the test, despite earning a higher AW score.  Honestly, I would suggest using the time to work on more important areas of your application.  

Edited July 19, 2013 by Quigley