How good are my GRE scores?

[nikitamd]

I gave my GRE last year and I scored a 322 ( Verbal: 154, Quant: 168, AWA: 4.0). Also, I scored a 112 on the TOEFL. I am looking forward to applying to some Journalism programs in the US ( more so in the field of Art, Culture and Criticism) and I can't decide which universities would be the right ones with this score. I have a Bachelors in Engineering and I worked as a Software Engineer for about 2.5 years. I have relevant writing experience that includes virtual internships with websites and magazines and a good amount of freelance writing for places. I also host a blog here: http://readstuffwithme.wordpress.com

 

I plan to apply to the following :

1. USC

2. Northwestern 

3. NYU

4. Boston University

5. Northeastern university

 

I know some of these may be in the way-too-ambitious slot but I'd like to know if any of you has a good idea about these and whether my scores look good for these universities. Also, I'd love to go through suggestions about more J-schools that might be appropriate for me.

[Cookie]

Your verbal and writing scores are awfully low for Journalism schools, don't you think? On the bright side, your Quant is excellent! Do you have time to retake?

[nikitamd]

I don't have the time to retake it. I talked to a few people in the NYU who made it to journalism programs with a 306 or 307 last year. I don't know may be it does make a difference when you're not born and brought up in an English speaking country though I undertook my entire education in the English language (I am based in India). Is it really so awful? I wish I wanted to do a Masters in Engineering. But, my passion doesn't really lie there.

 

Thanks for the reply though!

[L13]

I've read statements from people on grad school committees in history to the effect that foreigners, even if they come from English-speaking countries or education systems, tend to score lower on the GRE than American students for reasons unrelated to their ability. Therefore, grad school committees give those students some leeway on the GRE.

 

I would expect journalism programs to be similarly aware of the unfairness of the GRE to foreigners, though since they teach creative non-fiction writing in English, they may not be willing to compromise on that point. I don't know.

 

My best advice is: make sure to polish your writing sample.