Verbal too low? IR schools.

[cckrspnl56]

Just got back from taking the GRE, ended up with 600V 770Q, and I'm concerned my verbal is too low to be competitive in top IR schools.

I was hoping that the GRE would round off an other-wise mediocre student profile. 3.62 GPA from a (barely) top 100 school. Majored in history/philosophy minored in poli sci / sociology. President of a religious org. for a semester. President of a current-affairs forum for a semester. 3 years as a Resident Assistant. No applicable work/internship experience. Decent amount of volunteer experience.

I know that the most important thing is having a solid SOP, but does my low GRE score eliminate my chance of getting into top IR masters programs ? (Tufts, Stanford, American were my top 3).

[Stephen33]

I think you should be competitive. A 600 verbal should still be 80th percentile or better, and your 770 Q is excellent for any policy-oriented masters program. On balance, I suspect your GRE scores should help, rather than hurt, your chances.

[HisRoyalHighness]

I don't understand why you would feel you're not competitive? Your scores are excellent and your GPA is too.

You don't need a 4.0 and a 1600 GRE to get into a "top IR school" (what does that even mean really? There are over one hundred universities in the US offering IR MA degrees, are you referring to the top 10, top 15?). Graduate school admissions aren't like undergraduate - they're looking for ability to think independently and critically as well as a curiosity about the world, not raw scores. Write a kick-ass SOP, which I feel is the single, most important part of anyone's application to graduate school.

[riz1]

I agree with HRH that you should focus very very heavily on your SOP, but as others have said on this board, the best approach (especially because you have the time right now) is to treat every aspect of your application as terribly important. I got into Fletcher with a slightly higher V score and a slightly lower Q score (660V/700Q), so I don't think you should stress too much about your GRE. Your GPA is good too!

Your work experience may or may not play against you. I have learned now from first-hand experience that the majority of schools in our field are looking for very diverse students -- particularly in terms of their individual experiences that led them to apply to school in the first place. So while it's stressed that work experience is almost a prerequisite to applying, I know that not all schools want to admit and start a class of 150-200 students who have all had 2-5 years work experience. They want those who have had other unconventional experiences as well -- whether through being an RA, through traveling, through volunteer work, etc.

To bring it back full circle, this last bit is what makes your SOP so important -- it ties together your experiences, fleshes you out on paper as a real person with a unique background, and establishes a common thread or two that serve as the undercurrents of personal and professional motivation in your life. All of that has to come out and shine through in your statement(s).