GRE scores for mechanical engineering app

[wontimo]

Hi,

I graduated with my B.S. two years ago from a well respected UC and I am in the process of applying to grad school. I took my GRE recently and came back with quite a disappointing results.

Q: 750, V: 480, AWA: 3.0

I am planning on applying to 2nd tier schools and I freaked out when I found out what they listed as "desired minimum GRE scores" are much higher than mine nor some other resources(US News)'s average GRE scores. Does AWA matter a lot? Will they toss my application out after seeing a low verbal and AWA?

Should I re-take my GRE or concentrate on writing a stronger SOP and the application? I have a 3.2 (major and cumulative) undergraduate GPA.

[joro]

I say minimum gpa and gre requirements are not set in stone. Though my concern with your gre scores would be your writing. If you were to take it over again, I really suggest you look at Princeton Review or Barron's for the writing portion. Following their templates gave me a 4.5 on my writing. My scores are very close to yours (760q, 490v, 4.5awa) and I actually plan on retaking the gre again if the practice tests consistently say I will score above a 750q and 650v. For now, I've been working on my SOP.

Did you work on any research in school (I don't know how much research if any at all is involved in ME)? What have you been doing since you graduated? What schools do you plan on applying to?