Swing Pass or Hail Mary?

[Moriba414]

Hello all,

 

I'm looking to apply to some of the nation's premier programs in my field and am wondering how big of a factor my GRE is going to be.

 

As an undergrad, my final GPA was rather lackluster (2.7) for various reasons, which caused me some problems when it came time to apply to MPA programs. I managed to pick up a provisional acceptance at a decent state college and have been doing EXTREMELY well. I currently hold a 4.0 in my program (which holds the same accreditation as the best public policy schools in the US), and am on pace to finish the entire program—with membership in the discipline's national honors fraternity—after having been there for a little more than a year. In that small window, I have also written a paper that is being considered for publishing in a peer reviewed journal, and have presented original research at a national conference.

 

With all of these accomplishments in such little time, how big of a deal do you all believe my GRE score will be given that my last attempt was only slightly above average?

 

I know that programs use the test to try and gauge a person's ability to complete graduate level work; but I feel like I've made a pretty solid case for myself when one considers the strong performance in my MPA program.

 

Am I overthinking this, or should I really worry about taking the test again?