Are my GRE scores good enough??

[Midwest_PoliNERD]

Hello all,

This is my first post to this forum, so please forgive any mistakes in this post. I have taken the GRE twice now and have sort of plateaued at 153 Quant and 158 Verbal. I want to apply to programs in Political Science with a focus on political psychology. I have a list of schools ranging from University of Minnesota and University of California, Irvine to Stony Brook and North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I have been told by others that my overall application is good - I graduated summa cum laude in political science and psychology with 4.0 GPAs in both undergraduate and M.A. level work. I have a co-authored book chapter publication coming out soon, as well as conference experience. I have written two theses, both on political psychology topics and was granted a great research assistantship in my department through my university's provost office. I will also have three letters of recommendation from two professors (one of whom is my department chair) and the Dean of the graduate school. So my basic question is, with all this information, are my GRE scores "good enough" for a school like Minnesota or Stony Brook? I am worried that, despite all my other advantages, the GRE scores will hinder my chances of getting into a good school. Any advice, particularly from political science or political psychology people, would be much appreciated. 

Thanks all

[AkashSky]

You need to chill, with all of that other stuff I really don't think a slightly above average GRE is going to hamper your chances at any of those schools.

[Midwest_PoliNERD]

9 hours ago, AkashSky said:

You need to chill, with all of that other stuff I really don't think a slightly above average GRE is going to hamper your chances at any of those schools.

Thanks for the comment. Just having trouble dealing with rejection, if any. I appreciate your candor. Again, thanks for replying. Means a lot.  

[brown_eyed_girl]

I agree that your GRE scores are probably fine and you should focus on other parts of your app. You have enough going for you otherwise that it's unlikely your GRE scores will be the deciding factor of your app - in fact, from what I hear the GRE won't get you in or keep you out unless it's so abysmal that it raises serious questions about your abilities or doesn't meet university or department cut-offs. Top programs will be a bit more selective about it (I don't know enough about your field to know how the places you're applying rank). As long as there's not a cutoff at the places you're applying or you meet/exceed those cutoffs, I don't see it being a big issue. I also think adcoms understand that standardized tests aren't everyone's forte, and won't place huge emphasis on it when the rest of your stats and your interests align well. 

[ajcastrog]

Go for it. GRE is not everything. Its the whole package that matters. I can assure you, I got in a Top 3 program with not so great GRE scores, but everything else was spot on (recommendations, GPA, SoP).