Terribly low Quant score, retake or not?

[DBear]

Hi all,

I just got the official scores from my first stab at the GRE and scored 

163(v), 143(q) and 5 on the writing section. I basically gave up on math in the 8th grade and managed somehow to get through life (I know how to calculate discounts..)

I'm preparing to apply for PhD programs this coming fall and looking at Communications and/or Rhetoric or East Asian studies (long story with that)

I've been told that quant scores are not important but I assume that's based on students scoring 'ok' scores - My score doesn't seem anywhere near ok (bottom 15%)

Since it was my first attempt, I'm willing to give it another try or two, but there is the chance that my verbal / writing score may suffer in my attempt to raise the not-very-important  quant scores. 

I saw a similar question from 3 yrs ago on this (the person had the same exact scores as me) and s/he contacted admissions offices and was told to focus on other application materials but the writer went to a much better undergrad and apparently had a good GPA.

Any thoughts/ experiences would be appreciated!

Good luck all!

 

p.s. a bit more background - My BA GPA is about a B+ average, MA about A average and my current MA (I'm working on my second MA) about an A average as well. I have 5+ years of work experience and have lived and worked in a couple of different countries.