Does a high GRE compensate for a low GPA?

[Ingo93]

I graduated from a school that's not particularly prestigious and don't have tons of work experience to compensate for my weak GPA (only a year and a half removed from undergrad). As it stands, I got my degree in Policy Economics with a 2.94 overall GPA with a major in Political Science (~3.5 GPA in the major). My GRE score stands at a respectable but not exceptional 161V/157Q/5.5W. What I want to know is with regards to the programs I'm targeting (IR at TAMU, Texas, Penn State, and Pitt), is it worth it to retake the GRE? I'm certain I could improve my score by at least six points if I retook the test, but at the same time I question if that's significant enough to go through all that trouble.

[CakeTea]

For TAMU Bush MIA, your GRE is above the average GRE of class. I have read in some older thread from some posters with low GPA that they manage to get admitted by having good GRE and solid work experience. GPA is one of the metrics, albeit an important one.

[chocolatecheesecake]

Your GPA matters less and GRE matters more if you've spent a few years away from undergrad. If you're less than two years out without a lot of job experience, definitely beef up your GRE a lot, and think about delaying things a year or two to get that solid job experience there. It would make you a lot more competitive, and also enrich your experience at grad school. Also, look at more "Am I Competitive" posts to get your bearings about those three metrics.

[Ingo93]

What would you say is a good benchmark worth aiming for? I understand that with some law schools a point higher on the LSAT is roughly equivalent to .1 point in GPA once you go beyond the median, but with master's programs it seems a bit more nuanced.

I've also given consideration to waiting and continuing to work (I currently work a public sector job that will likely have some merits in my application but won't really blow anyone away), but I'd rather not wait another two or three years mainly because I'd like to get all my schooling taken care of early in life so I don't need to take a break from my professional life once that goes into full swing. 

[chocolatecheesecake]

1 hour ago, Ingo93 said:

I've also given consideration to waiting and continuing to work (I currently work a public sector job that will likely have some merits in my application but won't really blow anyone away), but I'd rather not wait another two or three years mainly because I'd like to get all my schooling taken care of early in life so I don't need to take a break from my professional life once that goes into full swing. 

I definitely understand that graduate school later on in your life could interfere with your personal life - it's a very different challenge to do a degree with a family, for example. But a graduate degree like an MPA/MPP doesn't interfere with your professional life - it is complementary because it can take your professional career further in a certain direction. The two are not at odds, or mutually exclusive. Especially in public policy, it is so important to have solid work experience. I wrote a little about this somewhere else on the forum, and I'd suggest you check this thread out in general: