First time GRE taker

[savante]

I took the GRE for the first time today and came out with a 160 V and 146 Q. I believe I did decently on the essays although I don't know for sure yet. I'm really interested in getting into Johns Hopkins SAIS MA in DC program for Fall 2018. Also interested in GWU Elliott School of International Affairs and UC San Diego GPS.

Curious if y'all think my scores warrant a re-take? I tried to give myself plenty of time before apps for next year opened up. My undergrad was in Business/Political Economy with 3.5 GPA, and I have about 3 years of work experience between Capitol Hill, State Department and federal consulting. I speak Spanish, French, a little Russian and have travel/work experience in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Thanks for your input!

-Nervous hopeful

Edited July 31, 2017 by savante

[akdoehler]

I'm coming right out of undergrad and I'm an incoming student for the Elliott School's MA iInternational Affairs  program, but i was also accepted at SAIS (GW offered me a fairly generous fellowship and SAIS didnt offer me anything, which was one of a few reasons why I chose GW) over SAIS). My GRE V was 166 and Q was 153. Based off my limited experience, I would say that your verbal is fine, but your lower quant score definitely warrants a retake, especially if SAIS is your first choice since they're significantly more quant-intensive compared to Elliott. I hope that's somewhat helpful and would be happy to talk more about my experiences of applying and being accepted to both those schools.

Edited August 1, 2017 by akdoehler

[JohnKim]

I am planning on taking GRE this Fall 2018. Hopefully I can find really helpful tips from GRE experts here in The Grad Cafe!

[savante]

On 8/1/2017 at 1:24 AM, akdoehler said:

I'm coming right out of undergrad and I'm an incoming student for the Elliott School's MA iInternational Affairs  program, but i was also accepted at SAIS (GW offered me a fairly generous fellowship and SAIS didnt offer me anything, which was one of a few reasons why I chose GW) over SAIS). My GRE V was 166 and Q was 153. Based off my limited experience, I would say that your verbal is fine, but your lower quant score definitely warrants a retake, especially if SAIS is your first choice since they're significantly more quant-intensive compared to Elliott. I hope that's somewhat helpful and would be happy to talk more about my experiences of applying and being accepted to both those schools.

Thanks for your answer! I'm probably going to retake but I'm not too stressed about the application. 

[datik]

Good news is that the Quant part of the exam is the easiest to improve, so I say go for it.

[savante]

Update: I've received offers from the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy as well as GW's Elliott School of International Affairs for their MA in International Affairs programs. JHU SAIS will release their decisions at the end of this week. 

I ended up not taking the GRE again--my work experience, essays, undergrad achievements, and letters of recommendations were strong.

[savante]

Another update: I was offered admission to SAIS w/ funding! Proof that GRE scores aren't everything when you have more work experience, strong essays/statements, and recommendations.