<p>i am applying to poli sci phd programs this fall and i am hoping to get some feedback. i took the gre a few years ago without preparing and scored a piddly 1100. i decided to retake the gre this year, per a professor's recommendation, but i think i must have gotten nervous because my verbal went up 110 points, which was awesome; however, my quant score dropped 60 points! (470)</p>
<p>my total score was 1150. now i am concerned that i won't meet any threshold requirements! some other info: i finished undergrad a few years ago and have since gotten a grad certificate in political psychology. the director of my program is writing me a letter as well as a colleague from an ngo i worked at (in a field related to my interests) and an undergrad prof. my UG gpa was 3.5, with major gpa 3.8. i have a pretty solid grasp on what research i want to do and the career i want to have so my statements will be solid. the programs i am most interested in are: u. washington, u. wisconsin, rutgers, penn state and uc berkeley.</p>
<p>any feedback on the gre bit? should i retake it? i am considering this especially since i was scoring consistently higher on practice tests and i am hoping i might be able to indicate a better relationship between my ability, prep and score.</p>