<p>OK, so i just took the GRE and bombed it. 680Q 610V. I had never gotten below 700 on practice verbal!! W.t.f.</p>
<p>I have a 3.8 as a Chinese language and IR major from UNC-Chapel Hill and a slew of research and internships abroad--China, SE Asia, Guatemala, Egypt--and started several organizations on my campus and am very involved in IR-related things. How much is my GRE gonna hold me back from these top schools? $160 is just a lot to retake it if it really won't be worth it.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say those are bad scores. Your verbal may be below the median at those schools, but your quant is pretty competitive. I know this won’t sound helpful, but it’s really about the whole package–your letters of rec, personal statement, etc. There’s really no point in obsessing over increasing your GRE score an extra 30 points since it’s only part of the puzzle.</p>
<p>Ok… well I just chanced him on Georgetown since that’s probably one of the most respectable IR program in the country. Do you know how fierce the competition for IR government job? You need one of the top program to be consider for the dream position where you travel all across the world and get paid for having vacation throughout one’s career.</p>
<p>I applied to SAIS but ended up choosing another school. As far as I know, GRE/GMAT score are not that important. Average GMAT is only 630 (sorry, not sure about GRE) which is quite low for a top program.</p>
<p>I think they value more the overall package, and work experience. I believe the average age of incoming class is 27. Many have no less, only more, international experience than you. I would spend the time working on those areas rather than studying for the GRE.</p>
<p>CSmajor, as someone who graduated from a top 10 IR program and doesn’t have a job, I’m well aware that supply exceeds demand. But to say that one needs to go to a top school to get a government job is patently false. The government’s cumbersome hiring process pretty much assures that connections don’t mean anything if you’re not already a government employee.</p>
<p>Alright, I may not know much about IR but I sure don’t wanna listen to someone who got a degree and can’t find a job in his/her field.</p>
<p>I know IR is often used for Pre law and when student can’t go to the law school of his/her dream, they seek to get the world travel IR job instead. Its funny to see how so many people major in IR and end up jobless.</p>
<p>I have to disagree. I’m an undergrad IR student and had no plan to go into law. I know plenty of IR students that think the same way. Yes, some IR students take it as a pre-law but they are a minority. IR is just too broad to generalize where people end up going.</p>
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<p>I don’t think the unemployment rate with IR students are any higher than most other major. Job market is currently terrible, whether for a business student or a IR student. </p>
<p>Also, if you want to go into government then a school in DC is a significant advantage, but that doesn’t mean someone from Denver can’t find a government job.</p>
<p>Can we please not hijack the thread? No bickering please. :-)</p>
<p>And no, I’m not another Asian and I’m not a boy. </p>
<p>I was asking for only GRE feedback and overall package. Is it worth retaking for the 700+ I know I can get on verbal? And why would Georgetown be harder than Johns Hopkins when SAIS is the best program in the country?</p>
<p>There is no disadvantage in having the highest GRE you can get. It is worth another $150 to do that.
Just consider that an extra round of graduate school applications will cost you ~$1000.</p>