<p>I'm applying to several programs for a masters in library science/information science. While many of the top schools require GRE scores, several don't require them as long as the applicant's undergraduate GPA reaches a certain level. U of Illinois, for example, doesn't require GRE scores as long as the applicant's GPA is a 3.0 or higher. While my GPA is much higher than this (3.75), I've been hearing that a solid GRE score can actually still serve as a boost to an application. Illinois doesn't list the average scores of its accepted students, but UNC Chapel Hill--another top-ranked program--lists theirs as: verbal in the 84th percentile, quantitative in the 56th percentile, and an average writing score of 5.0. I'm assuming Illinois' are comparable.</p>
<p>My own scores are: 780 V (99%), 630 Q (54%), 4.5 AW (67%). I know my verbal score is fine, but my quantitative is just fair and my writing is way below what I should have gotten (I just didn't prepare for it right at all, I had no idea the ets looks for a cookie-cutter structured essay and I really screwed myself over with that--I'm actually a relatively strong writer). </p>
<p>My question is, are these the type of scores that can at all help an otherwise solid application? I've been reading really contradictory things everywhere else.</p>