Potentially poor quantitative GRE (versus high verbal) for MPH Health Policy...

[simpsonsrule]

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To what extent might a poor quantitative GRE score potentially affect my application (particularly when not aiming for Harvard/Emory/Hopkins). I am planning on applying for a MPH in health policy later this fall and have been scoring (in practice) in the 700's on the verbal, however am still scoring in the low 400's for the quantitative due to math. I am planning on working with a tutor, however the algebra/geometry has always been difficult.

I did very well in college, performed decently in stats many years ago, have spent the past 2-3 years within health policy and have published three articles. Thanks.

 

[djtiesto14]

When did you graduate college? What kind of GPA did you graduate with?
Your work experience and publications will look excellent on your application.

If you score 700V and 550+ on Math, I'd say you are a competitive candidate for most programs. For Harvard, UNC, Hopkins, WashU, you'll need to step up your math much more (680Q or higher).

Best of luck.

If you wish to apply to Columbia, feel free to ask me as I am a current student.

 

[varekai1018]

Hi SimpsonsRule ~

I had a similar conundrum (700s verbal v. low 500s quantitative - I was an English lit major, after all 🙂), and was accepted to all of the schools I applied to (I only applied to four, which were well-suited to my goals/needs)... and these included a few of the top programs.

There are a lot of external factors that schools of public health consider, like DJTiesto mentioned. I had worked for four years before going back to school, both on programs internationally and in the US, which I'm sure helped offset the low quantitative score. Just make sure to highlight your strengths (people who can read/write/comprehend sometimes complex policies are obviously needed!) and make sure that each statement of purpose mentions precisely why you want to be at the particular school/program.

Best of luck!

 

[simpsonsrule]

SOPHAS will probably calculate at 3.25 due to a C in Computer Science.

Thanks for the replies. I hope my quant score will be higher. I slogged through basic algebra last week and am slogging through basic geometry this week before I start on practice questions themselves. I wanted to prepare for the worst case scenario as standardized testing is not my strength.

 

[ebadevil]

I was talking to Michigan last year and they told me that they really only care about quantitative... I was told "quantitative is more important, as long as you are scoring in the 50th+ percentile in verbal, you're good, but a good quant score matters a lot more"... I was applying for MHA and I had 730 quant score...