The Application Process

I posted this in the "I just beat the GMAT" (even thoughI didn't!) but re-posting here to understand the implications of my score in my application.

GMAT:
Scored a 690 on 16 aug 2010 - applying 2012
Overall 690 (88%ile)
Quant 48 (82%ile)
Verbal 36 (78%ile)
AWA 5.5 (77%ile...bit shocked that 5.5 isn't above 80%ile but I hear 5.5 is enough)
Nerves got the better of me. I expect a 720 min if I retake but knowing that GMAT is luck to an extent, I can't bet on it.
Plus I ONLY used the Official Guides, no prep course or third party books like Kaplan etc. If I retake I will invest in these books - and hopefully that will help raise my game.


Profile:
* Aiming for top 30 universities in the US only, preferably in California.
* 3.4 GPA in Bachelor of Engineering, 2nd in class
* normal work experience,
* very active in college with internships with Nokia, lots of extracurriculars etc.
* My family moved from India to Australia right after undergrad and i have worked my way up. currently working for a platinum australian account on client site for a german e-commerce company as an IT consultant.
* expecting to apply in 2012 Spring/Fall by which time I shd have 1 year of formal mgt experience and 4 years of work ex.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FORUM (hoping Jessica or Bryan can help):
1. Should I retake?
2. If yes, are the books ive chosen right? My main concern is Verbal for RC - MGMAT or is PowerScore Verbal enough? MGMAT SC wins polls across all forums, but people are divided over RC....
3. If no, how much have I reduced my chances to Marshall, Anderson, Haas
4. I want to take single courses after-work from a good university here for personal growth but want to ensure it helps with my app down the line. Planning to do (a) Project Mgt and (b) Microeconomics. Does that seem like a good choice, or should I be going in for Accounting Statistics etc?