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Grad School Advice


CrossCuT

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I dont know how much weight grad schools put into the GRE, but I do want to do well.

I have plenty of time to practice; Im sure i will feel better after i get familiar with it by using one of the books

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HisChildForever

Just be aware that the GRE has changed very recently. I took it 3 years ago and my study book is now obsolete. 

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Yeah, Ive read that it is exclusively given electronically now and there is no option to take it with paper and pencil unless you live in certain parts of Africa or Asia. 

Im trying to make sure I get the most up to date book I can find so that I get the most out of it.

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Yeah, Ive read that it is exclusively given electronically now and there is no option to take it with paper and pencil unless you live in certain parts of Africa or Asia. 

Im trying to make sure I get the most up to date book I can find so that I get the most out of it.

 

Really? I find that hard to believe.  

 

Huh.  Just looked it up, that appears to be the case.  

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Yeah, they do it that way for the same reason that Nadezhda explained on the previous page.

The question automatically gauge their difficulty on your ability to answer the previous one. Its kind of a neat system IMO :)

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Basilisa Marie

Yeah, they do it that way for the same reason that Nadezhda explained on the previous page.

The question automatically gauge their difficulty on your ability to answer the previous one. Its kind of a neat system IMO :)

 

Actually I think it's pretty bad, because it means that if you are nervous and screw up the first five questions your score will be much, much lower than if you get tired and screw up the last five questions.  That's because it moves in greater jumps at the beginning, then less and less as they "fine tune" your score.  

 

I mean, it's cool, but it's also got huge problems with it. :)  But no system is going to be perfect.  

 

And like others have said, don't worry too terribly much about a perfect GRE score.  It's just one of many factors.  I only had a 3.2ish cumulative GPA and two 600s on the GRE, and I'm almost certain it was my personal statement and (probably moreso) my glowing letters of recommendation from important professors that got me into my master's program.   If you can do some kind of independent project, like a thesis, in your field during your undergrad, that might look good too.  Like others said, master's programs teach you how to research, so proof that you have a solid foundation might help you.  :) 

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Oh! Is that how it works! :(

 

I thought giving you an easier question increased your chances of getting more points,  but I suppose you probably wouldnt get as many points for answering that one correctly than if you had a harder one.

Poo!

 

My dreams are shattered!

 

But yeah, my cumulative GPA is the exact same! 3.2

However I have never developed a very close relationship with any of my past professors because I am currently at my 3rd school XD

That will likely pose a hassle for me when trying to get letters of recommendation.

 

Right now I work in a lab research facility however its not really related to my field of interest  but I am hoping that will reflect well on an application regardless. Just the fact that I have industry experience under my belt already I HOPE will be a nice little addition to my app.

Edited by CrossCuT
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truthfinder

CrossCut, I'm assuming you're not in Canada, that's where my experience lays, and I know for sure that the experience between Canada and many other countries is very different.  With your concern about the GRE, you can always try looking through prospective universities' department as well as graduate admission sites as sometimes they will post how things are weighted. (In Canada, it is getting rarer to be required to do a GRE in most humanities.) That being said, every rubric I've ever seen put a huge emphasis on your written work, whether is be your essay or writing sample (this is field dependent) and the letters from your references.  If you're still unsure, you could always contact a prospective department, either the program administrator or the graduate head, and ask how they determine eligibility. (This goes for applying for scholarships too).

 

If anyone wants to know more about the system in Canada, I love to talk ... :)

 

And, as far as I can tell, in my department, I am one of the few students that went through their undergrad in four year, straight out of high school, and then right into graduate studies - means I'm the youngest in the department.  There are some who are into their 40s and 50s just starting graduate studies (although, we arguably have the funding levels that permits this).

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HisChildForever

Yeah, Ive read that it is exclusively given electronically now and there is no option to take it with paper and pencil unless you live in certain parts of Africa or Asia. 

Im trying to make sure I get the most up to date book I can find so that I get the most out of it.

 

Well that was the case when I took it. That's not what I'm talking about - they've removed analogies entirely from the verbal and for some or all of the math you have to input the answer yourself (you're allowed a calculator however). There's been other changes but I don't remember them.

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Ahh thats very interesting!

It reminds me of when I had to do math homework online...it was terrible. 

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HisChildForever

Ahh thats very interesting!

It reminds me of when I had to do math homework online...it was terrible. 

 

I would have like a 0 if I took this "new and improved" version of the GRE. :|

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HisChildForever

But yeah. I bombed the GRE (at least the math part) but I gave 3 letters of recommendation (my #1 only asked for 2), 3.7 GPA, worked hard on the personal essay, AND I was sure to visit the school during one of their grad school open houses. That's super important because there's a record on paper that you took the effort to visit the school - so you're motivated and interested.

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