The Big 3 letter word GRE...

It's increadible how much one can accomplish with a strong will and/or concentration especially in my case when other things in life seem to be slowly dissolving. I find that concentration is key!

So, let's get started- for those of you  that don't know: GRE- General Record examination is required for most humanities graduate programs (MA or PHD). Now of course there are several other tests out there like the LSAT (Law School), MCAT(Medical School)...and probably some other ones that skip my mind at this moment, but the point is they are all standardized tests with slight differences.

For our purposes we will focus on the GRE which measures verbal, quantitive reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills. As for any standardized test there are study guides, books and CD's out there, but after my significant research this one seems to be the most comprehensive (designed by the makers of the GRE):

http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-revised-General-Test/dp/0071700528/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298718397&sr=8-2

This is of course the new Computer based test effective August 2011.

For the older or paper based tests you can check out the official GRE website where you register by the way when taking the test too:

http://www.ets.org/gre/

Now although I could go on and on about the different information on this site I think it is more useful just to explore it yourself. I will just mention two important factors:

a.) GRE is expensive! ($160), but if you take the new test between  Aug 2011- Sept 30th there is a 50% discount!!! (so it will only be $80). So, this is both a great opportunity for those applying for fall 2012 programs as well as early birds who are just trying it out. That way if you end up taking it twice you will end up paying 50% less!
b.) For the new Computerized test there are links and software that is really helpful even before purchasing a GRE Study Guide. So take advantage of all the online resources!

As for me I have decided to do just that: To get a first hand preparation with the online resources, then purchase the ETS study guide (mainly  for the detailed math and vebal sections). Aug 2011 is the perfect time to take the test if you  need the scores after Nov.- which is the case for me!

And on a last note: no Antonym or Analogy questions- for those of us that hate those from our SAT days!

So, good luck and good studying!

P.S-  For Humanities GRE scores are really not the most important factor but good scores do help the application significantly!

Till next time...

K

Gathering my thoughts....

As I am gathering information...and all my floating thoughts I have come to notice how wide my spectrum for grad schools seems to expand:

-Cambridge, MA
-Princeton, New Jersey
-New Haven, CT
-Ithaca, NY
-Providence, Rhode Island
-Chicago, IL
-Springfield, IL
-Eugene, OR
-Notre Dame,Indiana
-Santa Barbara, CA
-Hanover, NH
-Ny, NY

Wow...after officially looking at it...it seems very diverse...and most of these places I've never even been to...but wanna see and experience pretty bad!

I am still looking for several MA programs perhaps SFSU and SDSU...but not quiet sure yet...it seems there aren't many MA's in my chosen field.

So, my next task soon is to begin or should I say to re- begin the daunting GRE process (Hate standardized tests) but I'm sure 80% of the grad population would agree with me on this one!

Today I also found out that most programs offer special student family housing with many benefits- so I am excited about that one!

Will keep you updated...next on my to do disscussion list is the acronyms of the application world...You'll see what I mean!

Till next time...
K