radcradick

UT-Austin sends me stuff WEEKLY! and I declined over 2 months ago.

I have two additional resources for you: I found "Barron's GRE: Graduate Record Examination" book was the most helpful in my test preparation all around. It comes with a cd-rom of adaptive model practice tests- just like the actual GRE- which I found sooo helpful in building my confidence with the computer format. Its tests are different every time you take it so you aren't limited to 4 tests or whatever. "The GRE for Dummies" had a really excellent writing section review. It gave not only practice writing prompts and examples, but most importantly it gave essay layouts- what each paragraph should contain. I remember the day of my test I used one of the argument essay templates from this book, and did really well. I really don't think a course is necessary for the writing section if you have the discipline to sit down and try a few practice prompts and know what each paragraph should look like. Also don't stress out too much--most schools hardly look at your analytical writing score because its so subjective.

IF I were you, I would NOT retake it. The general rule is to only retake the GRE if you can *significantly* raise your score....and 30 points is not significant, nor anything to fret over. Second time test takers are considered to have had practice while taking it the first time, and therefore second attempt scores are expected to be much higher. I looked at the UCB stats and I think you should be proud of yours. Honestly I think your scores are right in the neighborhood to make you a competitive applicant. Don't feel like you don't have a chance bc honestly no GRE score will make or break you. Though, if your still intent on retaking, find out what each school does with multiple scores- takes the higher, averages, etc. Im not sure if the UC system is uniform in this, but I know UCLA will mix and match your best scores from each section. Another thing to consider are your percentiles. I for one was not very happy with my verbal score (I did sooo much better on practice tests), but my percentile was still really high-- schools (and my recommendation writers) look at that. Having now finished my application, waiting, and decision process- the general feeling about the GREs is that people stress and worry about them waaay too much. If you score notably higher or lower than a school's range (not their averages, but a range they don't disclose)- they will take note, otherwise it gets glanced at and they move on to the much more important aspects of your application, ie your SOP!

I found "Barron's GRE: Graduate Record Examination" book to have the best, most thorough math review...and answer explanations! (I found Kaplan books to be very lacking in their answer explanations.) The Barron's book also comes with a cd-rom of adaptive model practice tests- just like the actual GRE- which I found sooo helpful in building my confidence with the computer format. The questions also seemed harder than those on the actual gre test, so you can really build up your math muscles. All around I found this prep book to be the most helpful in my test preparation.

Where are you located? Go in-state if you can. A complete list of programs is here: http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/education/accreditedprograms/directory/index.cfm There are lots of schools offering online MLS programs but not all online programs are created equal. University of Illinois, University of Washington and Rutgers all have respectable online programs -- not cheap though. Also what are your interests/ intended focus? ((archives, public libraries, academic libraries, digital libraries, informatics, medical informatics, etc, etc..)) You can't really go by rankings or what is considered "the best". You have to consider your interests/ goals-- and then you can determine which school best matches those.

I will be attending the University of Washington, residential. I still can't believe I chose Seattle over my other options, but I'm very excited to start in Sept. Any other Huskies joining me???

I can totally relate as I grew up in sunny southern CaliZona and then moved to Chicago for 2 years. I was sooo naive about winter clothes; I honestly did not what was really appropriate to wear and I learned the hard way with a frostbite scare on my way to work wearing nylon tights and heels in the snow! I came from the land of flip flops everyday, so it was strange adapting to wearing socks... and boots. But I learned the key is to keep your feet, hands, neck and head warm and you'll be good. The other key is LAYERING! On really cold days I would often layer like this: shirt, light sweater or sweater vest, heavier sweater or hoodie, wool coat, scarf & gloves & a hat that covers ears. I noticed wearing jeans in the winter was not warm enough, so I always wore thermal 'long johns' underneath them. Leather/ leather-like gloves with cashmere lining worked the best for me- kept my hands toasty, but I was still able to grasp and hold onto things well. And just to prove what a wimp I was in the cold, I would often carry around little instant heat packs (the kind they sell in camping stores). I would keep them in my pockets and crack them to warm up when I just couldn't take it anymore. Good luck staying warm! The first year is always the hardest, but it is amazing how well you do adapt!

Honestly the key is revision. Just write, write, and re-write. The first intro paragraph I had was really just "a clearing of the throat." My actual first paragraph didn't come until about my 4th or 5th draft. I've heard many times that writing becomes nicely polished by the 5th draft. You obviously don't have to rewrite the entire thing every time, but try out different ideas. One of my profs gave me the advice to concentrate on *what you can do, *what you have done, and *what you want to do. And don't use any gimmicks or say "ever since I was little..." I also did check out a book at the library just to get some ideas flowing: Graduate admissions essays : write your way into the graduate school of your choice / Donald Asher. Another major point to remember is that an SOP is like an extended cover letter. It is NOT a personal, fluffy, storytelling device- it is not so much about who you are a person and what kind of character you have, etc. It is more about what you can and want to do; keep it professional but interesting- particularly for science and technology fields. Good Luck!

Was anyone else offered admission into UMD's MLIS ONLINE program?? Just today! I was offered admission to the online program which quite frankly I didn't even know they offered. I was also awarded full funding to complete the online program, and I am finding that hard to turn down. But I had not intended to do an online mlis degree, especially one I've heard ~nothing~ about. I was just about to accept an offer at another school when I learned about all of this, so I am naturally very torn. Can anyone offer any thoughts?

Thanks Politicalgeek! That's helpful. Im just angsting because my other choice is in southern California ((swoon)). But considering my time at UW as a 20 month fragment of my life is a good way to look at it-- that's not even two whole years! Im still debating on whether to bring my car or not-- I'd hate the expense (and the drive up there), but I also really cringe at the image of myself standing in the rain waiting for a bus...

I have questions about relocating to Seattle from a sunny state. Im seriously considering accepting my offer from UW- it is everything curriculum and faculty wise that I want. But I am from Arizona; I am used to sunny gorgeous weather almost every day-- I almost get tired of the sun. I did a three day visit to UW at the beginning of April, and it rained. and rained. And it sucked. But I suppose I could tough it out for two years, but is that the right attitude? My other concern is everything I've heard about the Seattle Chill/ Seattle Freeze...I'm convinced that it's not just a theory and that it really does exist. I already have some loaner tendencies to begin with, I'm afraid I'm going to feel really isolated and forget how to socialize, etc. Am I being melodramatic and exaggerating? Should I give up a really "great fit" school based on these quality of life aspects? How much should I be weighing the weather and what-not? Does anyone know of or have experienced a sunny-state transplant experience? Do most bail or can you tough it out? Thank you all for any perspective!

Have you looked into University of Arizona - its RCTE program (as they abbreviate it) is one of the top programs in the country. And CERTAINLY better than ASU!

I've been exloring the subject of debt, cost of name brand school, etc and I've determined that in a MLIS situation much of it has to do with what your intended concentration is and what you plan on doing with your degree after schooling. There are two types of students in library school - future librarians and information professionals, and these are two different career tracks. If your going to library school because you want to be a librarian, then go in-state or wherever is cheapest because all that really matters in the end is the ALA accolade. If you want to be an information professional who specializes in the realm of technology, likely at an iSchool (Michigan, Washington, Illinois, etc), then those could very well be worth the extra debt.

University of Arizona has a top rated MS MIS program within their business college...

Mee too, and Im pretty sure I met you! (PM messaging now...)