dunguyen

Hi all, I just want to write a quick note to recommend those who intend to take GRE to have a look at the preparatory course provided by EmpowerGRE. I just took the test last week and got 160 on Verbal. Although it is not considered to be in top score range (>90 percentile), it is a good result for me given my non-native English speaker status (I'm from Vietnam). I spent about 8 months to prepare for the first GRE attempt, focused most of the time on Verbal since my quants are relatively good (>90 percentile). I have to say that I studied very serious, about 12-15 hours a week for 8 months. I used several online courses + materials from some notable and popular service providers, but I got only 153 on Verbal. Honestly, I was very disappointed given lots of time spent on Verbal prep., let alone the money invested. After the first attempt, I decided to retake the test and with some search on Internet, I trusted another 2-month preparation in EmpowerGRE. I am really surprised by the way EmpowerGRE coaches the Verbal. It's totally different in positive ways from materials I had studied. And I only took their 1-moth plan, focusing extensively on Verbal. After the plan, I just took Rich's (the coach) tips and advice to practice. Frankly I could not believe I could increase 7 points from my last attempt, but the outcome was really surprising. Anyway, I just want to say that I am very satisfactory with the course at EmpowerGRE and will not hesitate to recommend you to have a look at their website. Good luck in pursuing your grad studies! Du

Hi all, I am an international student who is applying for a PhD in Finance in US. I would be very grateful if any of you with experience can help to recommend some possible choices. Below is my brief profile: - Degrees: + 1st class honours equivalent BA in International Trade (Economics). + distinction (81/100) MSc. in Finance Analysis and Fund Management from University of Exeter (UK) - GRE: I haven't taken the test yet, but registered already. Though it's hard to say in advance, but I expect V>150, Q>160 and W>4 - Working experience: + Lecturer in finance at an university (in Vietnam) for over a year + Internship at PwC Vietnam I also passed level III the CFA Program. I have done research on some schools: Pennsylvania (Wharton), NYU (Stern), Michigan Ross, Northwestern. I am interested in assets pricing and these schools have prolific professors in this aspect. However, I also found that applications for these schools are highly competitive because of their high rankings. So I'd like to ask if you guys can suggest other alternatives that my profile can compete with. I understand that there are a lot of factors affect the decision outcome; nevertheless, your advice would be very helpful and appreciated. Thanks in advance! Regards, D.