midnight

What do you hate about the new format?

But this is where your SOP comes in. Make it strong to offset your AW. If you do choose to retake, make your AW essays LONG and FORMULAIC. The ETS isn't looking for originality, just a lot of distinct, well-formed paragraphs with clear examples and a few ETS-like vocab words thrown in for good measure.

I have ADHD - Inattentive Type. I was diagnosed this year at age 31. I went to a psychologist for a thorough diagnostic assessment (I took the Wechsler and a few other shorter tests, and I answered questions for two straightforward rating scales). I was then referred to a psychiatrist for medication, and now I take IR Adderall when I really need to focus on something--there are several choices as far as drugs and management go for ADHD; Ritalin is just one with the most name recognition. No one here can tell you if you do or do not have ADHD. It helps to see a professional who will ask for details about your childhood and adolescence (your performance in school, that sort of thing--unless you've suffered a brain injury or a similar trauma, ADHD does not spontaneously appear in adulthood) and possibly suggest an assessment. And no doctor worth anything will give you ADHD meds (stimulant or not) without a firm belief that you likely do have ADHD.

^I agree. Look at the 2010 stats (most recent I see) for Goldman at Berkeley: Average GRE Scores Quantitative 700 (range: 460-800) Verbal 600 (range: 410-800) Analytical Writing: 4.5- (3.0- 6.0)

OK, econ certainly isn't my field, but your "almost a criminal" title caught my eye, so here I am. Is it possible for you to take some postbac coursework in econ? Seems like a year of intro and intermediate micro and macro (all A's!) would improve your app. And I think if those schools don't require you to report misdemeanors, I assume they aren't going to care if they do find out about them (and I doubt they do background checks). A violent felony or the like would be another story, but I assume they require self-reporting of those.

I haven't heard from a professor that I wrote nearly two weeks ago, and I was one of her standout students! All of my other professors replied within a day or two. You'll likely hear back soon.

Yup, doing a complete Powerprep test is a great way to familiarize yourself with the test. It helps your brain work through and retrieve what you've been studying and also helps to ease some test-day jitters. Best of luck!

OK, this question isn't wholly directed at you, rael, but I'm confused as to how STEM majors are scoring in the 50th percentile for what's essentially 10th or very low-level 11th grade high school math? Perhaps to improve your quant score, you should really go over what you think hurt you the most while taking the GRE--was it an entire branch of math like geometry that messed you up, or was it something even simpler like forgetting how to approach radicals or exponents but unfortunately receiving a lot of those questions? Or was it merely a problem with the test format? I think understanding what went wrong will help you immensely. Surely someone interested in biomed with an impressive chemistry background like yours should be able to perform a lot better on a test like the GRE. ETA: I highly recommend the Princeton Review 2013 GRE prep book as well as working through The Ultimate Math Refresher. Good luck!

I'd definitely retake if I were you. I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I highly suggest Princeton Review's latest GRE prep book (2013). I've found it much more logically organized and easier to follow than Kaplan or other similar materials. This book goes over the actual mathematics but really focuses on tricks and tips to minimize time spent on a problem and to maximize efficiency. I'm impressed by PR's verbal and AW prep as well. Also check out The Ultimate Math Refresher to go over math that you probably weren't doing much of in biostats (geometry, I assume?).

Thanks, rkg. I'll just shoot her another email and if that goes without a response, I may try to call her during office hours.

It's not ridiculous for you to try for top 20 schools. Just make sure you apply to some less competitive schools as well--although from everything I've read, all SLP programs are quite competitive now due to an influx of applicants...and honestly? If you're looking to work as an SLP, I don't think it matters so much if you attend a top 20, just that the program you do attend prepares you well. Write a strong SOP and focus on your strengths. Find people who can write you great LORs. That's really all you can do at this point. And remember--admissions is a crapshoot!

Well, clearly. I brought up the mention of time because it seems like a flimsy excuse and a passive-aggressive way to get out of writing the letter. She should've just said no. "Difficult" is definitely not a word you want to hear from a letter writer.

Thanks. I know about disability accommodations, but I'd rather not do that. Quite honestly my test insecurity and poor performance mostly had to do with my being woefully unprepared for the quant section, not feeling crunched for time. While I'm sure my ADHD didn't help the situation, it wasn't the reason I bombed the quant. Also it seems like the new GRE format has much shorter reading sections. Even with my ADHD and the longer readings last time, I scored 630 verbal, so I think I'll be fine.

I took the GRE in July 2011 with unmedicated ADHD as well. (I'm now medicated.) I'm interested to see if there's a difference in my test anxiety levels between last time and when I try again next month. I had the urge to flee during the test, too, especially during the quant section (my weakness) but also during the longer reading comp passages. I think the GRE's format has changed for the better, so I really hope to have a better overall testing experience on my second try.

She sounds unenthusiastic about it, that's for sure. Quite honestly she has, what, at least an entire month to write an LOR for you? That seems like enough time to me, though I'm sure some may disagree. Is there anyone else you can reasonably ask?

KitKat, if you're fearing doing poorly in your undergrad CD work, why do you believe that audiology is the path for you (a field which will involve in-depth, advanced CD work)? And where is this fear coming from if you currently have a 3.8? Is there a reason in your life (medical, familial) that you can't manage your workload or the prospect of staying in school...or is the work just not a good or interesting fit for you? Quite honestly I don't think you need to make a big deal about abandoning the second BA (really, grad schools don't need to know you dropped out of the program per se; it could appear you as if you were simply taking prereqs, no?) or taking a break from undergrad altogether, but I think you should finish your coursework for the semester rather than taking W's unless something out of your control is impeding your path. (Did you bomb some tests? What's going on?)

hopeful, what do you think was your main weakness or problem with the quant section? I don't think you need to torture yourself over this. Clearly you know basic arithmetic and I assume basic algebraic concepts. If you spend a solid hour or so a day studying tips and then practicing problems along with a few full-length practice tests (one a week), I think you will do very well. I think your mantra should be, "I have this in me," because you clearly do! And when you write your AW essays, use a similar format to your original post here (intro, body, conclusion, neatly summed up), just with a few more body paragraphs. Throw in a few big words, too. I think that will help you score at least a 4.0.

I'm tentatively applying to the following: University of Colorado at Boulder University of Virginia University of Northern Colorado James Madison University George Washington University College GPA: 3.93 I also won an outstanding graduating senior departmental award. GRE: 490q/630v/5.0w I am retaking next month to boost my quant. I have several years of experience tutoring ESL adults and elementary-aged children in English composition and reading, and I taught in an inclusion preschool for two years. I feel like my quant score might be a problem (but I obviously hope to do better on my retake now that I've found a great review book); however, I earned an A and a B in my required college math courses, so I'm able to perform OK in the classroom. I am proficient in French and conversational in Spanish. (Also I am a returning student who'll be 32 next month--I attended a prestigious and extremely competitive summer immersion program in French when I was in high school. Is it worth mentioning at all considering it was so long ago, or does it seem desperate?) Any thoughts about the programs or my chances? Thanks!

Ha, I have the opposite problem; I think my SLP SOP is a bit too short, but I'm not sure how to pump it up. It's also hard because there aren't really any viable SOP samples out there for SLP. I ended up getting a med school SOP book, but I'm not sure if that format makes sense given the different and far more comprehensive nature of the med school application and interview process.

Ugh, I had a nice long post written out that disappeared into the ether. My advice? Raise that quant score. Practice math and test tips every day with the PR GRE 2013 book (the best and most logically organized, IMO). Other books such as The Ultimate Math Refresher are good for straightforward math review, but as someone in EE/CE, you have the math skills (it's 10th-grade level math!); clearly the test's format and trickery are getting to you. Learn the tips and tricks of the test. You can do this.

Hi, everyone. I graduated back in 2008, and at the time a professor and I had a rather casual agreement that she would write a grad rec for me when I needed one. I emailed her nearly two weeks ago with no response. She's teaching one course this semester, so I know she's reading her school email and is on campus. I had a great relationship with this prof--she gave me a few A+ papers in the two classes I took with her, and she suggested that I apply to my school's honors English program. So what gives? And what do I do next? I live far from campus, and this type of awkward situation stresses me out. Should I email again, send a letter to her, or try to call her during office hours? Also if I can't get to her or she refuses to write a letter (though I can't imagine why considering our history), is a letter from a long-time, respected adjunct OK? I received an A+ in his class, a 300-level media criticism course. (This was not an easy class; it consisted of grad-level readings and analyses.) However, as I said, he's an adjunct, and he's also not an instructor in my major. (Luckily I do already have three solids recs lined up from profs in my major. One of the schools I'm applying to requires four recs.) Ugh, sorry, this is getting a bit tl;dr, but I need some advice. Thanks!