Monochrome Spring

You should post percentiles, as those are better indicators of your true score, compared to a raw score.

Thanks for your advise. I think I'm going to retake it. As a second year undergraduate, I haven't taken many of the courses that prepare me for the subject test, so I underestimated the test. I got my score back for biology 750 (76%), and while that's a decent score all things considered, I think I can score much higher in fall, once I study the material I did poorly on.

I second any Michael Pollan book. I also love love loved The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins. If you're looking at more philosophical books and haven't read Sophie's World yet, I highly recommend it. It's like an introductory philosophy text, but written as a story. Frankenstein is really good fiction, as is Crime and Punishment, if you're looking for classics.

I've recently started a blog. I'm relatively anonymous, but I make a point not to write anything that someone could personally find offensive. I don't make a point to say who I am or list the names of people I know or my institution, but I wouldn't be embarrassed if someone found out about it.

Your gpa and research experience are very impressive. I would say that you could apply for top tier programs as long as you do well on the gre, sop, and lor. It's always good to remember that, even with great stats, you need to impress your potential advisor and pick programs with a good fit. Good luck in the upcoming season!

Submit both. The committee should take your highest scores from each.

You can write the same publication under 2 different headings. I would do something like this: Publications Name, etc, etc, year, etc. Conferences "Presentation title" <- publication title - Overall conference title <- journal name symposium When there are more items under each heading, they don't look as repetitive.

What type of program are you talking about? Masters, PhD, other? I think it depends a bit on that. Also, what subject?

I had to laugh when I saw where my own school, UC Davis is.

Is it possible to hook it up to the back of a UHaul truck when you move the rest of your stuff?

Honestly, it shouldn't matter what they think. You will fit in with your own field, and if other fields resort to snobbery, ignore them (when possible). Their opinions can't hurt you if you didn't care about their opinions in the first place. Also, you shouldn't feel a need to downplay your accomplishments. Be proud of what you've done. In the case of being forced to interact with such people, stand up for yourself. Let them know that you are proud of what you've done and that a balance of studies is important, not just STEM ones. Don't resort to insulting anyone back, of course, but make it known that you are not going to let them belittle you with ignorant comments.

Thanks! I didn't do any studying for the practice test. I wanted a very raw score to start with. I also tend to finish standardized tests in ample time, so I'm not too worried about that. It seemed to me that it was the type of questions that they asked. I'll look into the Manhattan study guides. I'm also getting the 5lb book of practice problems. I think the 5lb book would be a great one to get. And as others have said, the Manhattan's 8 book series seems to be a good reference material. I think it depends on what sections you're weak in.

Started: April 2013 Goal scores: V170 Q170 Practice test scores: 1st - V158 Q154 Previous GRE scores: none GRE test date: late August Materials: Barrons GRE, Princeton GRE, Barrons essential words, Cliffnotes math review I haven't gone through any of the study materials yet. How reasonable is it to expect a +12 verbal increase and +16 quantitative increase by late August?

For those of you that decided to retake the GRE or GRE subject tests, what motivated you to do so? Did you have a specific cutoff in mind for if you would retake or not (80%, 90%, etc)? Did you just want to see if you could do better with a little more studying, but you were content with your score? I took the GRE Biology subject test last weekend, and I'm fairly certain that my score in ecology/evolution will be in the range that I want. But I'm also pretty sure that the molecular section will bring down my overall by a lot. I haven't taken any of my major courses in micro topics yet, and I won't have before application season rolls around. I know that the GRE isn't a huge factor in admissions, and that your major's section matters the most, but what would be the motivation for retaking in that case? Would it be worth it to look over the areas that I'm weak in and retake it in fall? Or should I be content about my own section's score and move on?

I think that the growth from undergraduate to masters, and also your other accomplishments since undergrad, will be much more influential than your undergraduate grades. You look like a strong applicant!

I used to be really specific about what I wrote with. But I've started using my laptop for everything but homework assignments, quick notes, or diagrams. I just grab whatever is cheap or free at an event and use that now.

At my university, there are 4 colleges: agricultural & environmental sciences, engineering, biology, and letters & sciences. Only the College of Letters & Sciences invites members to PBK, regardless of if the majors in the other colleges are accepted at other universities. I thought it was more common, but maybe not. Sorry for misinterpreting how everything is laid out. I should have said that, depending on university, PKP may be the best option; but I shouldn't have generalized to every university.

Some books aren't available in an electronic version, so watch out for that. Also, I've noticed that some schools will market the e-book version of a textbook for cheaper than the paper-bound, but the e-book expires after a certain period of time and is no longer available in your library. I prefer paper books over electronic, but I couldn't really pin down an exact reason for you. Especially for my science textbooks or popular science, I like to keep a paper version. Fiction and books that are "pleasure-reads" I like to have in my kindle, because I don't mark them with pen and post-its. I think it really comes down to personal preference. If you can learn just as well with an e-book, and it will save you money, get the e-book. Just make sure to check the policies for how long you get to keep them.

I think your math score will be fine if you're not looking at math-based programs. I didn't mean to worry you about your writing score; just see if the programs that you are applying to have cutoffs for the writing section. A strong writing sample can offset that, and you have to take into account that it is the most subjective GRE score. Most programs that I've looked at allow you to mix and match GRE scores from different tests, like Nickel said.

Not everyone has access to Phi Beta Kappa, because it's only for Letters and Science. At my university, the best you can get in the College of Biological Sciences is Phi Kappa Phi, which is why I think it's worth joining, even if only to have on your C.V. for a year or two. It makes a difference if you're within you department. (Of course this all depends on your chapter and those you interact with. It's too variable to pin down as good or not.) I do agree that a chapter that's more active and with more support is best, though.

Email him, and politely remind him that you also applied to your current university. It might just be that he forgot that you also applied there. It used to be more uncommon to apply to your undergraduate university because of academic inbreeding; so he may have just assumed that you didn't apply there. If you can meet in person, that would be even better.

I think you should email the coordinator for the course to see what materials will be needed and if the list is up to date.

Definitely worth it. Phi Beta Kappa is the most prestigious of the discipline-specific honor societies, and Phi Kappa Phi is the most prestigious of the all-discipline honor societies. I would dare to say that other honor societies are not worth joining, unless you know that they have benefits that you will directly receive. Congratulations on your nomination.

Definitely contact the professor and tell him that you need the LOR as soon as possible. Do you have another professor that would be able to write you a strong LOR as a backup, in case the first professor falls through? If so, let the first professor know that, if he doesn't have the time to fill out an LOR, you can have another professor do it; but you would rather know sooner than later.