music

FWIW, I visited a number of schools last month and every single one told me they do take GRE into consideration for the exact reason CP3 said - they get so many applicants they are just looking for any reason to cut people. The other common reason for their use was when it came down to the final 10 or so candidates and the AdCom are finding it hard to pick. A notably high or low GRE could stick out at that point. Makes sense. The other warning I got was that if GRE scores are out of line with the quality of the rest of the application, red flags will go up. And since you're obviously going to need a great application to get accepted, that does imply that you're going to need a good GRE in order to avoid questions being asked about the legitimacy of your app. But every school without exception said that their priorities are writing samples, LoR and SoP, roughly in that order, and the rest come a long way behind. Got mine on August 22. Feeling ok about verbal, and mostly just angry every time I try to study maths.

To some extent it would surely depend on your existing vocab knowledge and whether you are a native English speaker. I made my own flashcards of words which I came across in practice materials and the Magoosh vocab book which I was uncertain of. I also made a few synonym lists. Since I don't have all that much time to dedicate to GRE study, a useful strategy for me has been to focus on remembering whether a new word has a positive or negative connotation. A lot of the time that's enough, as you can either rule it out or at least know whether it's an option. Unless there are multiple unfamiliar answer choices, that would be adequate information to pick the right answer.

Made my decisions as to where I'll be applying having visited a lot of schools this past month. Plus a couple of UK schools, most likely Oxford, Cambridge and one or two in London. Expensive times ahead.

I am finding Magoosh pretty useful. There are a ton of sample questions and they all have a video explanation, plus you can see how y are doing within each category and difficulty level which is helpful in identifying weak areas. That said, apparently the maths questions are more difficult than the actual test (I hope this is true)!

Well I haven't done any maths in 7 years (thanks, UK education system...) so even to get a 155 it's going to take a lot of time. From what I hear, when it comes down to funding, if the department want more students than the graduate school can afford, often the raw numbers like GRE, GPA will come into play. And diversity, etc... Besides, with the competition as it is, I guess schools would not need much of an excuse to cut someone from the list! I'm guessing 315 combined would be good enough for anywhere though. Karajan, knowing what your GRE was makes me tremble in my boots.

Sure, but I am guessing that below a certain level they may have a negative impact...especially on funding when it decided by the graduate school rather than the department.

How many schools is everyone applying to, and what GRE scores are you aiming for/have you achieved?

It does seem like a lot to ask. Are you sure that it's not more like an interview stage, so the people who are asked to take the exam are already being seriously considered for a place? And they definitely don't fund it, or offer a remote testing option? Because $1000 plus the application fee and other expenses you'd incur on the trip is more than most people would spend on their entire application season. That is a huge financial commitment to make which would surely be beyond the reach of a good number of potential graduate students. Seems strange they would effectively shut people out like that, but I guess it also ensures that their applicants are seriously keen to attend...

That's a tough decision. Can you find out what kind of exams they are, so you at least know whether you'd be likely to make a good attempt at them? I will be applying too, for musicology or ethno depending on the school. Not sure where yet, making a trip to the US this summer to check out the ones I'm most excited by. Unfortuntely the ones which offer the best fit are the most competitive. Yay. I am also only looking at fully funded schools because I can't get loans, being an international applicant. Still trying to figure out how many schools to apply for, but I have decided not to put down any safety schools - I'd rather wait a year if necessary. Going into this process blind is simultaneously great, because I have no expectations, and terrifying, because I'm convinced I'm not good enough. My background is a little kooky, comprising a very thorough English boarding school education with high level academic work in politics, philosophy and music, followed by a year of travel, and then 5 years of violin performance and music theory/history batchelors indispersed with a bunch of music based travel projects. No masters. No nice liberal arts batchelors, even. That said, I'm confident in my writing and research ability, and irritatingly excitable about discussing my area of interest with anyone within earshot. My application should be strong, it's the issue of whether schools are ok with my batchelors education which concerns me most. I'm also going to apply to a couple of UK one year terminal masters programs in the (likely) case that I get a straight set of rejections. My biggest concern? Remembering maths for the GRE. And remembering that I have to call it 'math'...

I think it's more likely that students with a masters are simply (in many cases) more advanced, or at least able to better convince the admissions panel through their application materials that they are. The best students will get offered places. Having enquired at every school I've long listed, they all have current students who came straight from Batchelors, the proportion varying significantly between schools. There is a good reason that many schools will offer advanced standing to those entering with an MA - they don't expect or require it. Also, I would highlight that the quality of Batchelors degrees is hardly uniform. Mine is five years long, for example, and in my final year I have an hour each week of one to one research supervision. A very different position to most undergraduates from this country who will have only had 3 years of class lectures. Additionally, I guess schools may favour the US liberal arts curriculum, or the British highly specialised undergraduate system... Frankly I don't know, and I don't think you do either! There are too many variables to make sweeping generalisations based on your own personal experience last time around.

I will be a Fall (Autumn...) 2014 applicant too. Perhaps it's time to start a new topic! I really don't think publication and presentation experience is expected. If you plan on using your masters for advanced standing, yes it might be expected as research will have been a significant element of your recent studies, but entering direct from a batchelors means you are required to take elementary classes on research methodology, the implication being that entering students (ie the successful applicants) are not expected to have experience in this area. My GPA translates to about 3.9, I think, and I am predicted GRE scores of V165+, Q150 and A5.0+. It's tough being an international applicant from a tiny conservatoire, as I don't have much idea of expectations, so just going to do my best with applications this year and if it's not good enough, I'll learn for next time around. Personally I'm prioritising a match of methodology/specialism in making school selections. I'll be applying for ethno, focussing on aesthetics/sys mus/comparative/cognitive/identity aspects. Got a long list of about 10 schools and I'll apply for as many as I can afford. So far I have meetings lined up at 6 of those schools.

Started: May 2013 Goal scores: V170 Q155 A5.0+ Practice test scores: none, the Magoosh estimates me at V163-169 and Q158-163 Previous GRE scores: none GRE test date: August 22 Materials: Magoosh premium online, Magoosh Maths ebook, official GRE maths books. Right now I am trying to get my head back into maths, I haven't taken it in 7 years :/ Used to be good at it but that's a long time! Once I can get through all the basic concepts for easy questions I'll buy the Manhattan 5lb book. Finding that I learn best by just working through examples rather than 'studying'. Just hope that 3 months is enough to basically get from nothing to a Q155. Also discovering that Brits and Americans use certain vocab in quite different contexts which is making the verbal prep interesting! So I am hoping to work hard on maths until mid-July and then just run every practice test in existence to get accustomed to the computerised system (I am used to writing essays by hand so 4.5 hours at a computer is the biggest challenge for me). (Aside from not being allowed to take food into the room. Seriously?) Honestly I'm having quite a lot of fun with my prep. Being a music performance major, it's a lovely break from practising

I am just making initial contact with POIs to begin studying in September 2014. I sent out some emails explaining a short amount about my background and research interests, and have been invited to meet with various faculty members and head of graduate studies at some top schools - some of the meetings are in London when the faculty happen to be visiting, some are over the summer break when I visit the US. I am kind of surprised that faculty would take time out of their schedule when they are travelling/on vacation to meet with me. It raised the question...just how informal are these informal meetings?? I am starting to think they're likely to be a lot more important than I first thought...?

Thanks I'm glad to hear that essays and recommendations will hold a lot of weight. Unfortunately I can't afford transatlantic flights to the conference but after emailing faculty members it seems I will have the opportunity to meet with some before putting in my applications - a kind of interview I guess? Reassuring that you've been so successful without a masters degree. Congrats on Harvard!

I'm a British student and floundering slightly with the US grad school system. If anyone would be so kind as to help me out with a few questions I'd be *incredibly* grateful! My background is a 5 year BMus in performance (with significant academic work), plenty of teaching experience, limited research experience and 1 fluent foreign language. Coming to the US this summer to check out a few places. Current top picks are UCLA, Berkeley, Yale, Chicago and Columbia. So here is where I am stuck... - I don't have a masters degree. Technically it seems I shouldn't need one. But it also seems that most PhD students do actually have one. What gives? Am I really disadvantaged if I don't have a masters, and even more so if my batchelors is from a conservatoire? Or will my writing samples be enough evidence of academic ability/potential? - Which bits of the application matter most? - It seems like not so many schools offer ethno. It also seems that most take 0-3 students per year. Are there are schools which are obviously more or less competitive, or which have a significantly bigger intake? I was wondering if the schools without a guaranteed funding package might be less competitive. Only asking because it seems sensible to put a good mix down. - I'm planning where to apply based on the professors' interests, course list, program structure, funding and location. Did I miss something/include something silly? Thank you so much anyone who can give any advice. The US system is incredibly different to the UK and it's very overwhelming trying to unpick the reality of how things work compared to the official line of the schools!