antigone56

Seems like a lot of people do a bit better on the real test than the practice tests. I want to believe it will happen to me too, as I'm scoring on practice tests just a little under what I need. Yet, a year ago when I took the GRE, I scored 4 points below my highest practice test; didn't do "better" like some people in this thread are reporting. I'm not sure what will happen on test day this year. At this point, I'm continuing to study vocab, trying various little strategies for RC, and honestly, just praying. I don't think one's score is a complete crapshoot. But within a certain range for each person, I think it is. For me, I think I could score anywhere between 153 and 163 on Verbal. What's ironic, too, for me, is that my highest practice test scores occurred when I employed no particular "strategy" to get RC questions correct. As soon as I started trying little strategies, like jotting keywords fast as I read, I began to score a bit lower. Even when in later practice tests I felt I had a better sense of passages than in previous practice tests, my ultimate score would end up lower. Makes no sense and is totally frustrating.

Also, even for people who aren't obsessed with "ranking," as I wasn't when I handed a list to one of my advisors, it's hard not to then consider it a little when said advisor starts talking about the top schools being a long-shot no matter what. You know, you do the best you can in deciding, taking five to six different approaches of various people/advisors/grad cafe'ers into consideration. One of my advisors has absolutely no notion of 'rankings', another is focused on it, telling me to be realistic. So...that's why I was interested in what, technically, is top 10 or top 20.

It does matter! Maybe not to you, but it matters to some. Doesn't mean one is making it his/her sole criterion for choosing, but just considering it.

I am focused on fit, but I'd like to somewhat "spread out" my choices even with fit in mind. Fit is more important, though, I agree.

Look at this list please. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/english-rankings When people on this board refer to "Top 10" schools, are they referring to the top 10 schools that are listed, beginning at Berkeley, or do they mean any school that has the rank of 1 through 10 (which may amount to 13 or so schools)? Same with references to "Top 20" schools. Is that the top twenty schools listed or any school that is ranked between 1 and 20, as indicated by the number next to the name of the school? I need clarification on this so that I have a sense of my own realistic-ness (??) in choices of schools.

My list isn't final (things may shift based on my October 11th GRE test), but for the most part I'm choosing based on 1) where I'd be willing to live (fortunately, most of my choices align with where my boyfriend is willing to live), 2) recommendations of one of my letter writers (who knows good schools in my area of interest, as his area of interest is the same), 3) rank (spreading out my choices among high, middle, and low rank schools), 4) fit -- do they have several faculty members who work in my area of interest?

I'm not for the writing of one's own letter and the professor blindly signing it, or even not blindly signing it but just reading it and signing it. But I can see how a professor would ask a student to write a skeleton of the letter which the professor will later revise according to his/her actual assessment of the student, as well as the professors's writing style clearly dominating over the skeleton. As a matter of fact, I think I may have one of my students do this next time she asks me for a letter. (I'm not a university professor, but I teach at community college and often get students ask me for letters for scholarships, jobs, and internships.)

Oh, I didn't take anything personally at all. In fact, I loved her feedback, even the most brutal. I wrote the original post in good nature. I know she wants what's best for me.

Subject line is exaggerating, but...today I met with one of my letter writers. And while she was complimentary of me in a lot of ways (very important ways, at that), she was also kinda like, "NYU? Get real." I love this lady in general, but it was just...you know. I'd said that my GRE Verbal was looking like 89th percentile on the high end and 76th percentile on the low end (based on practice tests), and she said, "That's still low..." Your stories or thoughts about letter writers making you feel stupid? Not that they're bad people but that they make you feel stupid anyway?

I'm in a completely different field and have no idea what your schools' expectations are, but my sense is that your scores are fine. It's a reasonable Verbal score and a reasonably high Quant score.

Honestly, the GRE makes me feel stupid. I had been scoring 162, 162, 160 on Verbal (Manhattan practice tests). I just took the PowerPrep practice test this evening and got 158... ...and now I just think.... Darn.

I want to believe, very badly, that Manhattan Practice Tests are accurate, because I've taken three practice tests in the past two weeks and scored exactly what I need (and even slightly better) for the Verbal portion. I'm so scared that Manhattan is for some reason "easier" than the real thing, though. Posts in this thread seem to say they are a good barometer, but...what if? What if I'm just the anomaly who scores a lot worse on the real test? Maddening...

Darn! If that writing score were just a 4.5, I'd say you were fine, but...I think if I'd re-take if I were you. Just for the 4.5 or 5. To me, 4 is pretty mediocre for an English major. Doesn't mean you can't write well, just that it's a mediocre score.

Thanks to both of you! Yeah, I figure it will differ from school to school. Just thought there'd be a "most schools..." answer. I'll just wait and see.

Do you know if most schools' application systems allow you a few uploads that are just "miscellaneous documentation" (for things like name changes, a note in which you just want to provide some pertinent information, a good teaching evaluation, an additional letter of rec from an employer) etc.? Or do you just send that stuff over email if you want them to have it?

See...here's the exact wording for one of them. But a bunch of others say the same. Transcript. An unofficial, electronic copy of your transcript is acceptable for the application process. If admitted, you will need to provide an official, hard copy of your transcript before matriculation.

Some of my schools accept an upload of unofficial transcripts. If you get in, they say, they ask you to send officials that come directly from the schools. About half of the schools I'm applying to say this. I don't know if it's just the departments I'm applying to.

I don't see a separate tab for Transcripts, so I hope it's okay if I post this here. I was wondering if when you're asked to upload your transcripts, is it just one upload allowed (wherein you should make a single-file scan of all your transcripts from different schools combined)? Or do they usually have a way for you to upload four or five files/transcript sets for each school? (for instance, two community colleges, one undergrad school, one graduate school). I have mine on PDFs, but they are basically just divided into two -- undergraduate transcripts and graduate transcripts. I was wondering if I'll need to combine them? Thanks in advance.

Here's what I'm doing (not to play "who's busting their ass more"; I know we're all working really hard). But I just wish I'd decided earlier in the year to apply for PhD programs, so that I could have done some of it during the spring and summer. I'm studying for both GREs (really only the general, but I have to take at least two days to prep for the basic format of the subject), heavy auditing of two literature classes (meaning, I'm not just sitting in but volunteered to do most of the work too) in order to secure really strong letters. I think these profs would write me good letters, but I'm looking for *great* letters. Had I been more of an "I'm so interested in everything; I love school and I love this class and I love theory and literary analysis and research" during my MA program, I could just ask for letters. But I was only just a class-attending, diligent, A-receiving, but otherwise non-descript student then. I'm also re-vamping two papers to submit as writing samples. Fortunately, the SOP is in great shape already. I guess I don't have THAT much to do. But it feels like it. I also teach seven English classes at community college, so there's that. I wish I had done the GRE (both subject and regular) in the spring and summer and could just be focused on auditing and writing samples right now. It's a bitch, cost-wise, all at once, not to mention that it has my mind on two many different things at once.

I'm registered to take the Subject test (Literature) on 9/28. I wish I had time to study for it just a little, but I have absolutely no time. I'm studying for the General test, plus auditing two classes this semester in order to get strong letters of rec. (Professors I've had in the past but who I want to know me better and to see even more current work from me.) I plan to familiarize myself with the test format for the Subject Test in the three days before I take it, but I'm not studying at all.

Do you all have anything negative (or positive) to say about the following schools: Boston College, Boston University, or Northeastern University? Thanks!

Question: I have to take the subject test in Literature. There are two dates in my city (fortunately, I'm in a big city). One's September 28th, the other October 19th. I probably need to do the Oct.19th because I won't have enough money to register until 9/15. In your experience, do these things fill up so fast that waiting til the 15th of Sept. to register put me at risk of not getting a spot to take the test on 10/19? Or does there tend to be plenty of availability right up til test date? Thanks.

Question: I have to take the subject test in Literature. There are two dates in my city (fortunately, I'm in a big city). One's September 28th, the other October 19th. I probably need to do the Oct.19th because I won't have enough money to register until 9/15. In your experience, do these things fill up so fast that waiting til the 15th of Sept. to register put me at risk of not getting a spot to take the test on 10/19? Or does there tend to be plenty of availability right up til test date? Thanks.

I think most programs (even MFA) require GRE general, but I'd say that if there's any program for which one could say it's just a formality, it's probably MFA...

When they ask for just 500 words, do you pretty much just say "Hi, I'm _____. (not literally)...I'm interested in...(and then state your research interests)"? It would seem that that's all there's room for!