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what's the deal with the invitation to visit campus? phone interviews? the phd programs i applied to made no mention on their websites, but i'd like to know what to expect. are these interviews offered after they've decided to admit you or not? or is it just another(stressful, stupid) hoop to jump through?

for those of you applying to language programmes....are you writing your SOPs in french/spanish/italian/etc or english? most departments do not specify which language they prefer. as for writing samples....if you are applying to a spanish programme, for example, is it best to write a spanish paper on spanish literature? or can you be a bit flexible....say, writing in spanish on spanish and french literature? is that too comp. lity?

where are you going? you can take the GRE abroad...that said, it sounds like your scores are fine. i'm not sure how it works in the social sciences, but in the humanities the GRE seems to be weighed very lightly...

thanks for your response. I should say that I don't need a great quant. score since I'm applying to grad programs for English & they don't seem to care, as long as you don't humiliate yourself. I would be perfectly happy with a 500. When you mention the ETS tests in the book...what book are you referring to? Barrons? As a side note, I'm shocked by how much math I have forgotten. Man, in high school I took the SAT hungover, without having studied and managed a 650 in quant. In contrast, I answered three questions correctly on my GRE diagnostic. Sigh. Perhaps my gleeful eschewal of math courses (who needs algebra when I can take Arabic! metaphysical poetry! sculpture!) was too hasty...

I'm living in Paris and will be applying to (American) graduate schools this fall. Is anyone else here from Paris & in the same position? Would you like to talk books? Whine about application procedures? Study for the GRE? I'm applying to English programs (and will be taking the lit GRe in paris this october), by the way, but would be happy to chat with anyone...

I've been struggling with Quant. review & have been using number2.com & a Barron's book with....lackluster results. I took a quiz on number2.com and scored in the 30th percentile in quant (which correlates to what score, by the way? a 350? 400?). I also have trouble answering most of the math questions in my Barron's review book. So I tried some questions on powerprep & found it easy! I only missed one question in the Quant. review. What gives? Are GRE questions similar to those which appear on Powerprep? Or is it deceptively easy? Should I continue slogging away at Barron's etc???

great....this is all really helpful stuff. i'm so glad to find number2.com... I'm not so concerned about the verbal scores. 4 years of English classes & an awkward adolescence seem to be excellent replacements for flashcards & review books. Although this doesn't keep me from reading the New Yorker--under the assumption, of course, that I'm "studying"-- when I should be tackling algebra....

thanks for the advice. can you elaborate a little by what you mean by "lay out your scrap paper for quant questions"? Or any quick test-taking tips which could help a severe maththobe?

long commute between Columbia & Brooklyn.... There are cheap (ish) apartments in upper Manhattan. And Columbia is pretty generous with its fully funded students. Thanks everyone for such helpful responses. I didn't realize that funding information was made public, will definitely do more research.

As I'm applying to grad school for English I (foolishly) blew off reviewing for Quant. I guess I assumed it would be like SAT math...which it sort of is. What I didn't take into account is the fact that I haven't done math for 7 years. Just looked at a practice test & it's like reading a foreign language. I think I answered two questions correctly. My question for you. I have a week until the GRE....do you think I should re-schedule? If I spend two or three hours a night reviewing should I be ok? I don't need a spectacular score, I would be happy with anything over a 500. Also...any suggestions on books or websites to use? I have a Kaplan book. Helpful websites would be great, too, because I plan on studying a lot at work (boring desk job in front of a computer, nothing to do....lots of time to prep).

Where are the best schools to apply if you're hoping to be fully funded? The Ivies, obviously have (or had, prior to this year) loads of money. And places like NYU are famously stingy....but what about other schools....Stanford? Johns Hopkins? WUSTL? And what about state schools? I've seen some talk on these boards about lack of California funding. Should I rule out U.C schools altogether because of the mess in California? As you can gather, I'm concerned about money. I don't want to waste $80 on an application fee if, even should I be accepted, I wouldn't be able to afford the program.