papergrader83

What I wrote: Dear .... I'm honored to have been awarded a Graduate Teaching Assistantship. At this time, though, I'm afraid I have already committed to keeping my current position at .... Thank you so much for all the encouragement, and I wish you and your program the best. Sincerely, ... What I meant: Dear ... Sorry: I had to remove you from the wait-list. After being accepted via mail, and waiting a few weeks, I sent an email about the GTA, detailing some timelines of my own. I wasn't trying to be annoying; I really just wanted any word (however unofficial) so that I could make a decision. Though I know you are busy and have many commitments, sorry, I was simply tired of the stress of waiting, and decided it's really nice to make money. Best. ...

Dear Crucial BBQ (sweet name, btw), I have a full-time job (not tenured) and write LOR for students every year to help them study in the U.S. In my experience, sometimes I jot down little notes in my grade book about the student. A B- might really mean your work deserved less than that B, you know? That said, I do know one colleague who works with me abroad who is spiteful in this way. Because she had to take undergrad classes before beginning her second master's degree in a new field of study, she's appalled that "these EFL students" have the audacity to shoot for prestigious programs in the U.S. straight out of undergrad with sometimes unrelated majors. While I don't think this colleague represents the norm (thank heavens!), spitefulness does exist. Still, in this case, and just in my experience writing letters, I really look only at students' performance in my class--nothing else (I hope). Anyway, you're set with other letters, so good luck getting in somewhere!

I used to think online degrees had little worth, but one of my best friends is getting a master's degree in instructional technology, and now I know how well-done online classes can now be. With free, open-source tools like Google Community, you can still get a strong sense of community in your classes. If it's a top university in the world, the profs will be using the most up-to-date, effective approaches and techniques to make the online experience rigorous and beneficial. The reason online courses are so necessary, really, is for triumphant souls like yourself as well as for those who want to keep working while also taking steps toward obtaining a degree. So yes. I'd say "get over" the hangups ASAP, buckled down on the studies, and enjoy upping your digital literacy in an online environment.

Wow. That was NOT was I wanted forwarded to my email account. I don't know; I just think grammar and math can find common ground.

Well said!

Verbal's not bad and quant's not bad for those schools.

As others have said, we're probably capable of a certain limited range at each test date. Since the test is a performance, we may perform more ideally on certain questions and prompts at a given time. Go into the exam knowing that you'll probably fall within that range--hopefully at the higher range but hey, what can you do except take it again?

Keep in mind, too, as others have said, that the writing section is the most subjectively scored. I mean, I know an applicant with a published book, several published essays, and a strong editing background who scored only a 5.5 (97-ish percentile) on that writing section. WTH? You'd think she'd get a 6 no sweat. And of course, standardized test-taking is a performance, too. Sometimes we perform more adeptly at different times, though we're probably capable of a certain limited range on each given test date. Don't sweat it too much.

Thanks for the percentiles (I still only really understand the old scale). It depends on the school. The best school I am applying to said applicants who score in the 90th percentile are the most competitive, but another of my target programs doesn't even require about GRE scores. I think the GRE scores do matter to some degree, but I'd say at this point just focus on the writing sample and SoP and, of course, we can always try again next year (as depressing as that might sound at this time in the year ).

Focus on the writing sample and statement of purpose. And there's always next year .

Yes, go ahead and apply !!! If you got a perfect on the writing, then you're among the most elite writers in the world . It depends on the school, too, and its standards, and it seems you're paying for your graduate studies by yourself, so that's another reason not to worry. If you have the time, though, you might consider deferring for a year, hitting the GRE-prep books, and upping that quantitative score?

Check out the other forums, too, for more specific GRE info.

Being abroad, I'm worried about the interviews, now. I'm hoping online Skype interviews could work. Has anyone done interviews online?

From what I've seen, the most competitive applicants score in the 90th percentile in the areas most emphasized by a given major. More verbal-reasoning-focused areas, such as English, seem to put almost all emphasis on Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing. Quantitative Reasoning might be more important for number-crunching fields, those in which quantitative research methods are heavily involved. I'd say, your chances MIGHT be better if you score in the 90th percentile in two (or at least one) of these areas. I know plenty of people, for instance, who score perfect marks on the "math" section but feel challenged by the verbal and writing sections.

Yes, wait it out.