OCD or Perfection?

The SOP is a focus of your strengths, not a detail or explanation of your weaknesses. You don't test well, that's just who you are. Now if you were to subtly mention (in not more than half a sentence, the focus of which sentence is something else) that standardized tests are not your forte, I think that could be helpful. An example of this sentence would be: "For my my undergrad course XXX, instead of the final exam which I felt wouldn't be a true reflection of my academic potential, I volunteered to assist the professor's research on....This intensive interactive experience demonstrated to me ...." Here, you've killed two birds with one stone. You've addressed what might be considered a weakness in your application without ruffling any feathers. More importantly, you've demonstrated your initiative and problem-solving skills. Having said that, however, you might call your admissions dept to ask how important GREs are for your course and their response will tell you how far you need to go to address this issue.

Finally somewhere I can share some insight lol! As a die-hard google fan, I have purchased two chromebooks so far. The first, samsung for 250. The second, Acer II for 198$. Samsung: Pros: lightweight, LONG battery, easy on the eyes-sleek, no cooling fan (wHAAA??) Cons: extremely limited firepower (2 gb ram not enough to support HDMI movie watching or any video watching with a couple of extra tab), occasional freeze over heavier websites-flash stuff. Lower in-house memory-not an issue for me, I use google drive so my documents are accessible on all my (3) laptops, phone and Ipad and everywhere in the world where there's a computer. Acer II: Pros: Increased firepower with 4 gb ram (this should be the minimum for everything these days), cheaper (for real? $198), supports everything a laptop can do Cons: ugly, cooling fan, battery life doesn't live up to Chromebook name (because processor is cooled by fan) Overall: Don't buy a chromebook for grad work as your sole laptop. Google docs lacks the many bells and whistles required for papers etc (unless you're an expert at it) IF it's gonna be your major laptop, battery/weight notwithstanding, get the Acer II (now probably at $248). DON'T get the Acer I. The difference, which many overlook, is the 2gb vs 4gb ram and it's a HUGE difference.

Oh! That is so unfortunate. Have you considered calling them? It's much harder to ignore the plea in a voice than it is to sideswipe an email. I would absolutely press this issue given how important this is for you.

I'm not sure if someone is still working on their applications but I am happy to help with SOPs, and will not charge you I have a few years experience teaching English and some writing experience. I do not feel confident helping with PHD statements, having never written one myself. But MAs, if you're still needing an opinion, feel free to PM me.

Hi guys. So I'm going to give a rather detailed analysis of my GRE journey since some of you have asked. I hope it can help as many as possible. If there's one thing my experience as a teacher has taught me, it is that every kid learns completely differently, so before you go on to try my approach, you'll have to know my background and know what I am as a student. That will serve as your pinch of salt. All about me before the GRE: I'm a GT student with a 4.0 gpa I got while working full time. I have OCD though I like to call it perfectionist (doesn't every OCD?). I have 4 years of teaching English creative writing, a decent vocabulary and solid command over the language. Because I was educated in the British system, I tend to write very languidly which was a terrible challenge for me while taking the GRE. If I cannot take my time with some, and have freedom of # of words, I will probably write shoddy. Give me time and I'll come up with something decent. I was always good at math, but I hadn't studied any Math since 2002. Since teaching math, I've learned that math is really two things, calculations (+,-, X, /) or things we use everyday and computational (the reasoning part of Math-converting fractions, seeing patterns, game theory stuff). I have always been excellent at calculations, and because I'm not a mathematical thinker, SUCKED at computation. The fact that I'd had no practice for 11 years coupled with my OCD means I was a nervous wreck about this anyway. I also have a hyperactive bladder which never helped me in exams, interviews or the first three dates. I paid a heavy price for it on my first administration of the GRE. So, now you know me. The materials I used: Nothing but the Kaplan book my brother already had. It sucks. Its tests suck (they are way easier than what you see on test day). Its techniques are o-kay. But the online portion, which includes ten practice sets for each section, and five full-length (and easier) tests are very convenient. Magoosh's free app. This was great. The only thing I learned for vocabulary was the 6 lists of the most common words on GRE (for a total of 300 words). I already knew about 200 of these, and retained at least 98 out of 100 new ones on test day. I downloaded the two free tests from the test-makers. You'll have to download the powerprep. Good news, here's the link: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/powerprep2 These were realistic and the layout most realistically replicated the drab layout of the actual GRE. Save these for last. Let's get AWA out of the way first: I wrote 10 essays, five of each assignment, always timed. With no one to grade them, I asked my wife to look at them for me and gave her the scoring guide. Because she is my wife, she is very critical, so naturally she told me they all sucked. Because I love her, I had to prove her wrong and got 5.0 both times . If you are a strong writer, I STRONGLY recommend taking timed sets because strong writers tend to be verbose. Don't be verbose, this is a test of analytic ability and command of syntax-they already designed the Verbal to test your vocab remember. Verbal: This might be a horror story for a lot of students but for me, this was the strongest part. I don't have a lot of advice to offer here except, download the GRE magoosh app and use it every time you use the toilet. If you use the toilet as much as I do, you spend at least twenty minutes a day there. In one month, that's 600 bloody minutes. In 2 months, that't 1200 minutes. In 1200 minutes, you can easily memorize 300 words. The lists you have "mastered", you still need to check in with them at least once a week. Think of them as that ex you contact when you don't have any other plans for the weekend. On the toilet seat, they're your only hope of entertainment. If you already went to undergraduate school, you should not waste your time on more than 300 words. The fifty most common words are non-negotiable. You can find them here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K2NDRaL4G0. I listened to this video once and then on the way to the test in the car on test day. There are strategies like active reading, elimination etc etc, but you can read those anywhere else. Welcome to the fun-Quant: It is very easy to spend a disproportionate amount of time on the quant. So know what score makes you comfortably within your range. My program at Harvard publishes its average GREs and the quant score is 156. So, know your score and consistently try to get at least 3 points higher on the practice tests. Don't try to be Pythagoras or Einstein---you're probably never gonna see your examiner in real life, and she's not a hot chick anyway. With that beautiful piece of advice addressed, remember that the quant section is just your middle school math and probably first couple of years of HS. My GT math class takes a crack at the hardest practice questions I had and do well. So you know all the material, you just need to brush it up. There are some non-negotiables here: 1. THE GRE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT PERMUTATIONS AND COMBINATIONS even though every study guide wants you to think so. After spending two full days trying to learn them together and still getting them all wrong on test day, I decided to skip these for the second test and make educated guesses (more later). 2. Do not try to memorize formulae. There are too many of them. Rather, just try to study their proof (easily available on most study guides and through youtube videos). For example, the formula for the hypotenuse of a 1:1:underroot2 has a very simple proof if you know the Pythagorean theorem. Read it, it will stick. Also, the ratios for 3:4:5, there are too many to remember, just solve them all once and they will stick-I promise. 3. Pacing; I don't recommend spending over 180 seconds on any question. After 180 seconds (which is already very long) mark it for review, and then come back to it if you have time left (which you wont so I'm saving your time for the questions you will be able to get right-promise). The most important thing I learned for the quant is: how to make educated guesses. Know the patterns of all questions for example that the values are written out in increasing order. If a question has five choices a-e, values will be a)5 b)7 c)8 d)10 e)12. If you're particularly stuck on a question, eliminate at least two choices which are not possible. If you know that a and b are too small, or that a and e are not possible, you've already reduced your chances of making a mistake by 40%. A 33% chance of getting is right is already far improved over your original 20% chance. Get it down to 1/3 potential choices and then GUESS! All questions have an equal score and there is no negative marking. It never hurts to guess. Feel safe, do it. Use the calculator sparingly, you will probably be clicking numbers on it and that increases computational errors, especially towards the end of the test. For longer numbers (in comparisons- A or B questions) that calculators cannot perform, remember to first divide both sides by 10,000. Just moving decimals along does wonders. In your practice sessions, don't use your own calculator, use the one the screen provides, it will be good practice. Overall impressions: DO EVERY PRACTICE TIMED. This is as much a test of endurance as it is of everything else they tell you they're testing. The exam conditions are hostile at best, dress loosely. The noise blockers are intimidating and do not help with blood flow-make sure you take them off during the breaks. USE THE BREAKS. Even in the section breaks, stand up and stretch your legs. Test day: Do not study beyond 9p.m. on the eve of the test. You wont be able to sleep anyway, don't crowd your brain too much. Rest. Watch a movie. Don't overdose on caffeine. Have a hearty breakfast. Keep a gum in your mouth. Keep a snickers bar and a gatorade in your locker. Eat jolly rancher before you step in. Hard, sour candy is very good for sensory integration, helps you stay focused. Remember that you are stressing out over the GRE because this is the only thing in your control at this time The application committees take "holistic" looks at these things

I GOT MARRIED AT 26....SHOUDL'VE WAITED TILL 36...LOL! AND I LOVE MY LIFE...but don't freak out--you're just 22...oh lord! never mind! I can't believe this topic is still active!!!!

My first thought---EIGHTS MONTHS IS TOO LONG for GRE. If you have that much time, there are much better uses for it; like appearing for it twice, focusing on your statement of purpose, narrowing in on your programs, CONTACTING ALUMNI of the programs you're interested in. I am mad at the GRE with a passion. To give some perspective, I will delve into some detail about my experience with it. Since I hadn't studied Math since O levels (grade 11- twelve years ago), I decided to register for two administrations within a month thinking, "I'll just give it the first time to see what the exam hall conditions etc etc are like". The conditions were awful-I thought I'd be able to use the restroom between sections and I wasn't...this is not good for me and I cannot concentrate for jack when I need to go. I studied LIKE MAD for three weeks the first time around and my scores were: 160 V, 153 Q, 5 AWA. Since I was applying to top-tier education leadership programs and the GRE was the only thing in my control, I decided to give it the second time also. The second time was in just three weeks. However, I was so burnt out and undecided about whether or not to give it that I ended up studying for only three days. However, I had got wise for the second administration. I took no caffeine, and practically only a half glass of water before the test. Also, I trained my OCD brain to move on from a question within a certain time limit. After never having studied mathematics since grade school, it took me much longer than engineering, computer science majors to figure out some of the more complex logic questions on the GRE. However, I currently teach gifted and talented middle school math students and the quant section is ALMOST EXACTLY the stuff they study---only the analytic and logical portion of questions could be on steroids. Anyway, the second time, under much better conditions and thinking, what the heck-I reappeared for the GRE and my new scores are: 161 V, 162 Q, 5 AWA. These are good scores and I'm happy. But I'm really happy that students like us are under so much pressure for a "standardized" test that is so not standardized. My quant percentile increased by THIRTY ONE percentiles...being a teacher, I know that is not supposed to happen. On a standardized test, within three weeks, and without ANY preparation, that should NEVER happen! Having said that, I feel I might be in a position to offer some insight on the GRE. The specific list of things I found successful for someone like me (undergrad in humanities with not an ounce of math and no math in my career until the last six months when I had to teach middle school math) is too cumbersome to bore every one. If you would like some free help from an actual examinee in a situation similar to yours, please private message me and I'll be glad to help.

Best of luck! Where are you teaching right now?

Applied to Ed.M. School Leadership-Developer Strand. I really wish I'd known about this forum earlier. Would've loved to see the valuable insights you guys have shared here. Anyone else applying to the School Leadership Program, particularly the developer strand? Best of luck to all of you. Here's hoping we all see what's good for us in March