victorydance

No, that is wrong. The test will always have 2 blocks of quant and 2 blocks of verbal. There is also an additional section, this will either be a non-graded block or a research block, and can either be quant or verbal. The non-graded block will not be indicated that it is not graded, so it will be like doing a third section of either quant or verbal. The research one will be indicated as such. After the writing section, the sections can occur in any order (ie, the last will not always be the experimental, ect.) So in other words, you will do the AW section, then 5 sections of quant and verbal.

I agree about the range of resources. I find that every single resource has strengths and weaknesses. Taking a multi-pronged approach is definitely the way to go. I haven't really done too much outside of the schedule. But I think three things: 1) Whenever you are reading one of the sections or watching a video and they pull up one of those "according to this rule" write it down either in the note section or in a workbook. I find that you will be watching the video of a question you didn't get right and the solution will just throw out some random rule that you had no idea existed. It can be confusing and cumbersome to remember all these so I think writing them down and reviewing them every once in a while helps drill them into your head. 2) Master the fundamentals. I don't know about you, but one of the reasons my quant scores are weak is because I just am really rusty on basic algebra. Computations with radicals, exponents, fractions, ect. I haven't done in a while. I found/find that I am much better now just because I relearned a lot of algebraic skills. Since 90% of questions on the GRE have some component of algebra on them, mastering these skills makes everything that much easier. 3) Skip the essay writing exercises and do extra math questions. Once again, you might be different but I have no need whatsoever to work on my essay writing skills. I am also not sure why they spend so much time on this in the schedule compared to the verbal section. Not only that, but I think it's kind of a waste of time; time that could be spent more productively on other things.

Yes. C-/C average. Didn't give a damn. Was a delinquent. Got suspended multiple times. Never, ever, did any homework. I barely even graduated. Went into my Chemistry final sitting on a 51% and got a 55% on my exam to pass and graduate.

I always start with an annotated bibliography. Basically just a word doc of a bunch of summaries of relevant literature. After you have an exhaustive list then you can start to mentally map out the different 'camps' of arguments. The excel sheet is a good way of organizing it. However, I do think it is important to start with an annotated bibliography because you actually digest the most important parts of the articles right off the bat. This prevents you from going back and forth trying to remember exactly what each paper said because you already made the mental notes in your head (and have them physically for reference as well). A lit review is more than just organizing and regurgitating the lit on your subject, it's also knowing the literature. This will help you immensely in step 4 (and the entire paper for that matter). I see the excel suggestion as 'step 3' in the process: 1) Collect copious relevant articles (if you need additional advice on this subject, I can provide it) 2) Summarize the most relevant articles 3) Organize the articles 4) Write the lit review In fact, each step is a separate and multiple step process in and of itself.

You're not understanding the overarching purpose of my argument. You are an exception to the rule, not the norm. This thread is about general advice, not exceptions. Applying to a number of programs for academic programs is sound advice, this isn't about you. Cherry picked? I didn't realize that quoting the objective of the program and career opportunities is cherry-picking. Seem like pretty crucial aspects of the program, no? Just because you can parlay a professional masters program into an acceptance to a doctoral program doesn't mean that your program isn't a professional program. I could get acceptance to a doctoral program in political science with a MPP, doesn't mean that a MPP isn't a professional program. Academic programs DO NOT have internships as a crucial component of the program. Academic programs DO NOT have no research based courses, and DO NOT lack a option for a thesis. My definition for graduate academic programs is pretty simple: they are geared towards research. Professional programs are geared towards practical skills for the workplace. Guess which category your program falls into? I mean, christ, two of your four semesters are practicum semesters. You even said yourself that you could theoretically apply to 9 programs. So even in your exception case, it is still possible to apply to a large number of programs.

I am Canadian, I am aware of the differences in school systems. Dietetics is a very small field, actually it is a sub-field within a field. You would be hard pressed to find copious programs in the field in any country. If you take a more traditional program like economics or biology, you would be able to find graduate programs in these disciplines in virtually any major university in the country. And yes, your program is a professional program. The vast majority of courses are geared towards professional settings, not research. And this is what it says on your program info page: Do you see anything related to research on there? I don't. You are in a professional program. You are conflating your situation with the vast majority of everyone's else on this board. Most people on this message board are interested in academic programs. Doesn't matter what country you are from, applying to upwards of 10 or more programs is sound advice for any prospective graduate student, particularly those interested in pursuing doctoral programs.

Well that's because the programs you applied to are very specific. It's more of a difference between professional and academic programs than anything else.

Seems unlikely I will have children. But you never know. The problem is I am too mobile/ambitious/cheap to have kids. I don't see my lifestyle being that compatible with starting a family; if I did, I would have to make sacrifices that I don't think I would be willing to make. Not really very interested in getting married either.

Normally, I would agree. That's why I speak Spanish and Portuguese after spending so much time in Latin America. But I would say Montreal is a different beast. Not sure I would even classify French as a 'dominant' language in this case. In the actual city of Montreal (ie, the island and especially the centre and west), English-only speakers make up a pretty decent sized minority, and bilingual speakers make up the majority. Depending on where you live, the chances you actually run into someone who doesn't speak some form of passable English is pretty low, especially among the younger demographic. So in other words, it's not like it's really 'disrespectful' to not speak French. That being said, I rarely spoke English when I went into stores or to buy things, or things like this. But if someone tried to have a conversation with me, it wasn't going to work out. -------- For the people who actually want to learn French, you have to be strategic in Montreal. I would say, all things considered, Montreal is the worst place to learn French in the world (out of French speaking areas of course). If someone sees that you are weak in French, they will instantly switch to English. Usually whenever someone started talking to me in French (ask for directions, ect.) I would say 'pardon' and boom they ask the same thing in perfect English. I don't know what the actual stats are, but in downtown and adjacent areas I would say 80% of the population is easily passable bilingual. So in other words, it can actually be hard to immerse yourself in Montreal. I would recommend getting roommates that are francophone and speak English poorly. I would also recommend looking for apartments in more francophone neighbourhoods. If you like entertainment or nightlife, go to places that are predominantly French establishments. Lastly, the further away you get from Montreal proper, the more French it becomes. Spending time in the far suburbs or other parts of Quebec on occasion will definitely help. Quebec is a nice province, so any chance you get to get outside of Montreal is a great way of immersing yourself properly in French.

Keep in mind that you don't actually need to know any French to function perfectly in Montreal. Obviously if you are interested in the language and would like to pick it up, then all the power to you. But when I was doing my undergrad there, given the chance at working harder on my studies vs. spending time studying French, I choose the former (I was also influenced this way because I don't particularly like the French language to begin with). Montreal is unlike any other place in Quebec, English has an incredible base there.

I thought (maybe I am wrong) that traditionally Ph.D. programs are quite segregated in terms of classes vs. research. I was under the assumption that you do two years of coursework, mostly methods training classes, pass your comps and then move on to research. Obviously there is some overlap, considering you should be preparing your research questions and prospectus ahead of time. But I thought it was like "here's two years to beef up your methodological and analytic skills, then go do your dissertation and research with those skills."

I agree with the above. But would also add that it may be just your approach to tests. You might just be psyching yourself out. It's just a test, no need to put so much stress on yourself.

Go to Montreal in June and find apartments while there. It's the only way to get good deals and relatively clean apartments.

http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/6-month-gre-study-plan-for-math-beginners/ I have been doing this for two months now. It's been great, math skills have really improved as I hadn't intensively used them in a while.

Not really any different than living with someone of the same gender. The same qualities you look for apply: respectful, chemistry, responsible, trustworthy, ect.

Really not understanding this logic. We're talking Ph.D.s here; 3/4 or more of these schools probably don't even offer Ph.D. programs in X field. I don't know much about English, but coming out of a 50-100 program is not good for ABDs at all for most fields. ----- The fact you seem obsessed with one school makes me believe you didn't do enough research on other programs. It's fine, and perfectly normal, to have a dream school. But what you will find is that there are plenty of great programs out there for every field. For me personally, I have one program that looks to be my favourite, but then another 6 or 7 that I can't even really quantify over the other; they are all great. How many programs did you actually apply to?

Columbia's LAS program looks more political economy/development geared. Not surprising considering they used to have an economist juggernaut like Fishlow as a former director. If you are interested in conflict studies, Columbia might not be a great fit. However, I would say Columbia's program is better; especially considering the resources of ILAS, but their strengths lie in Mexican and Brazilian studies.

I am pretty sure my friend did his entire MSc study on volunteers. His requirements were pretty stringent as well; he had to find people under the age of 18 that had suffered concussions in the last X months.

No offence, but handing in a thesis with crooked text does sound like a "I don't give a shit." Like seriously? How hard is that to fix?

I am completely on the fence regarding this. I have read opinions on both sides. It's probably the one thing I am unsure about in the process for this upcoming fall. Would love to hear other thoughts on this as well.

What's your subfield?

I think one thing to keep in mind is that just because place X might be perceived to be a better fit for you, doesn't mean it will turn out that way in reality. Our perceptions of places or cities are largely determined by our experiences that we have there. For example, someone might choose UT, Austin over say Princeton because it is in Austin and they like the city and think living there would be great. But then they get there and don't really meet anyone they really connect with, find out they don't have much time to enjoy the advantages of living in Austin, or any other thing that leads them to not like the city as much as they thought they would. So you could theoretically pick a place because of where it is located at the detriment of your education and training for no reason. That is why I do agree with the notion of picking the best school according to your goals and research interests above everything else. Because at the end of the day, going to grad school is about receiving training, and since you will spending 80% of your time doing those things, the location really shouldn't be the biggest factor in your choice of which program to attend or apply to. I definitely prefer big cities. I have lived in places like Vancouver, Montreal, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro for the last 15+ years of my life. That being said, as a grad student it's a different mentality. I am going to be spending the vast majority of my time at the university and working my ass off. The benefit of cities are more to do with entertainment and cultural advantages, things that are low priorities for the majority of grad students. Hell, a nice small town could be a blessing because you could get away from the hustle and bustle and really think about research questions that you are working on. So in other words, yeah I like big cities way more and prefer to live in them. But that doesn't necessarily mean I will be more productive as a grad student in that environment. They are different equations with different variables.

I agree with the above poster. I can't imagine the placement being very good for Concordia, in any field.

I don't buy books for classes. I either take them out from the library or try to get a free e-book edition. All journals I just snipe from the library database. I consider buying books that I might want for the future, but that's it. I cannot justify paying the ridiculous prices university books cost these days.

People put courses on their CV? I don't see the point?