xolo

King's College, Oooooooh. The best Spanish grammar book is written in English by a couple of KC professors. Sorry about irrelevant post.

Best not put that in your SOP, it might not come across as very scholarly.

I highly recommend PeakPerformance, who posts here. I think Susan has some free-of-charge classes, but I took some individual classes and raised my writing from 4.0 to 5.0 (that's from the 56th percentile to the 93rd). That 4.0 bothered me not so much because it was terrible, but because I knew I could do better. I don't know for your program, but 3.5 for humanities is pretty low. And congratulations on the other scores.

Magoosh: V161-166 Q156-161 (Exactly the same predictor as spearmint) (I love Magoosh, it's fun) Attempt1: V163 Q156 4.0AWA That AWA really bugged me. At first I figured it was "good enough" then decided to study for a month (off and on) and re-take. Attempt2: V168 Q157 5.0AWA (I really tried to focus on the Q preparation but it was tooo boring and not really that important for my field, so finally I just watched the V practice, so I think I practiced both about the same, and that was just watching the videos) So re-taking can help. I also HIGHLY recommend PeakPerformance, who posts on this forum. (I also really concentrated on the AWA, I knew I could do better)

I understand the bad essay setting a dark mood for the rest of the GRE. My mentor told me her GRE was terrible and yet she was admitted to a top school. She's an awesome writer, though. My GRE wasn't that great so I studied off and on for a month and re-took it. On my second try I got 168V/157Q/5.0 so was pretty happy with a combined 325. BTW, the real problem was my first attempt resulted in a 4.0AWA which bothered me. I hope that the better score at least helps me with funding.

I don't know your personal situation but since you are confident of improvement and you are going to some very competitive programs, I would re-take the GRE. Your going to be spending serious time preparing applications anyway, this is just one more check box. Then you can at least feel good that you are giving it your all. Whether it matters for the programs you apply to, I would not know. BTW, your score is excellent - I think all 3 areas are around the 90th percentile.

Yikes, I need to read a little more carefully. C1 in a year is quite an achievement. Are French students from the US really only B2 after 4-5 years of study?

I don't see why not. I have only researched Spanish, but in my research the universities purposefully stated the requirement of a bachelor's degree to enter the program (no specific subject required). But what's all this B2, C1 stuff? I would expect a person with 4-5 years of university language study to be C2.

You don't say whether or not your boyfriend or you are EU citizens. That might make a difference. You might also consider Spain for your boyfriend. I assume he does not speak Spanish, but if he does, then he is in like Flint. Spain has English programs and the socialistic way of life might be responsible for 50% unemployment among youth but it also makes for dirt cheap universities. They are very welcoming to foreigners and if he is native in English he might find that he is quite in demand. Right now France and Spain are not connected by good rail service but Ryanair and SqueezeeJet are cheap. If you're going to be in southern France you can drive into northern Spain, and there are no border controls, the signs just change languages.

I don't agree that BSCS is better than MSCS. An MSCS sounds better than a BSCS. I would simply tell the truth " but my love for computing was too strong, I had to go back to get a serious education '' Engineering is a very hands-on business activity and your ability to get things done trumps most everything else. The theoretical in CS, as in most engineering disciplines, won't be seen much on the job, or at least not the cutting edge of research. In other words, if you have an MSCS you have all the qualifications you need to enter the labor market.

I'm a hell of a lot older than mid 30s and I'm planning on going for a PhD. If you think about it, universities are public, government funded institutions and are the land of the functionary (if that is the right word in English). They have no real reason to discriminate against anyone for any reason, including age. And they certainly can't openly express any prejudices, at least not in the USA. I would be more concerned with the person with the personal viewpoint that is coloring their thoughts and actions. Of course, you have to explain your future plans in your SOP and interview, right? That is obviously going to need to be dealt with.

While chatting with a graduate advisor at a major university, she commented that their Spanish program was just for future professors of Spanish. I questioned her on that and she back tracked and made some comment about there must be other uses for the PhD because there's a lot of people in the world etc. etc. So, is this really true? PhD in Spanish (or French, or any language) is just to train teaching professors? What are all you PhD students of languages planning on doing after you graduate?

OMG, this is a boring activity. If you are committed to the language then you are committed to its culture. If you really want to acquire educated speech, then you must read voluminously in the language. Learning it in-country is a great way to develop a native feel for the language, but you will be learning colloquial speech. (nothing wrong with that, either). When I was studying to become a court interpreter I really developed a pretty good legal vocabulary, in which beforehand I wasn't really good in any language. So there are vocational areas you can study.

I would say don't give up on your dream. Having said that, of course, dreams can and do change. The university where I went back to school, 30-40% of the Spanish professors are not native speakers. The department chair is a non-native but, man, does he know his stuff and he is a demon when grading, but you do learn a lot. So I would say this question is a factor, but should not rule your decision. Oddly, the prof who really motivated me for grad school is a native speaker. My mentor says when she goes to speak English she has fewer resources, so I guess this is always at the back of the mind.

great thread. vicky25, I'm not sure about that. I've been wondering about that too. In my case, I love my chosen field, so having been out in the workforce for years, I went back and racked up a couple years of part time relevant courses. I don't know if that idea will help you are not, whether you can do that. For me, it has also allowed me the wonderful opportunity to know current professors in the field and I will be asking them for LOR. One in particular really warmed to my academic work and I think she will give be a good LOR.

This is my feeling exactly. Very well put.

I think the responses to your posts will now decrease. And it seems you have been studying too much for the GRE.

Dang! I need a TA position too. It sounds like you should do fine, seeing as you have the math background. Your photo is really amusing.

I used Magoosh but only a couple of days so I would understand the test format. Didn't really use it much beyond that, but it was good to know what to expect as far as exam format. Magoosh estimated 163-168V and 156-161Q [that was from the pretty pie charts with 50 answers logged, I didn't take any of the practice exams, that was too boring to contemplate!]. My actual scores were 163V and 156Q. I guess I did OK, halfway through the exam the frigging test proctor started noisily cleaning the room and using some kind of stinky cleaner fluid - very distracting!!!

I do think you can study for the GRE, especially math, as the GRE is partial to certain mathematics. I didn't bother studying, thinking the GRE is more a 'keep out' number than a 'you're in' number. I got 163V, 156Q which I think is decent for my field, a foreign language, and will enable me to make my case for admission based on my charming wit, pithy writing, and gracious interviewing.

Hi, If someone is willing to review my SOP please PM me. I can also review your SOP if you like. I just spent a TON of time on this task and think I can be a good reviewer. I'm trying to get into a funded PhD program in Spanish or Latin American studies.

At first it seemed impossible to fill up the page, then I started to really get into the writing. That is a good word to describe the emotion behind a SOP, "excitement". It is so exciting to realize you have something to say that is interesting and unique! And I really believe this is true of everyone who has the interest and drive for their field of study.