Mystic_Fog

My actual GRE scores were quite similar to the PP2 scores. 150Q and 162V, AWA TBD but I feel fairly confident of getting at least a 4 if not higher. I think the math on the real thing was much easier than Magoosh, and I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not. It felt almost too easy, and I think I didn't pay as close attention because of that. I also rushed the last few questions on the first section because I had extra time and got too relaxed in the middle. Magoosh consistently predicted my Q to be 152-157, so I was a little let down, but my adviser doesn't seem too worried about it, so these are the scores I'll be doing.

I'll be taking the GRE tomorrow so I'll update then, but here's my practice scores (in order taken) PP1: 146Q 154V Kaplan: 144Q 158V Magoosh1: 152Q 158V Magoosh2: 153Q 162V Magoosh3: 151Q 163V Magoosh4: 154Q 152V (Did not do writing here, was also done later at night and under great stress) PP2: 149Q 158V (It should be noted this one was taken without the writing, starting at 11pm after two days of very bad sleep and after an incredibly long day, but that I felt the math was the easiest I'd seen yet, so I'm not sure how that balances out). Hopefully my actual GRE scores are more in line with my Magoosh practice scores, because those have been pretty consistent so far and I think the last two practice tests were a little skewed because of the first week back to school and not really doing them at the same time of day as I would other practice tests, which were all done in early afternoon or early evening.

My research interest 30-secnd pitch is : I explore the relationship between different social groups, with a specific emphasis on how members of stigmatized identities (mental illness, LGBT, racial/ethnic minorities, etc) manage stigma against their identity, how to increase identification and adherance to one's group, and how being a member of a stigmatized group predicts different psychological and physical health risks.

I've raised my Quant score by about 6 points in a month using Magoosh intensively as well as the Manhattan 5lb book to supplement extra practice problems.

Remember that these are averages - so these are numbers that represent all scores combined - which means people who've been accepted have scores lower than 160 and some have higher. For all you know, almost every applicant got in the 150-157 range and one or two people scored very high and pulled up the average. That's why you can't measure yourself by averages, especially because these numbers tell you zip about the rest of the profile of the people who were accepted.

Okay.so. 1. You can take it even in the fall of your senior year, but it's recommended you take it no later than 6 weeks before your program deadline. 2. Depends on the field, school, and number of applications they receive. Really, most schools do a very holistic overview. If your application materials are on point and your scores are respectable, you have as good a shot as anyone. 3. Go to those schools websites, find their grad school page, find the degrees they offer and go to that departments web page to answer that. It really varies on the school, the program, how many apps they receive, and how stiff the competition is that year. 4. Study lots, but don't let it take over your life. Burn out is a real problem and after so much studying in a day, you just stop absorbing stuff. You have plenty of time - breathe. The GRE is a big mind game, so the best thing you can do is learn to play it. Learn what they look for, how they ask questions, and what they expect of you. 5. You usually do those emails in the early fall of your senior year. Also, you're wayyyy ahead of yourself here, so it's okay to slow down and be thoughtful about what you're studying. If you can work it in, take a math class to formally brush up on stuff. Some good prep stuff may also help. Take the time to identify your weaknesses and work on those - you have time. Most people don't start studying until Spring/summer before their senior year - you're gonna be ok. As for applying to grad school in undergrad, it's very simple - you apply in the fall of your senior year. Just like high school (just more involved).

I'd check with each of your programs, but I think overall you have nothing to worry about. From the programs I've looked at, 80th percentile is ideal (of course, most programs refrain from hard cutoff points) so you should be more than fine!

This great webseries Carmilla.

Ah yes. Well she was a graduate student years ago, so maybe he was more responsive then. Don't take his response personally - as I understand it, that's just how he is. You know the type. He's very good at what he does but he isn't necessarily the friendliest. I would maybe just focus more on reading his work than approaching him directly. In addition, U Penn is an Ivy school and their psych program is one of the best (VIA was created there, after all and they work often with resiliance programs for the milittary) so they get tons of applications. It seems rude, but from what I've heard it's actually good when they tell you this - they want you to know your shots so you don't waste time or energy getting invested in something that probably won't pan out. It sucks to hear so bluntly, but at least you don't waste your time, y'know?

Perhaps I should have clarified. I am focusing more on doing the problems using the Magoosh software, which is computer based. I only ordered the Manhattan book as an additional resource, as I've heard the questions are similar to what you get on the GRE, and as I want to be able to have additional problems to do. My main issue is the conceptual knowledge of math, so I figured a book can't hurt if it might provide additional background knowledge.

You should check out Seligman from U Penn. he was my advisers graduate adviser, and he does a lot with positive psychology (esp interventions and mindfulness). Another great resource is actually a book called The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Positive Psychological Interventions. It's a bit of an anthology, and all of the chapters deal with interventions. It's a great place to start and get some background info and leads on where to look next.

I mean, since you've already competed the common and basic decks, it'd probably be optimal to focus on learning the advanced decks, and maybe just brush up on the basic and common decks here and there.

I'm in the same boat as you. I started with a 146 Q and 154 V from Powerprep as a baseline and after about 2-3 weeks of intense studying and getting through 1/3 of Magoosh's math videos (I'm almost done with algebra) and a handful of verbal videos, my latest V is 159 and my Q is 144 based from my kaplan practice test. YIKES. I think a big part of it is just that after re-learning math, you start to over-think it. I've decided to focus more energy on doing problems then watching videos, because it's more engaging. I've also order the Manhattan 5 ib book, as I've heard good things about it. I think the key is to focus on strategy and doing enough practice problems to become comfortable and reinforce/extend your knowledge.