USF_Rockstar

Thanks for the input...

This don't think this is something we can answer here. I suggest setting up an appointment with a career counselor. Good luck.

Thanks for all the replys. If I do tell them where else I'm applying it will suprise them to say the least... :|

I probably studied 400 words and ended up with a 520v 650q. I kind of neglected the Q because I only got a 400v on the diagnostic. When you study enough words long enough you start learn the prefixes and roots anyway, but I'm going to specifically study them before I retake. I also used this: http://www.amazon.com/Testbuster-GRE-Ge ... 229&sr=8-5 The software included has a crossword and a matching game (along with 3 practice tests and some speed reading program.) It comes with a fairly extensive dictionary but it allows you to make your own custom dictionary. What I did was I put every word in that I didn't know from the dictionary that came with the program and manually put in every word in from the Princeton Review. It was a long painstaking process but it made it a lot easier to study. Once you have all the words in you can learn from crossword puzzles and matching games, which I'll take any day of the week over flash cards.

As the title suggests one school I'm applying to has a section on the application that asks what other schools I'm applying to. I think I can omit this section but I'm trying to determine if it would be benefical to tell them. I'm not sure how they would interpret this because some of the other insititutions I'm appling to are ranked considerably better. It makes me think they might make me a generous offer so I'll go to their school, or it could backfire by getting rejected because they might assume I won't attend anyway. What would you do, just leave the section blank or reveal the schools they are in competition with?

An MPA is a lot different. It deals a lot with management, regulations, etc. so if you're interested in politics it probably isn't the best fit. You might want to check out political science. I've been interested in history, politics, international relations, philosophy... so it hasn't been easy for me to choose a degree (I'm still not sure to be honest) but I think political science is probably the best fit because it is more of an interdisciplinary degree than the others. Most programs don

I'm in the same boat more or less. I'd assume we're best off applying to schools that do not offer PhD programs, which isn't ideal because a lot of the best schools offer both. How are your gre scores?

I'm applying to a masters program (probably in INR or something close) and I'd like to go for free or at least get reduced tuition. When looking at schools how can I get an idea of where I'm most likely to recieve financial aid?

I think I might apply to about 6 or 7. Maybe more, its just that I hate asking favors from people and don't want to over burden my recommenders... If I can get about 5 recommenders then I might apply to a few more schools since each person would have less schools to write for.

It sounds like you can probably go where ever you want, aside from maybe the top 3 schools but I wouldn't rule anywhere out. Congrats.

You may get better feedback if you repost this thread here: viewforum.php?f=43 or politiely ask a forum leader to move it for you.

Well, I scored a 390v and 655q 11 days ago on an REA test. Today I scored 520v and 650q on the real GRE so it seems like the verbal section really is inconsistant or REA's test is somehow flawed.

I'll probably take it tomorrow and let you know. So far I've just taken 1 power prep and 3 REA tests. The verbal strategies I learned haven't had much of an impact on my scores. If you don't mind, could you breifly summerize the strategy you found most effective? Thanks. I feel like I've got a pretty good vocabulary now but something is just off so I'm trying to pin point it.

Thanks a lot for all the responces. I'm getting the impression the GRE might not be such a great indicatior since everyone's verbal scores are so inconsistant. I'm going to take the test in a week and I feel like I'm mainly relying upon luck to score well in that section. I've studyied hard for two months increaseing my vocabulary by several hundred words and based on my scores that effort was futile. I have one suggestion that I haven't seen anyone else mention thus far for the writing section. I understand half of the writing section is based on analyzing an arguement and I think studying for the logical reasoning section of LSAT might be beneficial. The LR section of the LSAT is all about analyzing arguements and I think it might also get you more comfortable with agruementative verbage like "sufficent and necessary conditions" so it might be worth looking into.

Mine don't seem to be consistant at all. After taking a diagnostic I knew I needed to improve a lot on verbal so I've been studying vocab and verbal strategy for almost two months now and had my lowest score on a practice test today which is discouraging. So far in chronological order my scores have been as follows: 400v, 610q 500v, 628q 440v, 603q 390v, 655q Is that normal? Any idea how my verbal score fell so dramatically? With a verbal score like that a week out from the real GRE I'm beginning to get nervious. Thanks in advance.

Thanks a lot FSIA!

A quick question about selecting recommenders... Would it be best to only ask doctors or will professors with a master's suffice?

I have a couple GRE related questions... 1. Typically you take the GRE first then submit the application or is it the other way around? (I really won't know which schools to apply to until I get that peice of information.) 2. What does it cost to have your scores sent to each school? Thanks!

A 1530 is pretty impressive, what did you do in preparation?

Thanks, I like this site. Prospective law school applicants have a ton of resources online, it's nice to see a site that provides information for other programs.

Situation: I'm graduating next month and I'm looking at MPA & MPP programs. The earliest I can reasonably begin graduate school is January 09. Between now and then I intend on studying for and taking the GRE probably in August and September. Goal: Get into the best school I can and graduate as soon as possible. Plan 1: Apply to graduate school soon so I would begin in the spring... Work at an applicable job between now and January. Hopefully that work experience would help my admissions chances since I currently have no relevant work experience. In this case I would apply to all schools and enroll in one in the Spring. Plan 2: Same as above except I don't apply to my choice schools. The reason is because I'm less likely to be admitted and less likely to get funding. In Plan 2 I would enroll in a good school or a safety school, take spring classes, then apply to transfer to my choice schools to begin in Fall 09. This way I waste no time and I'm somewhat more likely to get into a choice school. Plan 3: Work all of next year and apply to begin classes in Fall 09. This way I'll have more work experience which would hopefully look better on an application, but that would mean sitting out an extra semester. Which sounds like the most logical route to choose in order to reach my goal? What else should I take into consideration? Thanks!

Does anyone know about the College of William and Mary's MPP program? It says on their site they only admit 25 students per year which would lead me to believe they have pretty tough admissions standards but I've never seen anything on here about it.

Thanks a lot for the thorough reply and congrats on all the premier schools you've been accepted to. I'd love to go to somewhere like Georgetown but I can't imagine being accepted there. I'm taking every word of your advice; I actually spoke with a very prominent person in local politics today and it seems like I have a reasonable chance of getting a job or an internship. I

I'm graduating this summer so I'm doing research now on graduate schools. I haven't taken the GRE yet (studying) but I took a diagnostic exam and scored 400/610. Hopefully I can improve quite a bit but I'm not too optimistic that I'll be able to score above 1100. My UGPA is 3.13 with an upward curve, and I have no relevant work experience. I'm graduating a year ahead of my class so perhaps that will work in my favor but to the best of my knowledge that isn't something that an admissions office typically looks for. So, based on what I've mentioned above what schools should I consider applying to? Thank you.