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Good luck anyway. I was told the GRE was one of the least important parts of the application, provided you had some minimum total (and that number varies by program). In other words, high scores supposedly do not actually help much, but low scores can keep you out. As I've never served on an admissions committee, I can't guarantee that that is more than a rumor, but that is what I was told. The general consensus among people I talked to is that the math is not considered all that difficult (or shouldn't be for science students -- since I was applying in sciences, that's all I researched), and that the verbal is not as important (i.e scores in the 500s -- don't know what the new system equivalent would be -- were acceptable). The math CAN be studied for. I agree the verbal is harder to prep for (but perhaps easier with the test redesign which I heard focused less on vocabulary without context?). It is a hoop to jump through -- one of many. Is it stupid? Of course it is.

Generally professors and lab supervisors or employers. Think about who would write a good letter for you, and how that leter would fill out your application. It can be helpful if your recommender knows people at the programs you're applying to (though I did not have this benefit).

The problem with low GREs is that they might cause people to question the rigor of your undergraduate program. It might be that you are a "poor test taker," but presumably you had to pass many tests during your undergraduate career, and you should have learned how to cope with the stress or whatever your issues were. The GRE is a test you can study for, so perhaps you don't know how to focus your studying appropriately. This might also be concerning to admissions committees. In other words, it is worth the effort to make sure you achieve acceptable GRE scores. They do not need to be perfect, but they should be very close to the average scores for the programs you hope to get into. According to data published by the school, the students in my program had (old scoring) totals above 1400. I don't know if the program selected for high scores, or if all applicants were in the same range, but why give them an easy way to eliminate you?

The first time I went to school with kids, I had 2 under 2 when I started and the third was born while I was in school. I finished, but the postgraduate training proved to be impossible to finish. Now, I am trying again with MUCH older kids, and it's MUCH, MUCH easier. So, school with kids is not impossible, and it sounds as though you have more support than we did, but it is tough. Good luck.

I'm glad the programs I applied to kept scores -- applying is an expensive enough process as it is. It seems really insenstive NOT to hold on to score reports and to make students pay to get them sent again.

Mine opened in September and things got submitted as they were ready. So the easy biographical stuff was done early. My SOP took forever. And some LORs were late. Transcripts, though ordered all at once, came in at all different times.

You can do both -- keep applying for jobs, since grad school is not a sure thing, but give it a try anyway? It's not going to be easy, but if you don't try, you have no shot. Good luck.

Also, once the official application opened, it did take some time for the online application to reflect that my GRE report had been received, so don't worry if it does not show up right away. However, if you think it's taking too long, you can call the graduate office and ask about it. It was good I called when my transcripts weren't showing up -- they had been filed under my maiden name. So, clerical errors can happen, and calling doesn't hurt.

Work on improving your GRE -- your estimated scores don't seem very competitive. The rest of your record seems OK

Yes, they "save" the scores. I'm not sure how each individual school matches up scores and applicants, but I took the GRE in June, and my application didn't open until September, and it was no problem.

I think it would be more relevant than a letter from someone who had you in class 15+ years ago.

I have no idea how my SOP was received. It took mutiple drafts to complete, and was read by two professors whose opinions I value highly before I submitted it. It was honest and it was reflective of who I am and the experiences that led me to applying. It wasn't funny, but it wasn't just focused on research interests, either. It might have been too personal, but there were aspects of my background that needed explanation. I did get multiple interviews, and I am a grad student now, however, so I guess it served its purpose.

No, it is not too early. Anytime after your applications officially open and they are able to do the electronic submissions should be fine. They may still, however, wait until the night before they're due (or even later) to send them.

No, don't retake.

The local U in my area lets members of the public purchase library privileges.

Sorry to hear that -- my LOR writers told me they appreciated the reminders... In fact, they were so much more supportive than I expected that getting LORs ended up being one of the best parts of my application process.

That's true -- they talk to each other!

All you can do is apologize and say you hadn't realized how late it was (though I agree, that it not late). And try to switch advisors at the first possible moment -- can you switch now?. Good luck.

If you have good relationships with both of them, you should be able to just mention in your newsy email that you're planning on applying to graduate school and do they have any recommendations or nuggets of advice to offer you. Then, when the LOR request comes, they most likely won't be at all surprised.

I would also recommend avoiding the for-profit school route. They are not generally well-regarded.

If you are working in his lab, you most likely WILL need to ask him for a letter at some point. You do seem to have mucked things up, going about them the way you did. You probably need to decide relatively soon whether you're going to apply to different programs or stay and do a PhD with him. You WILL need a letter from him for your PhD. It will look very odd if you don't have one. You probably need to have a discussion about your future plans, so that you both know where things stand. If you're going to stay, let him know, so he doesn't have to worry about it. If you want to explore other options, but have not decided whether to stay or not, you should let him know that too.

It sounds as though you could have used better advising during your undergrad career so that you might have been aware of the prestige of the conference and how bad backing out would look. Maybe the professors should re-evaluate how they advise majors in their department. You'd think there would have been plenty of other opportunities to show that you are reliable and can handle pressure (graduating with honors would seem to imply you were not a flake as an undergrad), but clearly you upset someone a LOT and it only takes one episode to tarnish a reputation. You can go to the meeting and decide what to do based on that. If you really feel there is no one you'd be able to comfortably work with, maybe looking at other schools would make sense. BUT -- a couple of questions: 1) Are they giving you funding? 2) Are you geographically "stuck"? 3) How badly do you want to do this?

That is the way to do it, but you should still be prepared that some people at 4-year schools will have a snooty attitude about CCs. I've run into it on more than one occasion, and it's generally pretty amusing to me, since the CC in question has some excellent offerings and faculty members and I had a fantastic experience there. Still, having letters from those amazing professors probably did have a negative effect on some of my applications. But I probably wouldn't have been happy in a place that hung up on itself anyway.

It would certainly strengthen your application if you were able to work with someone known, make a very good impression, and get a great LOR. I don't know if this special program will give you that opportunity or not, but it might give you access. If you are able to make some good contacts, it might even be worth staying to do research with them for a while (if that is an area where you need to strengthen your application). Doing well in graduate courses is not necessarily easy, so taking a full set of grad classes could be something of a gamble, especially if you are not also making helpful personal contacts.

I don't think that's how it used to work -- I thought they sent ALL the results, not just your best scores. I took it twice, but 20 years apart, so I don't have an actual score report to consult, but I have never heard anyone describe what you are saying.