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In general, I'd say the answer is "No." A 3-4 hr test cannot make up for 4 years of average or worse work in your undergraduate program. All it might do is make people think you could be smart, but perhaps lazy or unfocused -- i.e. unable to sustain the effort required to do well in an academic class -- which is not what you want any graduate admissions committee to think. If your undergraduate GPA is really bad (NOT a 3.7 - sheesh, seriously?? If you really think that, you haven't done much research into grad admissions, have you?), then you should take more courses (either undergrad or grad level) to prove that whatever issues kept you from succeeding before are all in the past.

If you are consistently getting scores you are happy with, stop studying. You're not going to forget everything at this point.

Well, I didn't move across the country -- only applied locally -- but I am happy. Still can't believe I am doing this and have no regrets, even when it gets stressful (which it does . . . ).

Based on my experience, classes with labs are not viewed as research experience, but it can be very hard to get research experience, especially with as little free time as you seem to have.

I also gave small gifts and handwritten notes after the whole process was done. I sent updates as results came in, but I was quite close to my recommenders.

A lot of graduate programs won't let you defer -- you might have to reapply. Have you checked if your program even allows deferrals? I doubt you would be obliged to attend the program, even if you had a deferral. Most programs don't want people who don't want to be there.

Don't let your age hold you back if you DO decide you really want to pursue the PhD. As your admissions results show, the departments you applied to are confident you can do it. I'm around your age, and I have no regrets about having just started my PhD program. However, I did not have very appealing employment options before returning to school, so it sounds as though our situations are very different. Still . . . I am having a blast learning all this new material and gaining skills I never imagined I'd have.

Both are well-known schools with good reputations -- Congratulations! The MAIN difference I can think of is that Boston is an awesome city to live in and Troy is in the middle of nowhere. Also, there is a huge student population in Boston, and you'd be able to meet and interact with students from numerous schools and attend functions (i.e. special lectures/seminars) at other schools -- so you'd have more options there. I don't necessarily mean attend classes, but when there are invited speaker series, you'd probably be able to go if someone you were really interested in came. PS - I hope I don't offend any RPI students -- it's a fantastic school -- but it's not really near an exciting city. On the plus side, you'd probably have fewer distractions keeping you from your work.

@vivek -- I'm sorry, but your scores are quite low, and you say your GPA is also low. Even for appliciants with great records, competition is especially tough for international students. You might need to consider retaking the GRE and reapplying. Also, not having gotten any interviews (even Skype interviews) does not seem like a good sign. Your research experience sounds great, but you need to have an overall strong package, and your GRE might really be hurting you (and the TOEFL seems low to me also, though I am not very familiar with the scoring scale for that ...).

I think you need to talk to everyone you might possibly be thinking of asking to write you letters of recommendation and get their input. They have no restrictions on what they can write about you or on how much they can write. I think they fill out a form on you and then have unlimited space to add any other information. This is where the actual "letter" gets uploaded. They can discuss how much they admire the effort you've put in to prusuing this career goal, despite a rough beginning. My sense is that the 2nd bachelor's will be the one they use, but I could be wrong. Still, it makes sense to consider more recent coursework, since that's more likely to be representative of who you are now. Good luck!

At this stage, if deadlines are imminent or past, any recommender is better than none. Get a letter to complete your file so that you can be considered. This is an unfortunate situation, but it is not very uncommon. Usually, if your letter is not too late (one of mine was less than 1 week late), it is OK. But if the committee meets before your file is complete, you could be out of time and out of luck.

Probably no more insane than to apply in the first place. Sorry, I couldn't resist. I'm loving graduate school, but I'm in the middle of finals week and operating on way too little sleep Plus, I had to deal with more than a few people last year who thought I was crazy to be applying to grad school at my age.

I am assuming this is someone who had communicated with you in the past, otherwise I agree with the poster above. I don't expect responses to thank you notes as a matter of course. I don't think he could be offended, but he might be worried that responding to a rejected student might lead to more annoying emails in the future (paranoid). Or he sees no value in communicating with someone who won't be in the program (rude). Or he could just be busy (but still, isn't everyone?). I had a similar experience with one prof -- he had responded before I got rejected, then nothing. But other profs reponded and even gave unsolicited encouragement.I was brought up to thank everyone, so I had to -- I would have felt like a slacker if I hadn't.

WSU is a really nice school (I know people there), and you'd be able to live right near campus. Don't know anything about UCR -- sounds like you wouldn't have to move to go there. Research interested can change, relationships are important. Is your girlfriend sure she couldn't find a job out in Pullman? I don't envy you your decision.

Sorry to hear how difficult it has been for you. I worry that my kids will face similar difficulties when they look for jobs. Just to echo other posters - try not to let it discourage you too much. Keep applying, you certainly sound qualified! Good luck!

Agree -- go with the fully funded offer. You can try CMU again for the PhD. 10K a semester is a lot of debt, and you'd need to take out even more than that to cover living expenses. I suppose you could work, as you mentioned, but that would cut into your studies. If you could get a TA, which might help you find jobs in the future,if you were interested in teaching, that would be a different matter.

I'd go with CMU -- great reputation and they are offering the most money. Would you be able to study what you are interested in there?

My guess is it probably does matter -- but it is hard to know which would be better in the long run without knowing what the schools are. Why have you been leaning towards the smaller university? Is its reputation really that different? If you feel that the smaller school is a better fit, maybe it is. Maybe you will be more productive and have better opportunities there because you are happier there. It's really a decision only you can make, but it's a nice position to be in. Congratulations!

Another here who just got into one and loving it. I was prepared for no acceptances -- it's just that competitive and if you're not perfect . . . . So, NO, you are NOT a fraud. Go and learn and make the most of this opportunity! You EARNED it!

I don't know how old you are, but I found this got better as I got older. I guess I just got used to talking to people in different situations. I'm not saying I never get nervous or self-conscious, but I get over it faster and I seem to care less about it.

I think the courses can also be good to provide structure. ciistai does not, right now, sound to me like someone who is really comfortable with the thought of self-studying. Has he/she even taken a full-length procatice test under test-like conditions to see how much work actually needs to be done? I was having trouble getting myself to study, so I took the GRE early. If I had not done well, I was seriously considering enrolling in a course, so I wouldn't keep procrastinating. I also found the books not very helpful. Had I gone to a class, I would have hoped for a studying plan that focused on my weaknesses. The books seemed to include too many problems I did not need to practice.

I think you'd lose your deposit, and you would have to notify the school that you do not intend to attend, but I can't imagine a program would want a student who'd rather be somewhere else.

Sorry things didn't work out this year . . . I felt that a similar outcome was very possible for me last year. I don't know your field at all, but is there no way you could do the work you'd like to do in a Psy.D. program? At least in my current program, once you're admitted, there seems to actually be a fair degree of flexibility.

I think it would be fine to write that you would be delighted to accept their offer of admission and attend their program, contingent upon successfully obtaining funding that would enable you to do so.

Parts of your post are a little confusing, but if you are applying for admission to start in 2013, why don't you have enough time? You definitely don't have enough time to apply NOW for THIS fall (admissions offers have been/are being sent now), so just start the process for the next cycle. Applications usually open sometime in September.