Lizzla

If you're a US citizen, your TIN number is your social security number. TIN is just the more generic name for it and includes the numbers used by non-citizens for tax purposes in the US. A DUNS number is used to identify businesses and organizations--I was confused too when I read the Javits info, because as far as I know individuals don't have DUNS numbers. Maybe they mean that your graduate institution needs to have a DUNS number? Most universities do have them because the government uses them to track grant money. I think they meant the institution needs one and not the applicant--it's not mentioned anywhere else in the packet. Don't take this as the final word, but I think they were just being unclear.

I took the GRE two weeks ago and just got my official score reports: Q 730, V 800, AW 3.5. I didn't feel great about my issue essay but I was pretty confident in my argument essay, and since the two are averaged I wasn't too worried. So the 3.5 is kind of a shock..,my issue essay was mediocre, but it wasn't THAT bad, and certainly not an accurate assessment of my writing skills. (A 3.5 is the 26th percentile) I don't really want to take the GRE again since I got such good scores otherwise, but I'm worried that a 3.5 might disqualify me out of hand at some of my programs. I'm applying to some top-20 and top-10 programs in sociology, so writing is really important. Writing is one of my strengths (all evidence to the contrary ); I'm very confident in my writing sample and SOP. I just sort of blanked on my issue essay, and ran out of time before I really was comfortable with what I was turning in. I know that the AW score isn't generally taken as seriously as the verbal and quantitative sections, and adcoms will have examples of the kind of writing that I do with ample time, I'm just nervous... If I have a strong writing sample and an 800 on the verbal section, will adcom members assume that the AW is a fluke, or is this really going to cost me?

Me too! I was a terrible procrastinator my first two years of undergrad, because I could easily pull an all-nighter, knock out a good paper, and run on adrenaline the next day. I started trying to avoid all-nighters when I was about twenty, and once I stopped doing them as often, I lost the ability. I can still stay up pretty late if I'm racing a deadline, but I NEED 2-3 hours of sleep and even then it takes me a few days to catch up. It doesn't affect the quality of my work too much--at least not more than it did before--but I pay a much heavier price physically. I have one more semester to go, and I have a honors project to write and a research job (not to mention grad school applications), so I'm really going to have to be disciplined, now that I'm hitting the ripe old age of 22

For the verbal section, I used Barron's list and Word Smart for the GRE. Personally, I think Barron's is a better resource overall, but Word Smart was useful because it pointed out alternate meanings of relatively simple words that I might not have bothered to study otherwise. Keep in mind when you take the test that if the word seems really simple, there's probably a secondary meaning. If you're running out of time and you feel like you need to acquire a whole lot of vocabulary, I'd stick to Barron's (you don't even need to buy the book--just google Barron's gre vocab list). If you feel like your vocabulary base is pretty solid and just needs some polishing, spend some time paging through Word Smart. It's worth pointing out that you don't need to score as high on the verbal section to get a good percentile as you do on the quantitative section, so if you take one of the ETS practice tests and get a solid verbal score, your time might be better spent on the math. Say you're aiming for the 80th percentile--you only need a 570 or so on the verbal, but you'd need a 740 quantitative, since so many people get an 800 Q. So..basically what I'm saying is don't just study hard, study smart Good luck!

Thanks! I'm relieved to have it over with...I was imagining some nightmare scenario where I'd be halfway through the test and we'd get a bad thunderstorm and the power would go out. Or there would be a tornado..we've had some interesting weather the last couple of days, so those fears aren't entirely unreasonable

Well, I survived the beast, and not too shabbily: Q: 730, V: 800. Time for a cold beer and a nap!

Don't worry--I'm a baby too! I'm on the four and a half year plan because I double-majored with a minor and studied abroad for a year. SO worth it. I'm graduating this December, working (knock on wood) for a few months, and starting grad school within a week or two of my 23rd birthday.

clap on.

Thanks for the tip I am a little fuzzy on my triangle rules. I like math and I did well in stats last fall, but it's been a LONG time since I've used some of the math covered on the GRE. I'm not too concerned about the verbal section, but I'm a little worried that I'm going to run short on time during the quantitative section and make stupid mistakes. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic, though--and I'm taking it early enough that I can retake it if it comes to that.

Take this with a grain of salt because I'm just repeating something someone else told me, but I think there's an advantage in applying near the beginning of a cycle-- your application will be reviewed by a fresher pair of eyes, reviewers might have a little more time to spend on your application, and not a lot of spots will have been filled yet. Adcomms can get pretty ruthless at the end of a cycle when they've got a mountain of applications and only a few spots. I don't think it will hurt your chances to apply without your final grades--a lot of of people apply during their senior year of undergrad and send their final transcript later on, so that's pretty standard. There might be an advantage in waiting if something during your last semester (i.e. significant improvement in your gpa) is going to make you a much stronger candidate than you would be otherwise. But if you expect your last semester to be pretty consistent with your previous work, you might as well apply early. That would also give you plenty of time in case paperwork gets lost, a letter of recommendation arrives late, etc.

Hello! My first post as well, although I've been lurking for a few weeks. I'm finishing up my B.A.(Sociology and French) this fall and then taking a few months to work and decompress before (hopefully) starting grad school next fall. I plan to specialize in social demography, and I have a particular interest in African demography. I'm taking the GRE next Friday! (Crossing my fingers and studying geometry like a madwoman)