JoeySsance

Yeah I got wind of this, too, but the OP hadn't responded so it didn't occur to me to come back here and update my comment. Here's the article I read which has some more details: http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/culture/2010/11/760690/professor-trouble-post-structuralist-star-judith-butler-headed-columb Berkeley still has some amazing scholars, so my recommendation still stands. I must admit, I'm excited that she'll be at one of the grad schools I'm considering (even if it is in a different department).

Thanks, I'll be sure to look into it. I can't imagine that my department would give me a hard time if ETS tried to pull a crazy stunt like that, haha. I'm sure they'd be content to have my scores as long as they're coming directly from ETS. When I find out, I'll post again so anyone else who finds themselves in this admittedly uncommon situation will at least have some form of precedent to consider.

GK Chesterton, can you please just drop it already? Several of us have given you our opinions. Hotmessexpress was right. Waddle's citation is basically common knowledge and its what hotmessexpress and everyone else here has been trying to convey to you. Bitter posters like you seriously detract from the pleasantness of the Grad Café community. Can't we all just get along? Edit: I hadn't seen the post before mine. I agree with hotmessexpress about this case being closed. Let's move on with our lives.

I'm with laurend and hotmessexpress. I also intend to report it the way it appears on the official ETS document.

You're welcome, Hatem! I'm really glad you found them useful. The last thing I wish to convey is any semblance of wounded sanctimony. I just thought of this place as a cool community where people share resources and acknowledge the help they get (as you have). It probably takes a few seconds to type out "thank you" (a fraction of the time it took someone to photocopy all 54 of those verbal sections people have been taking for granted).

Hey everyone. I just thought I'd make a quick note of something important. I've noticed people have downloaded the old verbal sections I provided. (You're welcome, by the way) It's worth noting that these are from when the exam used to include the Analytical section (not the essay but the multiple-choice version with logic games and argument analysis). As I said earlier, you'll definitely want to supplement these with some CAT-practice, not only to become familiar with the CAT-format but also to practice more recent questions. You should be aware that a handful of the questions in that plethora of verbal sections are NOT at all like questions you would see today. To see what I mean, you should check out ETS's free guide online (http://www.ets.org/s...actice_book.pdf <-- The verbal sections in that booklet are identical to those in Test 1 of the download verbal sections I provided). In ETS's booklet, such questions are marked with asterisks (pay close attention to the kinds of questions it deems invalid). Who knows how many more of such invalid questions types are to be found in the other verbal sections. Since there are 54 verbal sections total in the download I provided, there's a chance a fair chunk of the material is of no use (and might only confuse and frustrate you). Furthermore, it will be distributed throughout all of those sections and will not be marked with asterisks; just be aware of that. Obviously, you should use your best judgment. Invalid questions may come in the form of analogies whose bridges seem to have the most tenuous connection to the answer choices or reading passages from genres you would never see in today's GRE. By the way, I'd like to know that my posts on this site are helping people, so please say so! I hate when people silently and ungratefully pilfer... I have so many other neat, free review resources that I'd be happy to share, but I'm starting to wonder whether GC is really the place to do so...

Are you going through the ones from the "Big book" download for which I provided the link in another thread? I've wondered this, too, but I'm pretty sure not a single one will come up, especially since these old verbal sections are from when the exam included a multiple-choice Analytical section (with logic games and argument analysis).

Kaplan's GRE review book lists standard deviation in "Level 3" difficulty, which in their 3 level system is equivalent to a "hard" GRE question. Could it be that those who are doing well and are thus encountering "hard" questions are more likely to see standard deviation questions than those who are dealing with mostly "medium" and "easy" questions? It might be helpful if those of you who've seen standard deviation problems offered your Quant scores and ditto for those of you who haven't seen them. Of course the correlation wouldn't be a perfect one. Someone with an 800 might have gone through their entire exam without a single standard deviation question (perhaps it just wasn't selected from the extensive pool of "hard" questions)... and someone with a score in the 500s or 600s (or lower) might have been doing well enough earlier in their exam to encounter a "hard" standard deviation question but then their score decreased shortly - if not, immediately - afterward... You get the point... lol, do you? I haven't taken the GRE yet... mine's in a few days! I'll be sure to do some practice problems to be safe!

Try framing it this way: I took some time off after undergrad to work which helped me put my interests into perspective and to set aside some earnings to finance my graduate education. You don't have to say it exactly like that, but this way, you highlight your work ethic and you spin it to emphasize the development of your interests [or rather, how you put them into perspective by taking time off and immersing yourself in another (possibly challenging? rewarding?) environment..). It's all about being rhetorically clever without being dishonest! I hope that helps!

Try framing it this way: I took some time off after undergrad to work which helped me put my interests into perspective and to set aside some earnings to finance my graduate education. You don't have to say it exactly like that, but this way, you highlight your work ethic and you spin it to emphasize the development of your interests [or rather, how you put them into perspective by taking time off and immersing yourself in another (possibly challenging? rewarding?) environment..). It's all about being rhetorically clever without being dishonest! I hope that helps!

For the writing, read sample essays that earned top scores and try to structure your ideas using those as examples. I've found it helpful to look at a bunch of prompts and just outline how I would write the essays. What would be my main position or point? What evidence would I cite? What are some of the underlying assumptions? etc. etc. I'm way too lazy to make myself actually write full timed essays (which is a very bad study habit) but at least it's better than ignoring the essay section altogether. Check out ETS's pool of essay prompts. You've definitely got a bit of time between now and January. Maybe look at 5 a day and make quick outlines for how you would write them. Perhaps you'll see your organization skills improve and at some point you might want to make yourself write some of the essays. I'm sure someone on GC wouldn't mind checking them out for you so you have an outside opinion. Touch base with me and if I'm not particularly busy when you do, I'd be delighted to help you out. Let me know! As for the merit of taking practice tests, I've been working on a lot of old verbal sections. I find that they help me get used to the question types and to ameliorate my skills in certain areas. What I do is I keep a post-it note around and jot down words I come across on the practice tests that I don't know or can't remember and I look them up later and do my best to commit them to memory (through online flashcards and the like). While you may not pick up a whole ton of new words this way, it's certainly worth considering, if anything because it's good general practice. As for learning new words, yes, do check out the Fiske book. Barron's 800 Words is a good book too, especially with its chapters on roots. Here's a neat download where I found 27 old ETS-administered GREs. It just contains the Verbal sections, but that seems to be the area you want to practice the most. Between now and my exam (which is coming up really soon), my goal is to finish going through these and noting words or analogies that give me difficulty. Check it out and let me know what you think: http://noteshelp4u.blogspot.com/2009/09/gre-big-book-check-your-prepration.html Note that these are obviously in the paper-based format. You'll definitely want to supplement this practice with PowerPrep, ManhattanGRE's free CAT exam (http://www.manhattangre.com), maybe Princeton Review's CAT exam (http://www.princetonreview.com/grad/free-gre-practice-test.aspx)... basically as much free (but reliable) CAT practice as you can get between now and your test date. Sorry if my ideas appear somewhat desultory. I was just writing down tips as they came to me. Good luck!

Check out this thread I started:

Here's an even shorter video that illustrates the range of practice questions: Caveat emptor (well, you're not really "buying" it but... y'know what I mean...): There seem to be typos in some of the practice words. When I saw this video I was like, wait what's "dependeny" and how about "vacillaet"? I ran a search on Google and found these exact same typos in precisely the same contexts in a pool of practice questions in Chinese GRE prep material, which leads me to believe that some if not all of this review originates from those sources. I'm finding it helpful to just ignore the typos because it's still a really efficient program as far as retaining new vocabulary in one's memory is concerned. I just thought I'd clarify this.

I recently came upon this amazing resource on Youtube. It's a program with flashcards and tons of practice questions for the GRE Verbal section. Since I didn't see anything about it on GC, I thought I'd start a new thread to share this great find! My exam's in 10 days so it will be of limited use to me. However, I hope those of you with later test dates find it worthwhile! Good luck to everyone! User guide for it on Youtube (watch this first): GREase: http://www.douno.net/ Enjoy!

In case you're more of a visual and/or auditory learner, here's another amazing resource. I actually found it today and I will definitely make some use of it before my exam. Essentially it's a website with short videos containing vivid illustrations where the speaker defines a word and uses it in a sentence (sometimes more than one) relating to the picture you see. It's simple but brilliant! If my earlier mnemonic for toady didn't help you, here's one that might: http://www.vocabahead.com/VocabularyVideos/Videos/TabId/59/VideoId/457/Default.aspx Is that website neat, or what?

Here's a mnemonic I came up with today to help me remember descry (which means: to catch sight of something) and it's influenced by the fact that I've been watching inordinate amounts of Law and Order SVU lately: When the defense attorney had to ask the witness multiple times to describe in detail what she had allegedly seen, the jury began to doubt whether she actually descried it. By the way, L&O SVU is another fun source of GRE vocab. In every episode the characters use words like abscond and subpoena; words that are useful to know for the GRE. In the regular L&O series (not SVU), when one lawyer mentioned "the military's antediluvian laws" in her closing arguments, I instantly thought of my GRE review and added yet another context for that word to my repertoire. Here's a quotation from the Fiske book which touches upon the style of vocab learning that has been most effective for me: "Have you ever learned new words and then seen or heard them again shortly afterward? ...Spooky? Mystical? Weird? Not really. The universe didn't suddenly thrust those words in your path to reward you for your new knowledge. No, it's the other way around - you noticed the words because you'd just learned them. ...You're developing what we call strong verbal antennae, an ability to sense what you earlier ignored. These antennae will be your new best friends. If writers are, as novelist Henry James suggested, people 'on whom nothing is lost,' then alpha students of vocabulary are people on whom no word is lost. If you see it, learn it. If you hear it, learn it. If you learn it, use it." If anyone's interested, I could start a mnemonics thread where I and others can share helpful ways to remember some of the tougher GRE words. PM me or just say so here. Once again, good luck to everyone!

Don't mention it! It's my pleasure, really. I'm glad I could help.

While the Barron's 3500 word list is great for increasing one's vocab, it is insufferably tedious to plod through that whole thing! It's great that it provides sentences to contextualize the vocab but the alphabetical presentation doesn't really work to anyone's advantage. I've gotten through a good chunk of it but have decided to avail myself of other more fun resources. Definitely consider using a book that presents vocab words along with their synonyms because you're more likely to remember them that way (i.e. a list of words dealing with criticism, servility, death and mourning, etc.). You can also make such lists yourself. Yet another great strategy would be to make flashcards. If the thought of having piles and piles of index cards isn't your cup of tea (and it isn't mine either) you can do like I've been doing and use flashcard-making software and study vocabulary on your computer. I use a free program called MemoryLifter (http://www.memorylifter.com/) that has really helped me to retain a lot of words! One amazing book I've been using is called Fiske Word Power. It has 100 chapters with 10 words each. Every chapter is structured around a fun and quirky theme, like "Am I Timid? Or Are You Intimidating?: Words for the Brave and the Cowardly" (e.g. craven, pusillanimous, timorous, tremulous, rebarbative, redoubtable, etc.) and "How Deep Is the Ocean, How High Is the Sky?: Words About Heights and Depths" (e.g. apogee, acme, apex, zenith, nadir, etc.). The Fiske book offers two unique sentences per word, a chapter quiz after every three chapters, a longer test after every nine chapters, a final exam and fun activities in the postscript which add to the practice (gosh, I must sound so nerdy). Here are some cool examples of that fun practice I mentioned, in the form of funny thought experiments: "If you asked a laconic herpetologist why he or she chose that line of work, what might the person reply?""Mary asked an oenologist to recommend something potable for those who are frugal. In simple terms, what has Mary done?""Frank is an itinerant numismatist. What might we find him doing?""What might a lepidopterist put in his highboy?""Do you find ribaldry risible? Why or why not?""Which of the following superheroes might be seen as a virago: Spider-Man, Wonder Woman or Batman? Explain."http://www.amazon.com/Fiske-WordPower-Edward/dp/1402206534/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289417310&sr=8-1 Another efficient way to memorize words is to make up your own funny phrases. To remember the meaning of winnow (which means to separate grain from chaff) I use the following mnemonic: "separate the winnowz from the los-owz" (the winners from the losers), which I concede is utterly ridiculous, but it helps me remember it which is all that matters! Here's a reference that might go over your head if you've never played one of the Super Smash Bros. games. Since I have, I find that conjuring one particular image in my mind is a great mnemonic for remembering the word toady (synonymous with sycophant, or a servile flatterer). One of Princess Peach's defensive moves is to pull out her retainer (a servant) named Toad to parry her opponent's attacks. Clearly that makes Toad a toady because he puts his neck on the line to flatter her majesty. Here are some links so you can actually picture what I'm talking about: http://seemslegit.com/_images/4c8a715d3518a38c479005ab28080c60/686%20-%20bowser%20nintendo%20peach%20ssbb%20toad%20video_games.jpghttp://www.motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/small/0902/dont-shoot-super-smash-bros-brawl-samus-peach-toad-demotivational-poster-1235532735.jpghttp://www.halolz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/halolz-dot-com-supersmashbrosmelee-toad-hastheworstjobever.jpgThere you have it, another silly way to remember a word, but I really will never forget it! And after preparing assiduously - dare I say, sedulously - for the past few months, I've got hundreds more where that came from! I hope you find my suggestions helpful. Good luck!

P.S. Given ETS's prices and general ridiculousness, I feel absolutely no compunction whatsoever ripping them off $23 (if this does indeed work), lol!

When reporting GRE scores, isn't there the option of sending a report to one's undergraduate department (in addition to the four recipients included in the test fee)? I'm applying to six programs, one of which doesn't require GRE scores. As it turns out, one of the remaining five departments is where I did my undergraduate work. Could I get away with choosing to send my scores to my undergraduate department and the four other schools, thereby sending my scores to all five schools that require them and getting one freebie in the process? I imagine this is a pretty rare situation since I doubt many people apply for a Ph.D in their undergrad department (but it does happen).

Thanks rising_star! You're lucky to be in such a generous department. You've only helped make it clearer for me that I'll have to look very closely at whichever admissions offers I get and compare the different proposed ways of handling external funding (...if, of course, I do get the fellowships). It looks like they could turn out to be a powerful negotiation tool with certain programs!

StrangeLight and eucalyptus, thanks for the input! That's all really good to know. If I find myself in this position, I will definitely be talking it over with my department... I suppose there's not much else I can really do now but wait and see if I win any fellowships... and keep working at these grad school apps. Here's hoping things work out! However, if I am awarded any fellowships, then I could probably use them as a good leveraging or negotiation tool, both during admissions and even long afterward, apparently. Sweet!

Thanks, kalapocska! I was actually thinking that if I won even one of the two, and if my grad programs were still deciding or if I were waitlisted, that I would contact them about it. I'm sure it could only help that I'd be a cheaper candidate to accept... I'm not exactly sure when the fellowship decisions will be made but I'll keep this in mind as a possible strategy. ...And now, I have to actually win at least one of the fellowships and well... also finish my grad school apps and be accepted somewhere for any of this to have a chance of occurring... Thanks for indulging my momentary flight of fancy. All other views are by all means still welcome.