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Hi 2013grad, I had good luck with the PR "hard" drills in the online content, and I supplemented with the Kaplan verbal book. The Princeton Review drills were harder than the actual test (which was kinda nice) but the Kaplan review was more relevant as far as frequently appearing terms. I just kept a list of all the terms that i didn't recognize as they came up during drills, and looked over them tons before the test. I'd recommend this for vocab building, especially if you're already good at reading comp.

I really wasn't trying to offend anyone... Just wanted to open up a place for people to vent about how frustrating ETS and the GRE are. Standardized tests are bull-puckey and generally cause nothing but frustration. This is my first time through this hoop-jumping crap-shoot, and I'm sure it is for a lot of others too, so I thought it would be a relief to have a place to bitch about this particularly frustrating aspect of it. That is all.

What Stately Plump said. Yes. But... for a moment, can we just fantasize about how much less exhausting this whole process would be if there were easy quantitative guages?

The whole process is certainly mentally and emotionally exhausting. You spend months and months working so hard to put this "package" together that's the best academic version of yourself, then you send it out into the world, knowing that you're more likely than not to fail. So you don't want to get your hopes up too much, but at the same time you need that passion and determination and excitement to make your application as good as it can be. It's a strange juxtaposition of emotions and mental effort that also requires a bit of aloofness to prevent total breakdown if you don't make it the first time. On a similar note, I'm taking the GRE again on Saturday, so I have a lot of these conflicting sentiments bouncing around. I know it's the "least important" part of the application, but it's also one of the first parts of the application that people will look at, and one of the only "quantitative" aspects. It's also my last chance to take it for this app season and I'm at a bit of a disadvantage right now (I'm almost 8 months pregnant--apparently my brain has shrunk by 6%--because that happens!--and I'm certainly not at the top of my game, focus-wise... plus the fact that I'll need to take a pee break about every 20 minutes, lol). So yeah, there's this conflict between "This doesn't matter that much" and "I know I could do better if circumstances were different" and "This score could either mean nothing or send my app to the trash bin." Gee, I sure could use a drink right now... D'oh!

Yeah, most schools have rules that you can be enrolled in only one program at a time, unless the two programs are "joint" or concurrent (like a master's that is accompanied by certificates in various subfields, etc.). But it would depend on the school--you can probably check their graduate catalog for those kinds of regulations. As far as whether or not it's crazy... yeah. It's crazy. If you could do half-time in each and still be funded, that might work, but trying to do a full-time program and a part-time, or worse, two full time programs, seems like a recipe for burnout. Makes my brain hurt just thinking about it.

That is excellent news. I hereby reinstate UVA to my top list from the bottom. ETA: I just read those articles... sheesh. I'm already attending one university that the administration is trying to run like a corporation... it's not cool, man. I'll still put an app in, but I guess we'll see how it plays out.

It would be lovely if someone could refute this, but I read somewhere that UVA admits more students than they can fully fund for 5-6 years, and after the first year cuts funding to a large portion of the first-year admits, essentially kicking them out of the program (hence, the bloodbath). This makes the first year incredibly competetive, and that's not the kind of academic environment I'm interested in. The admissions process is cut-throat enough. But please, if anyone can disprove this or has better information, UVA sounds like an awesome program and was #3 on my list for a looong time until I read this (still trying to remember where I read it... I'll post a source if I find it).

Definitely Applying to: Cornell (such a crapshoot... my heart will be broken) U. Pittsburgh Carnegie mellon U. Colorado Duke Yale Syracuse Considering: U. Virginia (I've heard of this thing called the "bloodbath" that sent this school onto this list from the above) Tufts U. Minnesota Harvard (worth it for a lark? not worth the app fee?) My research interests are in Theory (cultural studies, postmodernism, genre theory, and posthumanism) and contemporary fictions (film and literature post-WW2). My BA is in film, not English, and my MA will be in Humanities (also not English), so I'm hoping my broad theoretical background will be a help, not a hindrance, though I'm sure some schools won't look kindly at the lack of "English" anywhere on my transcripts except in course descriptions. My MA thesis is on cultural evolution in posthumanist fictions (mostly literature)... hopefully at least someone at one of these schools will find that interesting.

This is it exactly. PhDs.org publishes the "Average Verbal GRE" for many schools' English programs (though they are in the old format, and somewhat outdated), which makes me think, "Hey, I should at least shoot for average, right?" Well, none of the schools I'm looking at has an average score that is below the 90th percentile, and most are 96% and above. While my first score (159Q, 82%--whatevs, 161V, 89%--ouch) probably won't land me in the initial "cut" pile, it certainly might hurt me in the final rounds. But my real frustration with the test is that my score doesn't seem to be going up with practice--my score on test day was pretty much identical to my diagnostic test (actually, the verbal was worse), despite months of studying in between. I just can't seem to figure out or get my brain into the right mode to spot ETS's "tricks." I had the same problem with the SATs in high school, but I eventually figured out the strategy and did really well. I just can't seem to do that with the GRE for whatever reason. The problem here is, again, that the schools don't publish cutoffs, so I really wouldn't know if my score is too low for funding. If it's competetive and the "average" score is much higher than mine, I'm pretty sure that funding will go to someone else. On another note, that is really crappy that they told you to "make sure your GRE scores are strong." How do you respond to that? "Oh, okay, I guess I just didn't try hard enough the first time, I'll go back and nab that perfect score for ya." Ugh.

Today I shelled out another $100 bucks to get access to my Princeton Review online materials again because, for the life of me, I cannot figure out what ETS wants from me on the GRE. A shameful confession: I suck at GRE reading comprehension. But the thing is all I do is read and comprehend. All day. Every day. I’m literally getting a master’s degree in reading and comprehending (and interpreting and writing). I’ve bought the books, taken the classes, and studied my liquefied brains out, and my scores are still abominable (at least compared to where I want them to be). Do any of you other lit people have this problem? It seems insane to me that the reading comprehension should be so hard, but the way the questions and answer choices are written just don’t make sense to me. I want to find whoever writes these tests and punch them in the groin. And don’t even get me started on the godawful triangles and hellacious algebra word problems that I was happy to leave behind in 10th grade, thankyouverymuch. I know that the GRE means next to nothing compared to the writing sample and SOP, but I have my heart set on some pretty tough schools, and I really don’t want to be weeded out because of this “meaningless” test. I’ve already shelled out so much time, effort, and money to this beast, and I just don’t feel like my results are improving. I’ll end my rant here, but I hereby declare this thread the “Fall 2013 Applicants’ GRE Bitch Thread.”

I literally do not know a single person in real life who has applied or will be applying to phd programs. In a way, it's good, because I know I get hypercompetetive in situations like that (I remember the scramble for the ivies in high school), but at the same time it would be nice to be able to talk to someone (besides professors) about the process.

I couldn't even lol at this one cause mostly I was thinking the guy had a good point... I might have a problem.

I'm still waiting for my "disability" paperwork to go through before I can register, since I'll be 8 months pregnant while taking the general and 6 weeks postpartum when taking the Lit GRE, and I'll be goddamned if I'll take those tests without extra pee breaks. Who's got two thumbs and is awesome at timing major life events? .... Wheeeeee!

I just submitted a session proposal for NeMLA next March (cross your fingers), which is also in Boston. Are these conferences very different? Strange that they're just 2 months apart in the same city...

Yay! Fun thread! Here's my dogsies That's Watson (the basset) and Leeloo (the pug). They are quite naughty, but I loves them anyway.

It's important to note, though, that "need blind" when it comes to admissions is very different from "need blind" when it comes to aid packages. When a school says "Sure, we'd love to have you! You're brilliant!" and then offers the "aid" of a 30k PLUS loan, which your parents do not qualify for because of income level (or, in my case, having already signed several PLUS loan agreements for older siblings), it doesn't really help the lower-middle income students attend those elite schools.

I think one year off is really no big deal. Taking language classes (especially since most programs have a language requirement) is a really great idea--I wish I had time to do that. Also, maybe some community involvement, or tutoring would be a good way to show that you're still being productive during your "off time."

I think I'm planning to use an excerpt from my thesis, since it will definitely fall into my "area of focus," whereas other, shorter papers that I've written have been tailored to the topics dictated by the class. This is either a really good idea or a really terrible one. Any suggestions?

This is the best site! I've been making a spreadsheet of city data that goes in conjunction with the school data spreadsheet, because I have a husband to think about too--he's incredibly supportive and willing to go wherever I get in and decide, but he had two stipulations: nothing in NYC and nothing in California. But I've been working on my list of schools, whittling, retooling, adding and dropping for about 2 years. I started with the US News rankings (who doesn't?) and researched from that list based on location and what I knew about the schools. Then I found the PhDs.org site that allows you to customize your search for the best program that fits your preferences and priorities--that has been incredibly valuable in this process. So I had a list of about 15, and started doing more in-depth research on the programs, courses offered (most departments list their course offerings for the past few years), faculty, and general "feel" of the school and department. I have a core of about 5 schools that have remained on the list, and then I've had 5 other "spots" that have fluctuated over the past year. I feel pretty solid in my list now, though--I've gone over it a few times with some professors and my current MA advisor, and I feel it's a pretty good range. I'm limiting myself to 10 applications, which I think offers a wide range, while allowing me to research each school closely and possibly even visit a few (to get the city/campus feel). Here's an example of my city data insanity (color coded!). Baltimore is the control--as you can see, it sucks. p.s. I just added Harvard a few weeks ago as kind of a lark because I have a bunch of family/friends in that area. I'm not 100% sure if I'll apply there, but I thought "Hey, what the hell?"

The whole "job" and "real life" thing inevitably comes up when talking about future plans, but really, there's so much more to consider. As for me, I've spent the last 5 years in the "real world." I got my BA, travelled internationally for a bit, then got a job in my field (I was a film major and then a video editor for 2 years). While I was happy for a while doing what I'd planned to do, after about 8 months, I was like "Is this it? Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like?" And I sunk into a deep depression. I was making enough money to live on, I had a wonderful significant other (to whom I'm now married), a house, an adorable dog... I felt like everything should have been perfect, but there was this gaping hole. I wasn't challenged anymore. I felt like my brain was turning to mush. Finally, the thought occurred to me, "Hey, what about grad school?" No one in my family has ever attended grad school, so I never considered it as a possibility. But as soon as I thought about it and started doing some planning, that hole started to disappear. It felt so right. I was accepted pretty much right away into an MA program (at the school where I got my BA)--I was too intimidated to try for something "better," not confident enough to even consider a PhD or going full-time back to school. I was lucky to get a position at the university so I have full tuition remission, but working full-time while trying to earn my master's in these last few years has been really difficult. In short, I can't wait to do nothing but study. I am so so sick of dealing with the 9-5, and I haven't even been doing it that long. So I guess what I'm saying is, taking time off may not be a bad idea--it might just show you how badly you actually want to be doing something different. But if you're like me, and the only thing you've ever really enjoyed is school, follow that dream for sure. Even if you have to end up in a crappy 9-5 in the end--whatever, that's like 10 years from now. No reason to throw yourself into that misery any earlier than you have to.

The Kaplan Verbal Workbook is great (and cheap!): http://www.amazon.com/New-GRE-Verbal-Workbook-Kaplan/dp/1419550012/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333118608&sr=8-1 Combine this with vocab flashcards, and I'd say you'd be set for verbal.

I worked in the admissions office of a school that used the "last 60" calculation. The way that it worked was that if your cumulative GPA was less than a 3.0, they would use a program to calculate your GPA for the last 60 credits only, which would often bump the average up above a 3. (If not, your application may not be considered.) As far as I know this applies only to undergraduate GPA--most master's programs are 30-40 credits, so could not be used in this way. Also, most institutions will not grant a master's degree with a GPA below 3.0. Hope this helps!

Another reason to consider adjunct-teaching is that you will maintain your access to university resources. You'll be able to continue your academic development throughout the whole year and stay really prepared for your new program. Also, if it turns out you need to apply again the following year (though I hope you don't!), you'll have access to the library and other research materials to boost your application.

I'm so glad someone opened a thread for fall 2013. I've been working on building a (fully packed now) two-inch binder with all my research on schools and prep for this application season for the past two years, lol. So far I've got very rough drafts of my materials, and I plan to polish them all over the summer. I took the regular GRE at the beginning of March and totally tanked it because of a medical condition (hypoglycemic attack right at the beginning of the first verbal section--not allowed to take a break for my glucose/snacks), so I'll be taking it again in June. That was a fun $200 down the toilet because I couldn't bring a snickers bar in with me. I'll also be working on my master's thesis in the fall (but I'll have until spring to complete it, so not too much pressure). As for the writing sample--I'm lucky to be in an MA program that requires a 25-30 page paper for every seminar in the program, so I should have a lot to work with in choosing that/whittling it down/revising my sample. I've been preparing for a while, but of course, I'm still terrified of the application process. And the GRE subject. It literally gives me nightmares, and I don't have to take it for another 7 months... Oh, and I'm also having a baby in August. This, of course, will have the biggest impact on my being able to work on my apps in the fall, which is why I plan to finish as much as I can over the summer. Heh.

Thanks for posting this--I've been looking for an outlet to talk about this topic. So right now, I'm working full time, taking 2 grad classes, and 20 weeks pregnant. I finished last semester (also 2 classes and working 40 hrs/week) while in the beginning of my first trimester--I would NOT recommend this if you can avoid it. Feeling like I wanted to barf all the time while trying to finish two 30-page papers and study for exams was not the most fun thing ever. But this semester has been much better. I'm doing fine with my classes, I feel good, and while it's stressful and I'm tired occasionally, I don't feel totally overwhelmed. I'm due in August and I'm hoping the baby will come ~2 weeks before fall classes start up again. We planned it this way, and we were really lucky that it worked out--generally trying to "time" a pregnancy is pretty difficult, but what can you do? There is never a "perfect" time to have baby, so I wouldn't wait. However, there is no way in hell I will be able to work 40 hours/week, take care of a newborn, prepare my PhD applications, and go to class next fall. I'm thinking of not working at all next semester, but unfortunately FMLA guarantees only unpaid maternity leave and the university where I work doesn't offer any more than that. I didn't realize how totally F'd the maternity care system is in this country until I got pregnant. I'm a little worried about the financial aspect, but I'm actually kind of psyched to stop working. I'm pretty sick of this crappy job anyway. Anyway, If you have a support system (especially a financial one), I'd say go for it. Good luck!