Safferz
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Posts posted by Safferz
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I'm glad to say that the GRE is now behind me! This was my second time taking the test, and I think the revised test is fantastic. I could never quite get the hang of the analogy questions of the old test, or at least make the associations ETS was looking for, so I ended up with a decent but not great verbal score (probably would not have taken it again if my quant score was also decent, but alas...). Though my quant score is still mediocre compared to some of the numbers here, I'm thrilled with my new verbal score and my combined score is one that I'm comfortable with. Now I just need to make sure the rest of my application is flawless, lest my quant scores come back to haunt me somehow
My only issue with the revised GRE is that you're given a 100-point range in the old score format instead of an exact score, which you won't find out until November. It can certainly be a stressful situation for those who have borderline GRE scores (like I did the first time), and are unsure of whether they should apply with their current score or retake the test. By the time percentiles and exact scores are released in November and you have an idea of where you stand, it may be too late to take the GRE again in time for December deadlines.
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One of my mentors (now retired, but has spent many years on adcomms for my current school's history department) gave me this bit of advice for Ph.D applications in an email the other day:
"The statement of purpose is crucial. I would suggest avoiding two pitfalls. One is to be
too precise, i.e., to present a thesis proposal. The other is the opposite, to wax
eloquent about your philosophy of history. The key thing is to indicate problems,
questions and areas of research that interest you, to use the statement to convince the
committee that you are an imaginative, thoughtful and potentially creative scholar, and
to make no grammatical errors. Not likely in your case, but candidates do blow it by
sloppily written statements, written as an afterthought, not proof-read, and probably
written after several beers. The latter would not be your problem."
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I agree with Sparky. You can describe your research interests as relating to gender and feminist theory, how you plan to use feminist methodologies in your work, etc. You don't need to avoid these terms in the context of theory and methodology, since feminist approaches have been accepted in academia for a while now. It's just not necessary to describe your politics in your SOP (feminism as a personal identity/ideology, as opposed to critical academic lens).
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530Q, 710V, 6AW and you're in the humanities? Don't waste another minute thinking about the GRE. It's only a hurdle meant to help adcomms weed out applicants (and even then, a low GRE score is unlikely to be the end of the road for a student with a solid GPA and otherwise strong application), and your scores are FINE. Your quant score as a humanities student will not be the reason you're accepted or rejected by a program.
- CallieTrichid and Sparky
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Just to clarify, when you ask to whom it should be "addressed," are you asking who should be addressed in the opening salutation of the letter itself? Or you asking what goes on the outside of the envelope?
To answer the first question: My letter writers either wrote "Dear Colleagues" or didn't include an opening salutation. The answer to your second question is usually on the website, but the DGS is the safest fallback if it's not expressly indicated.
I was asking about the opening salutation, since all of my letters will be uploaded electronically.
Thanks everyone!
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Silly question I know, but I was asked by one of my professors and I'm not sure what to tell him (he should know better than I do!). To the department? To the admissions committee? Has anyone here actually seen a LOR?
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Here's a chart of approximate report dates. You can take the GRE as late as Nov.18 and still have your reports mailed out by Dec.1st.
http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/scores/get
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Now, if only Sigaba had said it like that from the start.
It is interesting to think about why one person can read the statement "I am [race][gender]" and think "This is supplementary information about someone" and another person can read the same thing and think "Why is this person so insistent on sharing this?" I had an "aha" moment in high school psychology when my teacher told us about the tendency of white people and men, when asked to describe themselves, to list personal traits first, while non-whites and women tend to mention their race and gender before all else. (Obviously that data comes from the US context.) It just really drove home to me how people in positions of privilege don't see it, don't even incorporate it into their sense of self. Actively being aware of one's own body is evidence of receiving negative reactions from others based on having that body.
I suspect that when people check back with themselves and ask "would I ever describe myself in this way?" their answer to that question feeds into the initial response to the "I am [race][gender]" statement.
Great point.
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There isn't much structure to my studying either, but I think that's fine as long as you're working through the material and studying regularly. I try to review vocabulary each day with flashcards I made using the Barron's Essential GRE Words book and practice sections from the Barron's New GRE book. I've just picked up Kaplan (and their math workbook) for more exercises and test strategies. And since I'm borderline math illiterate, I'm also using Cliff Notes Math Review for Standardized Tests, which goes over a lot of the basic concepts from high school that I forgot a long time ago. As of this weekend, I'm going to start taking practice tests every weekend.
The quant section of the GRE gives me nightmares... I did OK on the verbal section the first time I took the GRE but not so great on the quant, which is why I've decided to retake the new GRE in hopes of a better overall score. I would like to have an excellent verbal score this time around (which is now within my reach, with analogies gone from the revised test!) and a decent quant score. 29 days to go...
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@rabolisk: Thanks for the tip. I'm trying to ignore their "rules." It's just too much text, and I can usually reason through a problem. I'm just very hit or miss when it comes to the trick the problem is based on. I need to get better at thinking like a test-maker, I suppose.
@Safferz and PsycheYe: Is the book still helpful if you remember the "meat-and-potatoes" high school math (minus the nuance)? I find that I can usually follow the solutions of the problems I get wrong. I know it's relatively affordable, but I would prefer not to buy a fourth prep book. I'm only part-way through my first two, and I haven't touched the third. Maybe I just need more practice?
I don't know. My accuracy right now varies between 60% and 75%. Do you think I'll be ready by late September? I am shooting for at least 90th percentile. Thanks!
In that case, practice should be enough. I found the book helpful because I'm in the humanities and haven't done a single math problem since 11th grade, so I needed a book to reintroduce a lot of the basics before I could even begin to work through my GRE books. End of September seems like more than enough time, since you seem to have done quite a bit of studying already.
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Thanks for sharing! Did you have an unidentified experimental section during the test?
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It's a busy month for me as well! Most of my time is spent studying for the GRE I'm scheduled to write on August 31st, and I'm just starting a conference paper for November. I'd like to polish my writing sample and have a draft of my SOP done by the end of the month, and plan to contact potential advisors in September. I have a full course load this fall so I want everything on my end ready to upload when applications are made available in October.
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im about to start studying for the new GRE as well and i am also not a math person. But ive found this book to be really helpful in learning/refreshing the fundamentals of math...
http://www.amazon.com/CliffsNotes-Review-Standardized-Tests-Cliffs/dp/0470500778/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
hope this helps!
I'm using this book too, and it's very helpful.
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You'll definitely still need a strong vocabulary for the new sentence completion questions, so I suggest you pick up the Barron's Essential GRE Words book and start working through the lists. I've noticed a lot of the practice questions from my Barron's New GRE book still use a lot of the high frequency words from the old GRE.
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I'm retaking the GRE so I'll be writing the revised version at the end of August. I believe we'll have our scores at the end of the test though, it's just that the score reports (with percentile rank) won't be released until November.
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All adcomms are interested in is seeing that you're capable of graduate level research. A well-written, well-researched paper with good analysis and use of primary sources will do just that. As lyonessrampant and others have said, a narrow and focused paper is probably best for this reason.
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Yes! They will need to collect data from tests taken between August and November before they have enough information to determine percentile. I also read on the site that they'll also be releasing a concordance table in November between the old and new scoring systems.
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Sigaba, when I read your comment closely, why are you questioning what the OP is studying because of his race? I think you should remove your comment, just for your sake.
I gave the first negative vote to Sigaba's post. Not only is it irrelevant and inaccurate (how exactly does gender and ethnicity figure prominently in his description, when he only used two such terms in the entire post?), but I sensed that it was directing the thread towards a debate about race and admissions policies like affirmative action.
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Another Canadian here! I took the GRE on Saturday, with mediocre results... had the same verbal score as you, but a 400something on the quantitative (I can't even remember the exact number, I just had to get out of the room after seeing my scores!). I expect a good score on AW, but since my other scores came as a surprise, I'm not really sure what to expect anymore.
I've already scheduled a new test for the end of August, since I do not want to apply with those scores. My understanding is that while the GRE isn't what gets you into a program, it can certainly keep you out. Adcomms need something to narrow down a large pile of applications, and GRE and GPA are generally what they use to weed out applicants who fall below acceptable numbers. I don't want to take any chances with a low GRE score.
Do you think you could improve your scores with more preparation and focus? Try and give it another shot, since under 1000 might not cut it for most American programs. Don't let the GRE spoil an otherwise great application!
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Hi all,
I just picked up the Barron's New GRE book and noticed that their infamous 3,500 word list is missing from the updated edition. It's clear that the revised test does not reward memorization like the old one, but instead emphasizes comprehension and context. Of course, you will still need a large vocabulary for most question types, like sentence completion and sentence equivalence questions.
So what are your strategies as you prepare for the new verbal section? Are the word lists and endless flashcard making a thing of the past?
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From what I understand you can still write the GRE once every calendar month until you've written the new test, which will then require a 60 day wait until you book another revised test. The wait only applies to between revised GRE dates, not between an old test and your first new test. September 8th is fine.
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I had a mediocre combined score of under 1100, so I'm planning to take the new GRE at the end of August. Even with my strong GPA, conference presentations and publications, I'm just too embarrassed to apply anywhere with those numbers. I think it's certainly low enough to keep me out from many top programs, so I don't want to take any chances.
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I noticed the same problem (took the GRE this morning), but I suspect the 10-14 day wait for score reports also applies to online scores. I'm afraid I'm going to have to take the revised test in August though, I'm not too pleased with my results
New GRE as retake?
in GRE/GMAT/etc
Posted
Agreed.