nandelle

Yeah I got 690 verbal, 800 quant, 5.5 AWA and only got unfunded offers for master's programs. At least in my discipline, a bad GRE can really hurt you, but a good one doesn't really help at all.

Yes. I've been working as a math tutor teaching SAT prep courses - because of that I did umpteen bazillion problems and wound up getting 800 on the quant GRE. The verbal too is pretty learnable - vocab memorization and practice problems are the way to go. Greek and latin roots don't hurt either (IE, if you don't know the word, but know what part of it means, that can help in the analogies). And for the writing, practice writing essays in that short of time, and the "analyze an argument" section is pretty learnable once you know kind of what they want in an answer. Good luck!

WOWWWW congrats frankdux! That is super awesome.

For those of us who are still waiting before we can make our decision... Are you waiting for admission off of a waitlist? Financial information? Something else? When do you expect to know, one way or the other? For my part, I'm waitlisted for funding at one of my schools...I think that my visit down there went pretty well and I heard that there is still hope for funding, and the DGS said she'd let me know immediately if somethign became available, so now I'm BACK to checking my e-mail every 15 minutes. It's February all over again!! She gave the students (with funded offers) until the end of April, so theoretically I should hear back first part of May as to the funding situation. I'm trying so so hard to act as if I'm not going to get it, so that I can be pleasantly surprised if it comes through but not too disappointed if it doesn't. However, that's much easier said than done. Sigh...if I don't get funding, then I have to make the decision about whether to take out loans and go unfunded, or to apply for the next cycle. What are your stories? Hope everyone's hanging in there OK and not going to have emotional breakdowns (like I feel sometimes like I'm close to having...for example, anytime anyone says "So, what's your decision? Where are you going next year?")

Are these the practice tests from the GRE Powerprep software or some other practice CAT test (Kaplan, PR, etc)? I ask because when I was studying for the GREs, the scores that I would up getting were nearly identical to the scores I got taking the Powerprep tests. For some weird reason, I scored about 100 pts lower on the Princeton Review and Kaplan practice tests than on the real GRE. So FWIW I'd say that the practice tests that come with your registration are the greatest indicator of how you'll actually do on the GRE. Stop freaking...if youmust study study what will help you the most in the short term - memorizing vocab words, or looking over the types of math problems you have the most issue with (geometry, algebra, data measurement, etc) rather than just taking practice tests. And BEST OF LUCK tomorrow~!

Yeah, I'm kind of in the same boat...admitted without funding, but with the hope that if other people turn down their funded offers (there are 5 still out that the DGS hasn't heard from yet), I might get one (the DGS and one of the other professors I talked to made it sound l ike this was a definite possibility for me). I think I'm going to wait it out until I hear back yea or nay on the funding, partly because I am not sure if I can commit to going this year without some kind of funding. I did however go to visit the school, make it clear that if I could get funding I'd accept in a heartbeat, and generally try to get to know people around the department. I'm going for a master's in stats (potentially a double master's in stats and OR. What school are you considering, just out of sheer curiosity? I almost went for biostats but then decided that my interests (and my background) were more aligned with the business sector.

I am debating going to OSU...I was down there visiting, and I'll say it's a really pretty area! I liked the school quite a bit (more than I expected, to be honest). I have heard that housing is pretty cheap off campus, so that's something to explore. It's a small town, but there seems to be a pretty active social scene. I've also heard that transit is pretty good, but it might not hurt to have a car, especially if you want to leave the Corvallis/Albany area. i don't know much more about the school or Corvallis. I have, however, lived my whole life in the Pacific Northwest, and I will say that the rain isn't as bad as most people make it out to be. It'll be grey and drizzly from October through April, but it's not heavy rain, and the evergreen trees and our beautiful summer make up for it. If you like the outdoors, this is a great place to be!

BayAreaStat, I was in a somewhat similar situation...I have a business degree in Statistics - so I've taken most of your stats courses, but I'm a little weak on the pure math (which hurt me at some top programs). I would recommend you take 1. A course in regression and ANOVA, or some linear modeling class. 2. a mathematical statistics course 3. Elementary Real Analysis 4. Some other stats course...generalized linear models, stochastic processes, sampling theory, nonparametrics, experimental design, etc...whatever interests you. Best of luck to everyone in making decisions, etc!!

I visited one of my schools on Friday and met with a whole host of people. the DGS told me that she still has 5 people who had funding offers that she hasn't heard back from (deadline for this school si the end of the month), and she'd let me know "in a nanosecond" if funding became available for me. One of the other profs I met with (who has a reputation for being very candid) took me aside and offered to be my major adviser, and said he was going to push for me to get funding. So I guess now it's a wait until the end of the month...I guess that i'm somewhere higher than #5 on the list for funding...and hopefully things sounded kind of optimistic, and I felt the visit went really well...but I'm really really trying not to get my hopes up. RUPA still holds (only now for funding)

WOW MDLee CONGRATULATIONS! From the little I know about you from your posts on this forum, I think that the phD and funding couldn't have gone to a better candidate. Best of luck at USC!

It's so stressful, this whole thing. Because I"m applying to MA programs and was admitted without aid to two of them, I don't think I'm as bound by the APril 15th deadline. One school I declined knowing that I couldn't afford to go there. One school I'm hanging onto because it's the best program I was admitted to, but the admittance was fairly clear about no funding now or in the future. The third school gave me a date in June to reply by. I didn't make the first cut for financial aid, but hvae had some indications that I could potentially receive aid, if someone declines (and since this school is not a top tier one, It's somewhat likely that at least some will decline). I'm going down to visit this week, and will hopefully get some sort of idea about exactly *how* likely receiving aid is: Am I totally on the bottom of the pile, or is it fairly likely but they can't say for sure. I never figured that I would get ZERO financial support, since back when I was deciding what programs to apply to, I was told by most of these schools that they fund practically all admitted students. That's the main reason I chose the programs I did!! And now to have 3 unfunded offers...what a cruel world. Or a cruel economy. Whatever. so if I don't get aid at the school I'm going down to visit, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I have a 4th cheaper option but it would involve not starting grad school until February, and I am so damn sick of this job and staying at home etc. Plus I will feel like such a failure if in stead of going to school in the fall like I told everyone I was, I have to wait for another semester. Sigh. Sorry about the rant. I'm just stressed out

I wish I had applied to my state school (Washington State University). I was going to, then I had a couple professors tell me it was "beneath me" or I was "too good" to go there. Now though, it seems likely that I would have perhaps gotten funding there, and I am kicking myself for not applying, since it seems like (for this reason, and others) that my professors were kind of out of touch with the admissions process this year.

Wow, congratulations!!!

My admissions were about what I expected, however, based on friends' experiences and previous years' information, I expected *some* funding from at least 1 of the schools...however, there was none to be had. I would like to think it was because they read my SoP and thought "wow, she's going to be so rich later on it would be so unfair to fund her!" but I doubt it

I was just thinking about this, as I have two definitely unfunded admissions and one probably unfunded (small chance of some funding later on...), that it some small way I'm grateful to the economy being the way it is. It's a great psychological excuse - I didn't get funding, not because I'm a lousy applicant, but because schools have no money. I think it would have been a bigger psychological blow to not get in/not get $$ in a great year. It also provides a great excuse when talking to friends/relatives..."Well, in a normal year I'm positive I would have gotten in, but this year, things being what they are, the schools are all accepting a much smaller class". I don't know where I'd be if I couldn't blame the economy

Yeah i'm kinda curious too

AHH that's so frustrating. I'm sorry and hope it's good news!

I'd say the top ten program, unless you have your heart set on Stanford.

Ahhh that's terrible!!

Yes, I had a similar experience with one of mine who went MIA on me... do you have a telephone number? Can you call him? I would definitely send him another e-mail - it's possible that he missed the first one if he gets a lot of e-mails. Best of luck!

I didn't post it, but that was pretty much the exact rejection I got from UWashington...I did think it a little cowardly that the department didn't contact me, but rather hid behind the graduate college.

I just lied to my father, who really really wants me to go to UBC. He said "So, no word from UBC then?" and I said "Nope!" It' s the end of a long day, and somehow dealing with telling other people about rejection/dealing with their reactions and sympathy is worse than the actual receiving of said rejection.

Just sent an e-mail to the DGS too. Figured it couldn't hurt, and at best could express that I am very interested in their program, if they offer me aid. And if they say no, well, then I can figure things out

awwwwwwkkkkkkkwarrrdddd let us know how it goes! here's hoping it's not a rejection

No funding offer from Oregon I just sent an e-mail to the grad secretary asking if no meant absolutely no (as the letter kind of sounded like, tear tear), or if no meant possibly in the future, if first choice applicants turn us down (as the website says) and how probable that would be, in that case.