TropicalCharlie

Before you sign up for more debt, think about job prospects and potential earnings with the MS. Your earnings should allow you to pay down your debt in a reasonable amount of time while living comfortably.

I have a pet tarantula named penelope. She's 12 years old and still going strong.

I agree with what some of the posters have said here, defer if you can. If the school doesn't allow deferments, then don't go. Continuing with school now is obviously not the right fit at this point in your life, otherwise you would not be so torn up about it. Right now you are thinking that you can start grad school and drop out if you are still burnt out. Well, that's not the mentality that you want to take to grad school. It's like the battle hasn't even begun, and you have already given up. You need your mojo back or whatever you call it, so go find it. Take a year or whatever you need off to refresh. Traveling, working or volunteering will give you perspective and motivation for your next course of action. If that doesn't include grad school in the future, then who cares, as long as you are happy. I finished my undergrad ten years ago and am just now going for my MS this fall. Why such a long gap? I never thought about going to grad school until five years ago. I worked in an analytical chemistry lab for five years post ug, then got tired of science and tried admin jobs for the past five years. Working at these jobs convinced me that I really wanted to go to grad school and get back into science. Best of luck to which ever decision you come to.

fall season

I have been out of school for a long while, so I studied about 1-3 hours 6 days a week for 3 months while working full-time. It's interesting that I scored better in verbal than quant since I'm stronger in quant. I did well enough in my first attempt that I didn't have to retake it.

balcony section

dirty dancing

Also remember that you don't have to do your PhD at the same school that you get your MS. If option 1 works out well for your MS and you can see yourself there for a PhD, then great. If you think there is more to be had after your MS, then you can always apply to the school in NYC and others for your PhD.

isawstars - keep the grad advisor apprised of your pending test results. You don't have to mention that you retook and did not meet the minimum req for verbal. Just let them know that you just retook it and that you are awaiting results. You may want to ask them how long you have until the committee reviews applications as this may determine a hard deadline. Good luck!

I, too, would still go but only to get my MS. Not having to worry about $$ while attending would be so nice

beautiful life

Also, check with your library to see if they have online practice tests. Through my library, I had free access to 2 online timed practice tests for both the verbal and quant sections which I found to be extremely helpful.

Get a good night of sleep. Eat a decent meal before the test. Low blood sugar will impair your thought process. If you're unfamiliar with the location of the test center, do a trial run before the day of the test and become familiar with parking, building location and such. Like Vertices said, layer up. My test center was freezing, and I kept my hoodie on the whole time. Good luck!

deep dish

It's sunday. Shut off your computer. Leave the phone at home. Get out and do something fun.

The same was done for me by the dept which accepted me into their MS program. My ug gpa is 2.90 and application was supplemented with excellent LOR's and 5 years of relevant professional experience. There is hope, so don't give up.

hot tamale!

For the sweat issue, have you considered botox treatment for the arm pits? They are proven effective in treating hyperactive sweat glands, and you can get them done at the dr's office.

Do you think this is field specific? In academia, you may see the designation cum lade next to their degree on the cv but no GPA. Just browsed faculty cv's for my program and none list their GPA.

In general, most employers do not ask about your GPA. However, I worked for a niche energy consulting firm that requested graduate transcripts and writing samples from job candidates. I say 'niche' because their field is a highly specialized sector of the energy consulting business, and consultants are expected to have exceptional writing skills on top of being great in their field. This firm recruited mostly people with MS and/or PhD degrees in civil & environmental engineering, energy & resources, energy management & policy, and economics.

setting sun

It's natural to feel the way you do given the amount of time that has lapsed. Just email the prof. He will more than likely be helpful with your questions, especially now that you've been accepted. He may even have been on the adcomm and had a hand in your acceptance. You just never know, but what I know is that it never hurts to ask. Ask away, no matter how weird you feel. What's the worse that will happen? He doesn't remember you, he remembers and brings up the fact that you never sent him your questions, etc, etc... That's about it. Don't even bring up the fact that you let the time lapse without writing him back. Let the past be and move on. You'll feel less anxious about it after you write him. Congrats on your admission!

touch screen

Mine is a 15" hp, and it fits in the laptop sleeve of my backpack just fine. My backpack can accommodate up to a 17" laptop. We have a 13" macbook at home but I sometimes find it a bit too small.

Like others who have visited this thread, I'm thankful to have come across it. I'm a first generation grad student-to-be. I've been accepted to a MS program starting this fall. My divorced parents completed their undergrad in another country. Mom moved my sisters and I to the US on her own. We actually came on tourist visas and roughed it out. Because mom doesn't have highly sought after skills of an engineer or the like, she took on multiple minimum wage jobs. Money was definitely always an issue but mom always made sure that we had a stable home life, even when she worked 12-14 hour-days. I started working at age 13 and have always had a job since then. It took my sisters and I a couple of extra years to complete our ug degree while working full-time, but it was worth it. One sister is already in grad school, and another will be applying in a couple of years. Hard work is something our mother instilled in us from a young age, and for that I'm thankful. We all got to where we are today because of it. Not bad for tourists who overstayed their visas.