iowaguy

I think in the sciences no one is going to give it much attention. It was optional a few years ago when I last took the GRE...

I just took the GRE. At the end of the test I was given my unofficial scores. Can I start using these "unofficial" scores in communications with profs? I heard of one instance where they changed on someone, is that very common or are these V and Q scores pretty solid? Thanks, Iowa Guy

I have a friend, prof in Intl. Business, on the adcom for a large university. He says their GRE cutoff for PhD students (business) is 80% verbal, 80% quant. Assuming enough applicants, GRE's below either of those thresholds go into the waste basket according to him...

I think you've already answered your question, no?

Hello, I'm curious if anyone on the forum has withdrawn from an IRA for educational expenses. Tips, things to watch out for? If you have a tuition stipend, are you/can you use your withdrawl for room/board? What kind of documentation are you keeping? Did you roll your IRA over to any sort of educational account before withdrawing (for tax benefits)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Iowa Guy

The stipends vary quite a bit depending on the university. Just send the university an email and they can give you a better idea. In my field (Natural Resources), RA/TA stipends from the PhD programs I'm looking at vary from $14k to $27k per year...

Be honest, but maybe don't list your fallback schools? Of course you (and the rest of us) are applying to multiple programs, but they don't need to know about the lowest ones on the totem pole, do they?

Hi, at one of the universities I'm applying to, my POI suggested a possible co-advisor role with another professor. If you or someone you know has a co-advisor setup, what are the pros/cons? Are you in communications with both of them during the application process? Do they each provide half of your RA funding? Thanks, Iowa Guy

Depending on the PhD program, they might have a hard number for a GRE cutoff for admissions. I have a good friend who is a prof & on the adcom at a large university. He says they get lots of applicants for their PhD program, so they have a firm GRE cutoff (I think it's around the 75% range for V & Q). They want to be sure they're getting top applicants, and a top applicant to his program (business) should be scoring in the top 25% of folks who take the GRE. Anyway, IMHO, if your GRE scores are "crappy" (your colloquialism) they could seriously hurt your application... If I were you & were worried about my GRE scores, I would plan on taking the test 2 or 3 times before admission & submitting your best score...

Were your "official" Q and V results the same as your "unofficial" results (the ones that you could see immediately after taking the test)? I'm trying to figure out when to schedule a final GRE exam in regards to my application deadlines... Thanks, Iowa Guy

Well, there must be some sort of factor applied to the "tougher" questions on the 2nd section. For example, if 2 different students take a hypothetical GRE test: Student #1 gets 18/20 right on first Q section, so gets "hard" questions on second section. Student #2 gets 12/20 right on first Q section, so gets "easy" questions on second section. Student #1 gets 12/20 right on second (hard) section for a total Q of 30/40 Student #2 gets 18/20 right on second (easy) section for total Q of 30/40 There has to be a way that ETS factors in the fact that Student #1 had 20 questions that were harder than Student #2, even though they both got the same number of questions correct...

Well, the fact you talked to him on the phone was a good sign to begin with. He's probably a busy guy, as most profs are. I would just follow his directions... There are no guarantees anyway in this process!!!

I think with a low GPA you should try to knock the GRE out of the park. That is one way to make up for a low GPA... And, of course, solidifying a good relationship with a professor who shares your research interest and will vouch for you during the admissions process (your research experience & recommendations will help with that). Personally, if I had a 2.9 GPA, I would be studying my ass off for the GRE... Iowa Guy

OK, I've been pondering this new ETS "score select" option and how it might affect percentile rankings for a given score. My hypothesis is that now folks will tend to take the test more often (since they don't have anything to lose besides time/money) than before (when every score was reported). One line of logic would be that maybe test takers aren't as prepared for their first GRE test since they don't have to report it, and might be planning a 2nd or 3rd test already. This would tend to increase the percentile rank of a particular score (say V163). Another line of logic would be that only people who can really afford to take a lot of tests @ $175 a pop + the score select fees will be the ones who will be taking multiple tests. And these folks might be the ones who are the best prepared, most serious, and have the most resources to throw at test preparation. This would tend to decrease the percentile rank of a particular score. The kicker is, the percentile rank only represents the number of tests taken, not the number of students who took the test (I think this is correct?) i.e. for a particular score (V163), it might rank in the 90% percentile of tests taken (10% of tests achieved this high of a score), but might actually rank in the 95% for students (i.e. perhaps only 5% of students achieved this high of a score, factoring in the multiple tests that top students take). Thoughts?

Hello, for those who have taken the revised GRE, how long does it take until you receive your "official" results? (the ones including the AWA). I guess what I'm really asking, since you get your unofficial verbal/quant immediately after the test, is how long it takes for the AWA scores to show up at your door? Thanks, Iowa Guy

Why not retake it to see how you do? You don't have to report it now anyway with "score select"... If you do better, you report it. If not, you report your old one...

When self-reporting GRE scores on admission applications, do you just cherry-pick your highest score from each section? (Verbal, Quant, Writing) Let's say, for example, that my highest Verbal came from a Sept test date, my highest Quant from an October test date, and my highest Writing from a November test date. Do I just self-report these highest scores and then send in the 3 different GRE tests to the schools as proof? i.e. when communicating with a Professor of Interest, and he asks what my GRE scores are, do I tell him/her the cherry-picked higest values? Thoughts?

Has anyone ever skipped the Analytical Writing section on a GRE retake? Pros/cons? Why, if I scored well on the writing section on a previous GRE test (but let's say, I want to improve my Verbal and/or Quant scores) would I want to waste an hour of time & mental energy by writing another 2 essays? (assuming I received a good writing score previously). Hypothetically, to look at an extreme, let's say I scored a 6.0 in writing, but wanted to re-take the test to improve my Verbal/Quant. When re-taking the test at a later date, is it kosher to just skip the writing and have it show up as an incomplete? I could then send in my original GRE test (showing the 6.0 writing score) and also my subsequent GRE test (showing the higher Verbal/Quant scores but showing an incomplete for Analytical Writing). Thoughts?

If I have a tuition waver, what other expenses can I use IRA funding for without a withdrawl penalty? I have $25k in an emploer's retirement account that I need to roll over into something when I start grad school, but am not sure what option would leave me the most flexibility for future expenses. Has anyone else used IRA or other retirement funding towards non-tuition expenses? Any other options for rolling a pre-tax IRA into some sort of educational account to avoid paying taxes? Thanks, Iowa Guy

Are stipends received from the university (i.e. RA, TA, etc) taxable? Trying to figure out my finances for next few years, how much to possibly withdraw from other sources, etc. Just curious what the tax status is for different types of financial support from the university... Thanks, IowaGuy

I have an M.S. in Environmental Studies, it really depends on the particular program. I went to the U of Montana (middle-tier program, very interdisciplinary - choose your own emphasis) and the background of my fellow students ranged from art to literature to politics to science. Your best bet is likely an interdisciplinary program, and as previous posters suggested you might wish to take a science class or two to beef up your background, depending on what you want to specialize in. Good luck in your applications, my Environmental Studies M.S. allowed me to make an excellent career change and put me on a very fulfilling career path in line with my interests and passions.

enderall - out of curiosity, where are you looking to apply for your M.S.? In response to your questions: 1.) I have a M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. IMHO, for an M.S. it's not a huge deal if you don't have a clear/specific research area developed before you apply to a school; a general area of interest should be sufficient. At least, for me, it didn't matter in my M.S. applications. And, yes, I think it's fine to contact profs, etc in a program if you have questions about it, you're not going to offend anyone... 2.) to get a sense of real-world applications of the programs of a particular college, one suggestion would be to look at where their current M.S. grads are working. Most programs have such a list available. This helped me quite a bit in my M.S. application process. You'll see that some programs churn out grads that tend towards jobs in education, or policy, or science, etc. 3.) You will get your broad understanding of multiple ecological systems via your coursework and related projects. Your thesis research will likely be VERY specific, that is the nature of scientific research. One of the main benefits of doing your thesis is learning HOW to conduct research/stats, not necessarily that your findings are going to change the world... So, studying a wood rat's adaptations likely WON'T help you in your future policy/education/science job, but it WILL teach you (under your advisor's tutelage) how to conduct good research. And learning how to conduct good research should help you down the road in many potential careers... My $.02, Iowa Guy

Hello, I'm compiling a list of POI's for potential PhD programs in Natural Resources/Env Science. I'm wondering about the advantages of an in-person visit with these professors before I submit my application? Some are halfway across the country, and would require considerable resources of time/money in order to visit with them for 15-30 minutes... (although I could also visit the campus, talk with other grad students, etc) How critical is it to meet face-to-face with a professor that you hope will be your future advisor, before you submit your application? (I'm looking to apply this fall). And when would be the best timing for such a visit? Summer, when they wouldn't have such a busy class/research schedule (but might be gone traveling), early in the fall semester (hopefully not too bogged down yet), or just before I apply so it's fresh on their mind and they can (hopefully) recommend me to the admissions committee... Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Iowa Guy

Hi fellow Grad Cafe folks, I'm researching the possibility of applying to a PhD program in Natural Resources Management, Environmental Science, etc. I would apply fall 2012 for admission in fall 2013. Trying to learn more about the top programs out there. Anyone have some input on what you would consider the top 12 programs in this field? My B.S. is mech engineering, M.S. emphasis (U of Montana) is watershed science/management and I have 8 years professional experience (following my M.S.) working in the conservation/natural resources field. Hoping to work in academia following my PhD... Looking forward to a dialogue with others interested in this field... Thanks, Iowa Guy