GRE or pay a bill

[Birdcrazy]

My GRE expired earlier this year. I wasn't expecting to apply to a grad program, but I found one I really liked and applied. I get to find out in a couple of days if I'm on the short list. The problem is I have to have everything in by Jan. 15th if I'm accepted and that includes GRE. For me to retake the test, I will have to afford it. Figuring my budget which isn't very much, if I skip a very large bill this month, I can take the GRE. BUT... I won't have the money to pay the bill the month after.... maybe they would accept payments over time? I mean the GRE lasts 5 years in case I apply for anything else, but I just don't know.

[Strangefox]

My GRE expired earlier this year. I wasn't expecting to apply to a grad program, but I found one I really liked and applied. I get to find out in a couple of days if I'm on the short list. The problem is I have to have everything in by Jan. 15th if I'm accepted and that includes GRE. For me to retake the test, I will have to afford it. Figuring my budget which isn't very much, if I skip a very large bill this month, I can take the GRE. BUT... I won't have the money to pay the bill the month after.... maybe they would accept payments over time? I mean the GRE lasts 5 years in case I apply for anything else, but I just don't know.

You should ask ETS people. Go to their official website, find contacts section. I am not sure that thet will be able to help you, though... May be you can just borrow money from a friend? Take a loan in a bank? There must be options!

[anonacademic]

There is a program mentioned on the ETS site that allows for a limited amount of discounted tests. You'll pay half the purchase price. The page is here.

I tried to get into the program, since I make next to nothing and had to take both the general and the subject tests. However, I'm also out of my undergrad (it sounds like you are too). Their instructions are very unclear; I went to my last degree granting institution's financial aid office, like they instructed, but they were singularly unhelpful. The woman I spoke to (at my MA granting university) said that I should contact the schools I'm applying to, not them, to pay the difference! Yeah right!

However, in your case, if you do get into this school and you have until January to pass everything in, that school may vouch for you.

I'm not sure if my experience with the fee reduction program was negative simply because of incompetence at my MA granting university, or if it's a conscious (and conniving) dead end, but it's worth a look. Good luck.

[Birdcrazy]

I"m worrying a lot for some reason. Basically I think it would be beneficial to take this test again because despite it being 6 years after I graduated, I have decided to further my academic studies. But before Jan 15th? I found out that there are close testing dates, but I would have to study first quite a bit, especially the math which I have forgotten a lot of. I almost didn't study for my first GRE and I got a passable score, but not the best.

[eklavya]

I"m worrying a lot for some reason. Basically I think it would be beneficial to take this test again because despite it being 6 years after I graduated, I have decided to further my academic studies. But before Jan 15th? I found out that there are close testing dates, but I would have to study first quite a bit, especially the math which I have forgotten a lot of. I almost didn't study for my first GRE and I got a passable score, but not the best.

In addition to what has been suggested above, perhaps you have an old copy of the GRE with you, and you can send that? Or, the grad school to which you applied around the time you took your GRE might have the record somewhere? This is a longshot, but is definitely worth trying than paying $$ to ETS.

[Birdcrazy]

I have a black and white scan of my old GRE score and a digital copy of it the prof has, that is it. Anyway, I found out I owe less on the bill than I thought, and I called the place and they said if I have to I can do payments on it over the next few months starting next month.

Oh I love your sage grouse avatar bhikhaari, regular variety or Gunnison's? And Happy Valley, I had a brief job there.

Other factor: I have a mood disorder that despite meds keeps getting worse. Stress triggers it, people have advised me it would be too stressful, though I handled college pretty well and the problem I had with field research was more physical.

[eklavya]

Oh I love your sage grouse avatar bhikhaari, regular variety or Gunnison's? And Happy Valley, I had a brief job there.

Majestic creatures, aren't they? They've gotta be one of the prettiest land-birds that roam the Intermountain North America! Too bad their number is dwindling. It is sad to see sagebrush vegetation being invaded by cheat grass and humans (my MS work is on sagebrush molecular genetics).

[Birdcrazy]

Well, I ended up having to pay a couple smaller bills this month I forgot about. I'm defering the large bill and paying it off slowly, but I can no longer afford the GRE, so if I end up on short list, they are going to have to accept old scores or forget about me.