Should I Give Up?

[defuchs12]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes I have thought about taking the GRE again but I am horrible at standardized tests. So I thought that by applying to schools that don't use the GRE, that I would have a better chance. I've already taken the GRE twice and my scores only improved by a point or two. Does anyone know if the GRE courses helpful that are offered through Kaplan?

[jdslp]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes I have thought about taking the GRE again but I am horrible at standardized tests. So I thought that by applying to schools that don't use the GRE, that I would have a better chance. I've already taken the GRE twice and my scores only improved by a point or two. Does anyone know if the GRE courses helpful that are offered through Kaplan?

I took a GRE prep course thru my undergrad school...it helped but still didn't get me the score I needed. I'm starting to think I should play lotto...might have a better chance winning than getting into grad school lol.

[SLPjmar]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes I have thought about taking the GRE again but I am horrible at standardized tests. So I thought that by applying to schools that don't use the GRE, that I would have a better chance. I've already taken the GRE twice and my scores only improved by a point or two. Does anyone know if the GRE courses helpful that are offered through Kaplan?

 

I think it depends. Would you benefit from learning the strategies for the GRE? It's possible. One of my friends actually had a decrease in scores after taking a course.

 

Can you compensate for low scores with other portions of your application?

[tankgirl]

I feel like it's my GRE scores that are not getting me in either. I was thinking of taking a Princeton Review course - anyone have any thoughts on this?

[defuchs12]

I think it depends. Would you benefit from learning the strategies for the GRE? It's possible. One of my friends actually had a decrease in scores after taking a course.   Can you compensate for low scores with other portions of your application?

I have numerous related work experiences, including working as a line therapist for 3 years, tutoring elementary and high school students in reading in math for 2 years, working as a summer camp leader for people with disabilities for one summer, and I'm currently working as a rehab tech in a rehab center and I observe numerous speech sessions. Also, I was a member of the NSSLHA chapter at my undergrad university for 2 years and my senior year I served as president of the chapter. I thought that my numerous experiences and high GPA would make up for my low GRE scores, but it isn't working. I find it kind o hard to spend $500+ on a prep course that might not even benefit me. What are some other good ways to prepare for the GRE?

[SLPjmar]

I have numerous related work experiences, including working as a line therapist for 3 years, tutoring elementary and high school students in reading in math for 2 years, working as a summer camp leader for people with disabilities for one summer, and I'm currently working as a rehab tech in a rehab center and I observe numerous speech sessions. Also, I was a member of the NSSLHA chapter at my undergrad university for 2 years and my senior year I served as president of the chapter. I thought that my numerous experiences and high GPA would make up for my low GRE scores, but it isn't working. I find it kind o hard to spend $500+ on a prep course that might not even benefit me. What are some other good ways to prepare for the GRE?

 

Personally, I did all of the prep work by myself. I am terrible with math, so it was really that portion I focused on. I bought a GRE math book and worked through it all (including the general concepts) for about 2 months. I also bought a corresponding GRE flashcard set and quizzed myself from that. 

[GandalfTheGrey]

Another way to prep for the GRE is with a tutor - for the cost of a $500 prep course, you could probably find a starving grad student to tutor you for 20 hours at $25/hour. I know there are postings all over the bulletin boards where I go to school by community members looking for tutors, and many students charge pretty low rates. Just make sure they have test prep teaching/tutoring experience. With the one-on-one help you get from tutoring, you won't even need that many hours to get you on track. The nice thing about tutoring is that it's tailored to you, and if you pay as you go you can stop at any time if you don't feel like it's helping or if you think it's time for you to resume studying on your own. There are also companies, like Varsity Tutors, that offer tutoring at more affordable rates than other companies.

[tacomatalks]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes I have thought about taking the GRE again but I am horrible at standardized tests. So I thought that by applying to schools that don't use the GRE, that I would have a better chance. I've already taken the GRE twice and my scores only improved by a point or two. Does anyone know if the GRE courses helpful that are offered through Kaplan?

NOVA does not require the GRE - have you thought about applying there?

[tacomatalks]

Another way to prep for the GRE is with a tutor - for the cost of a $500 prep course, you could probably find a starving grad student to tutor you for 20 hours at $25/hour. I know there are postings all over the bulletin boards where I go to school by community members looking for tutors, and many students charge pretty low rates. Just make sure they have test prep teaching/tutoring experience. With the one-on-one help you get from tutoring, you won't even need that many hours to get you on track. The nice thing about tutoring is that it's tailored to you, and if you pay as you go you can stop at any time if you don't feel like it's helping or if you think it's time for you to resume studying on your own. There are also companies, like Varsity Tutors, that offer tutoring at more affordable rates than other companies.

Unfortunately, I did spend some money on a tutor, but once I took the test, I still didn't fare so well. Then again, I only prepped for about 3 weeks. It's definitely the way to go, so I plan to check out the Varsity Tutor info. Thanks so much!

[twinguy7]

I was wondering if you ended up getting into a school?  I am currently going to be applying to 11 schools for fall 2014.