GRE and the Statement of purpose

[Fash_135]

I didn't do the GRE yet! I'm planning to do it on Nov. 2nd !! Would 1 month be enough to study for it? How can I prepare for it as I want to do it only once!

Most of the application deadlines are in Jan. :(((

Also I still don't know how to write my statement of purpose! The problem is that I DON'T have any background as I'm a linguistics major so the thing looks pretty hard! Any tips!!!!!

 

 

[jmk]

Regarding the GRE, you are going to get many different subjective answers. 1 month is enough for some students, and definitely not enough for others. Are you a strong writer? Have you taken a practice test? What are your math skills like? 

Seeing as you are on a deadline, you can really only start where you're at now, and try to give the GRE your best shot. 

I would try out different methods: a practice workbook vs online, and see which method works best for you. 

As for as the Sop, I would just start writing out a draft. Get friends and family to continually edit and add input. What qualities will you bring to a program? What experiences have you had that made you want to choose SLP? Why do you want to do SLP? Just look at the prompts, and start outlining a draft. 

[koalalover1]

I would say it depends how well you do at standardized testing. I mean, I am horrible at them, (not exaggerating) prepared for months, and still didn't get the goal scores I had in place. I have test anxiety to the max, especially with math, so I am content with my scores now.  If you're going to study for a month, really focus on the verbal and the writing!!  Brush up on math formulas. Do a Google search of top GRE quantitative math formulas, and get those down. I also recommend Kaplan test prep books. Also you could get a vocab flash card app! You can start those now. Commit time to study at least 10-20 words a day! The more the better! It's key though that besides just studying definitions, you can put the words in a sentence. Doing vocab alone increased my score 9 points between tests! I would also sign up for it now before the deadlines!! Slots fill fast, and they especially will toward December!

In regards to the personal statement, kind of what jmk has said... look at the prompts for each school you want to apply for. Find something that makes you stand out to other SLP candidates. What sparked your interest to SLP from Linguistics? Do the programs have any specifics about the SLP program that you want to get in to? For example, I know one of the schools I want to apply for loves people who have a background in the Midwest, and I will mention in my SOP that I am from the Midwest and am looking to stay in the Midwest! Good luck!

[Fash_135]

Regarding the GRE, you are going to get many different subjective answers. 1 month is enough for some students, and definitely not enough for others. Are you a strong writer? Have you taken a practice test? What are your math skills like? 

Seeing as you are on a deadline, you can really only start where you're at now, and try to give the GRE your best shot. 

I would try out different methods: a practice workbook vs online, and see which method works best for you. 

As for as the Sop, I would just start writing out a draft. Get friends and family to continually edit and add input. What qualities will you bring to a program? What experiences have you had that made you want to choose SLP? Why do you want to do SLP? Just look at the prompts, and start outlining a draft. 

I would say it depends how well you do at standardized testing. I mean, I am horrible at them, (not exaggerating) prepared for months, and still didn't get the goal scores I had in place. I have test anxiety to the max, especially with math, so I am content with my scores now.  If you're going to study for a month, really focus on the verbal and the writing!!  Brush up on math formulas. Do a Google search of top GRE quantitative math formulas, and get those down. I also recommend Kaplan test prep books. Also you could get a vocab flash card app! You can start those now. Commit time to study at least 10-20 words a day! The more the better! It's key though that besides just studying definitions, you can put the words in a sentence. Doing vocab alone increased my score 9 points between tests! I would also sign up for it now before the deadlines!! Slots fill fast, and they especially will toward December!

In regards to the personal statement, kind of what jmk has said... look at the prompts for each school you want to apply for. Find something that makes you stand out to other SLP candidates. What sparked your interest to SLP from Linguistics? Do the programs have any specifics about the SLP program that you want to get in to? For example, I know one of the schools I want to apply for loves people who have a background in the Midwest, and I will mention in my SOP that I am from the Midwest and am looking to stay in the Midwest! Good luck!

I'm really good at math but I'm not sure about my writing skill as i'm pretty slow and need time to brainstorm and my vocabulary need lots and lots of work (English is not my first language)! I'm using Magoosh to prepare for the GRE voc., would it be enough???

Writing the sop is the hardest part. I started to work on my first draft. I'm trying to go through any website that has any information about the program so I end up with a decent paper!

Thankuuu so much I'm a bit relieved right now

[slporbust2016]

If you use Chrome, Magoosh has this cool (free) app that will automatically show a vocab word whenever you open a new tab. It's a nice way to get a little extra practice in. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/magoosh-vocabulary/oooelhhaglnggehlocjjmgngfknfclak?hl=en-US

 

[koalalover1]

 

I'm really good at math but I'm not sure about my writing skill as i'm pretty slow and need time to brainstorm and my vocabulary need lots and lots of work (English is not my first language)! I'm using Magoosh to prepare for the GRE voc., would it be enough???

Writing the sop is the hardest part. I started to work on my first draft. I'm trying to go through any website that has any information about the program so I end up with a decent paper!

Thankuuu so much I'm a bit relieved right now

You could definitely mention English not being your first language in your SOP! That is amazing! Any school you apply to would see that as a way you stand out from the pool of applicants. If you're concerned about the writing, I would try to find practice prompts, and time yourself to see where you're at. Or if you're worried, to get a starting point, do a writing prompt un-timed, and see how long it takes you!

 

I've never personally used Magoosh, but I hear wonderful things about it! That will make a big difference, especially for the vocabulary! You could also just google tips for vocabulary portion of GRE, and see what you can find! There's so much out there you can do! 

[litesneeze]

Some schools also place importance on a high AW score (4.5 or higher). to practice that writing portion, I suggest you go to the GRE website and find the writing prompts to practice both essay types of the AW. There's quite a bit of prompts provided but don't be overwhelmed by the amount. Any of the listed prompts will be given on the actual test but most of the topics repeat themselves. Pick a few topics and practice them untimed on Word since the test requires you to type that portion. See which writing techniques work for you and get a feelfor wht kind of examples the test would like to see. After you practice untimed, try to do the same thing timed. It will really help you get prepared for the essay portion. At the same time, you can practice applying some new vocabulary words you are learning in the meantime and get some examples that can be used for multiple topics. I used this practice technique and it helped me get a 5.0 AW score. I hope this method helps you too!

[OverCaffeinated]

If you use Chrome, Magoosh has this cool (free) app that will automatically show a vocab word whenever you open a new tab. It's a nice way to get a little extra practice in. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/magoosh-vocabulary/oooelhhaglnggehlocjjmgngfknfclak?hl=en-US

 

oh this is so cool! stealing this

[Fash_135]

You could definitely mention English not being your first language in your SOP! That is amazing! Any school you apply to would see that as a way you stand out from the pool of applicants. If you're concerned about the writing, I would try to find practice prompts, and time yourself to see where you're at. Or if you're worried, to get a starting point, do a writing prompt un-timed, and see how long it takes you!

 

I've never personally used Magoosh, but I hear wonderful things about it! That will make a big difference, especially for the vocabulary! You could also just google tips for vocabulary portion of GRE, and see what you can find! There's so much out there you can do! 

awww really! but how can I add this in my SOP! writing it is getting more and more complicated :((((

Yup I started to work on the AW part, trying to get faster!

THANK YOU SO MUCH! 

[Fash_135]

Some schools also place importance on a high AW score (4.5 or higher). to practice that writing portion, I suggest you go to the GRE website and find the writing prompts to practice both essay types of the AW. There's quite a bit of prompts provided but don't be overwhelmed by the amount. Any of the listed prompts will be given on the actual test but most of the topics repeat themselves. Pick a few topics and practice them untimed on Word since the test requires you to type that portion. See which writing techniques work for you and get a feelfor wht kind of examples the test would like to see. After you practice untimed, try to do the same thing timed. It will really help you get prepared for the essay portion. At the same time, you can practice applying some new vocabulary words you are learning in the meantime and get some examples that can be used for multiple topics. I used this practice technique and it helped me get a 5.0 AW score. I hope this method helps you too!

I'm really trying so hard to get faster! 

Thnqu for the tips :))))

[curly_girl]

I agree that you have time to study the for the GRE. I gave myself about 3 weeks to study and am happy with my scores. I used Magoosh and Kaplan flashcards for vocab, and found the words much harder than the actual test! Only two of the words I had memorized were on the GRE, and I knew most of the vocab words from before I started studying. There were not very many I did not not know. Since you are worried about the vocab, I would memorize common prefixes, suffixes and word roots. I did that studying for the SAT/ACT, and it has helped me ever since. 

I would also suggest spending at least one day going over the math, even if you are good at math. Since I learned all the math in high school, I thought I would be fine. I was wrong. My math score was still competitive for the programs I applied to, but it was embarrassingly low. 

I think that the only way to improve your writing is to actually write. My undergrad was very big on writing, and that helped me more than any test prep could have. I would suggest writing everyday, or as often as possible. Even if you only spend 5 minutes writing, it is better than nothing.  You can get lots of sample GRE writing prompts for free, I would suggest sitting in a quiet place, time yourself, and answer the prompts.  Actually stop writing when the time is up. I would be shocked if this doesn't increase your speed.

Honestly, I wouldn't even think about SOPs until after the GRE, unless you run out of GRE sample writing topics. I found SOPs to be very daunting, but not as hard as I thought they would be. And I HATE writing. If you spend two months working on your SOPs, I think you will be fine. I think that sometimes people overthink their SOPs (and writing in general) and spend too much time nitpicking. Of course, as I stated I hate writing, so that probably biases me. 

Sorry for the long winded response, I hope it helps!