The decision has been made.
I'm going to apply for graduate school.
I came to this somewhat terrifying conclusion yesterday while on the phone with some wonderful people at USC. The program I'm planning on applying for is well respected, yet doesn't have 30 million applicants per semester, so my chances are better.
The first upcoming deadline is July 1st, which I sincerely doubt I'll make. I'll try, but I think it's too much too quickly, what with gathering writing samples and letters of recommendation and such. Especially when trying to track down professors.
Did I mention the GRE?
Oh, yes.
That which strikes terror into the heart of all prospective graduate students, myself included. I was chatting with my dear friend Marius yesterday, and we agreed that it's mind boggling how much you forget between your undergrad and grad years. This was preceded by a practice GRE test I took, or a fraction of one, just to see what it was like. Yikes!! I used to have an enviable vocabulary. Sadly, that seems to no longer be the case. Rest assured, I'll be spending copious amounts of time rebuilding said enviable vocabulary. (Speaking of which, this book is great: Rare Words and ways to master their meanings.)
One other portion to the GRE that terrifies myriad others: the dreaded math section. Pretend you're hearing the theme song from JAWS for a second or two. This section would be fine if more of us had need of upper level math. My father, who is an aeronautical engineer, would be one of those people, as would my cousin, who's a nuclear physicist. But me? Surely you jest! I barely made it through geometry. I did great in algebra until they started adding fractions and square roots. Screwed me up completely. There's just too much going on, no more nice, neat columns. So if you happen to hear a scream of absolute frustration, that would be me working through the math portion of my new study book, Cracking the GRE. If the internet suddenly goes more wonky than normal, that would be me working on the math portion at the GRE home site.
As if all that isn't frustrating enough, I have to pay them $130 US for the pain of taking their exam. The minimum score required by the University to which I'm applying is 1000.
Good God.
My mom told me to "hurry up and get busy" when I told her about the July 1st deadline. Perhaps it's been too long since she took the GRE. Heh. I'll be studying until August, because I honestly don't remember any math from college except that which I use on a daily basis. I have no need for anything else.
The other thing I have to work on is getting an assistantship through the department. Those are good for a full tuition waiver and an $1,800 per month stipend. For ten months, not the full 12, but you can't be too fussy when they give you that much. If I manage to land one of those, I'll be teaching undergraduate writing.
Could you stop the planet, please?
I'd like to get off.
I'm going to apply for graduate school.
I came to this somewhat terrifying conclusion yesterday while on the phone with some wonderful people at USC. The program I'm planning on applying for is well respected, yet doesn't have 30 million applicants per semester, so my chances are better.
The first upcoming deadline is July 1st, which I sincerely doubt I'll make. I'll try, but I think it's too much too quickly, what with gathering writing samples and letters of recommendation and such. Especially when trying to track down professors.
Did I mention the GRE?
Oh, yes.
That which strikes terror into the heart of all prospective graduate students, myself included. I was chatting with my dear friend Marius yesterday, and we agreed that it's mind boggling how much you forget between your undergrad and grad years. This was preceded by a practice GRE test I took, or a fraction of one, just to see what it was like. Yikes!! I used to have an enviable vocabulary. Sadly, that seems to no longer be the case. Rest assured, I'll be spending copious amounts of time rebuilding said enviable vocabulary. (Speaking of which, this book is great: Rare Words and ways to master their meanings.)
One other portion to the GRE that terrifies myriad others: the dreaded math section. Pretend you're hearing the theme song from JAWS for a second or two. This section would be fine if more of us had need of upper level math. My father, who is an aeronautical engineer, would be one of those people, as would my cousin, who's a nuclear physicist. But me? Surely you jest! I barely made it through geometry. I did great in algebra until they started adding fractions and square roots. Screwed me up completely. There's just too much going on, no more nice, neat columns. So if you happen to hear a scream of absolute frustration, that would be me working through the math portion of my new study book, Cracking the GRE. If the internet suddenly goes more wonky than normal, that would be me working on the math portion at the GRE home site.
As if all that isn't frustrating enough, I have to pay them $130 US for the pain of taking their exam. The minimum score required by the University to which I'm applying is 1000.
Good God.
My mom told me to "hurry up and get busy" when I told her about the July 1st deadline. Perhaps it's been too long since she took the GRE. Heh. I'll be studying until August, because I honestly don't remember any math from college except that which I use on a daily basis. I have no need for anything else.
The other thing I have to work on is getting an assistantship through the department. Those are good for a full tuition waiver and an $1,800 per month stipend. For ten months, not the full 12, but you can't be too fussy when they give you that much. If I manage to land one of those, I'll be teaching undergraduate writing.
Could you stop the planet, please?
I'd like to get off.
posted by Akashabreeze | 5:20 AM
2 Comments:
I know it's daunting, but it's doable. As I've told you before, if I can get through the math part, anyone can. :-)
Let me know if there is any way I can help.
Love ya!!
Marius
Well, now that you mention it. . . would you mind writing a letter of recommendation for me? :)
Though I should probably hold off on that until I get my application filled out and in the mail. ;)
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