So I am graduating in August after a rough 15 credit hours in the summer. My official degree is a Bachelors of Science in Education: Planned Program with a minor in History and Political Science.
Anyway, the real reason for this thread is to ask some questions on grad school, which I will more than likely go to after a year or two of working. Most schools want a GRE score, so can anyone tell me about this test (especially if you've taken it). What are some tips for admission/scholarships and stuff like that?
I took both the general GRE and the physics GRE, but I'm guessing you want to know about the general. There are three parts: verbal, math, and a writing section. The verbal part has the analogy type questions that you might remember from your SAT days. It also has reading comprehension questions where you have to read a passage, and then answer questions based on that passage. The math section involves arithmetic, algebra, and some geometry. Basically it's SAT level math, so no calculus (in fact, I don't think there's any trigonometry either).
And then there's the writing section. This section has two parts. The first part will present you with two questions. You have to choose one, and give your opinion on it. In the second part, you're given a short paragraph containing some sort of argument, and you need to explain why the argument is flawed, and how it can be bolstered.
You'll more than likely be taking the test on a computer. But don't worry, it's really not all that different from taking it on paper. You can go on their website, find a test center near where you live, and register. I think they offer the GRE a couple times every month. In fact I registered for the test in the town where my parents live, and then took it over Thanksgiving break.
So how do you study for it? Personally I think you should register for the test sometime this summer, and spend about three weeks studying for it. You need about this much time to get familiar with the exam, but you shouldn't waste too much time preparing for it (unless you've got nothing else to do this summer). It's impractical to memorize all the vocabulary words for the GRE, but you likely know enough of them to get by. I personally got a 67th percentile on the test without studying all that much. If you're an education major, you probably know all the math required on the GRE, but you should definitely brush up on it. I'm not sure how to study for the writing section though. Seeing as how it measures your analytical thinking abilities, it seems like the kind of thing that any college student can do well on. The best way to study for the test is probably to get your hands on as many practice tests as possible, and just start taking them. I believe they have a free exam on the ETS GRE website. There are also GRE review books at most public libraries.
One other thing: don't stress out about it. The general GRE isn't
that important. It's important not to bomb the test, but it's not important that you ace it either.
Now as for grad school applications, I'm a physics graduate student, so what I say will tell you how I personally got into
physics grad school. I don't know if it works entirely the same way for liberal arts programs, but there are many similarities. I guess what I'm trying to say is, "warning: the following advice might be useless for everything but physics."
Grad school admissions committees look at three major factors in making their decision: your grades, your general GRE (as well as your subject GRE, if your program requires/recommends it), and your letters of recommendation. Remember that this isn't entirely like your undergrad application. Four years ago you applied to a university or college, now you'll be applying to a specific department, so they don't really care about your extracurricular activities, except for those that directly apply to your graduate program. Regarding the GREs, remember to check if the school you're applying to asks for a subject GRE. If so, you've got to take this as well.
You can get letters of recommendation from professors you did research with, or in whose classes you got good grades (professors who can talk about your research work will typically carry more weight than professors who can say that you did well in their classes). You can also get letters from your employers, provided that your work related to your graduate program in some way. In other words, if you're applying to physics, then your boss from 3M, IBM, or Hitachi would probably look good. Your boss at McDonald's wouldn't be a good person to write your letter. Since you'll be working, you should be able to get some good letters from your bosses (though you can still contact your professors).
You'll most likely be using an online application. Remember that you've got to separately send your college's transcripts and your letters of recommedation to the school. You've also got to write a 1-2 page personal statement, which is also pretty important. When you write this, remember not to spend too much time talking about your life before college or about your personal life (i.e. your medal from the 5th grade science fair, how much you love your mother, etc.). Your essay should specifically address whatever question they ask you, and should very specifically explain the things you've done in college that prove you are a good candidate for grad school. After you finish your application, it would help to email a specific professor at the school with whom you want to work, and tell him/her what you're interested in doing.
Well that's all I've got for now, but if you have specific questions, please feel free to ask, and I'll do whatever I can to help. And maybe you could stop by the grad student thread we've got started. Good luck!
