Applying to graduate school The Personal Statement

The Personal Statement What are the most compelling reasons you can give for the admissions committee to be interested in you?

Questions to ask yourself What's special, unique, distinctive, about you or your life story? What details of your life might help the committee better understand you personal history people or events that have shaped you or influenced your goals What personal characteristics do you possess that would improve your prospects for success in the field or profession? integrity, compassion, and/or persistence What skills? leadership, communicative, analytical

Questions to ask yourself When did you become interested in this field? What have you learned about it (and about yourself) that has further stimulated your interest and reinforced your conviction that you are well suited to this field? What insights have you gained? How have you learned about this field—through classes, readings, seminars, work or other experiences, or conversations with people already in the field? What are your career goals?

Questions to ask yourself Are there any gaps or discrepancies in your academic record that you should explain (great grades but mediocre LSAT or GRE scores, for example, or a distinct upward pattern to your GPA if it was only average in the beginning)?

The Graduate Record Examination Tips & Tricks

What is the GRE? The GRE is an exam that is meant to test your skills on various subjects that are used in graduate school. It is computer-based and timed 3 hours long Scored on a scale from 130-170

There are three sections to the GRE The Analytical Writing Section The Verbal Reasoning Section Lastly, the Quantitative Reasoning Section

Analytical Writing Section One section with two separately timed tasks You will need to write an essay over a “Analyze an Issue” task and over a “Analyze an Argument” task. You will be giver 30 minutes per task

Verbal Reasoning Section You will be given two verbal reasoning sections You will have 20 questions per section with 30 minutes for each section Some examples of questions that will be asked are: Reading comprehension Text Completion Sentence Eqivalence

Reading Comprehension Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition, an approach that had been in hibernation in the United States during the 1960s, composer Philip Glass (born 1937) embraced the ethos of popular music in his compositions. Glass based two symphonies on music by rock musicians David Bowie and Brian Eno, but the symphonies' sound is distinctively his. Popular elements do not appear out of place in Glass's classical music, which from its early days has shared certain harmonies and rhythms with rock music. Yet this use of popular elements has not made Glass a composer of popular music. His music is not a version of popular music packaged to attract classical listeners; it is high art for listeners steeped in rock rather than the classics. 1. The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glass's use of popular elements in his classical compositions? A) How it is regarded by listeners who prefer rock to the classics B) How it has affected the commercial success of Glass's music C)Whether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers in using popular elements in their compositions

Text Completion It is refreshing to read a book about our planet by an author who does not allow facts to be (i)__________ by politics: well aware of the political disputes about the effects of human activities on climate and biodiversity, this author does not permit them to (ii)__________ his comprehensive description of what we know about our biosphere. He emphasizes the enormous gaps in our knowledge, the sparseness of our observations, and the (iii)__________, calling attention to the many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood before we can accurately diagnose the condition of our planet. Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii) (A) overshadowed (D) enhance (G) plausibility of our hypotheses (B) invalidated (E) obscure (H) certainty of our entitlement (C) illuminated (F) underscore (I) superficiality of our theories

Sentence Equivalence Although it does contain some pioneering ideas, one would hardly characterize the work as __________. orthodox eccentric original trifling conventional innovative

Quantitative Section You will have: Quantitative Comparison Questions Multiple-Choice Questions Lastly, Numeric Entry Questions

Place to Take It You need to register on-line at the Educational Testing Service website: http://www.ets.org/gre/ Prometric Testing Center 5807 North Mesa St. El Paso, Texas 79912 United States Of America (915)587-7323 Cost is $195

TIPS Practice, Practice, Practice…… Every score is recorded Enroll in test prep courses early on

Resources UTEP graduate school offers prep workshops http://graduate.utep.edu/index.html Educational Testing Service http://www.ets.org/gre/ Test Prep Courses http://www.reviews.com/gre-prep-courses/