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[dr3upmushroom]

I'm graduating with my bachelors next semester and am hoping to get into and start a masters the following semester. I'm guessing I should be taking the GRE and doing applications soon, but I'm not sure where exactly to find information about when/ where to apply, take the GRE, etc. I'll make an appointment to see an adviser or whatever at school tomorrow but I thought I'd ask here to get some quicker answers.

I ask because I just asked a friend if they wanted to hang out this week. They said they were busy with a few things including grad school exams and it kind of threw me, I figured I'd have to do that at some point before next semester but for some reason I assumed I could take care of all that over the summer.

 

[Steelrain]

If I can find a pile of money I will.

 

[Quadrangulum]

I have a graduate school interview later today. If all goes well, I'll be studying there this fall.

So you're planning to begin studies spring 2013? If so, you should hustle at it may take a while to get good letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and decent GRE scores assembled. You register for the GRE through the ETS (http://www.ets.org/gre/). The general exam is usually required. You may need to take a subject exam as well. For more than a few programs, these tests are only suggested and not mandatory but I'm told taking them anyways is a good idea in most cases.

Where you should apply depends on your discipline and the deadlines vary school to school but if you're aiming for the spring, my hunch is that everything should be done and submitted by the end of September at the very latest. However, note that some schools don't do spring admissions so that's something you'll also have to investigate.

 

[A Human Becoming]

I'm considering it. I might go back and get a second Bachelor's degree since I don't think my first will be enough to get into the program I want to get into.

 

[SouthernDragon]

Shit, I didn't even know that there were programs that took you in the spring. I just applied for fall...

 

[The_Inquisitor]

I'm applying for my masters for this fall soon. M.S in EE. I need to take the GRE asap!

 

[jon bones]

applied for MS in Comp Sci for fall... gotta take my GREs in early march

 

[Daft_Cat]

Just got early acceptance into USC's Film Production MFA.

I'll probably go there. Always wanted to live in California (goodbye Toronto winters).

 

[nitewulf]

how come you guys don't want to work for a few years in the middle and gain some practical experience?

 

[IamMattFox]

Probably.

How tough/easy is the GMAT?

 

[mugurumakensei]

I'm applying for a masters in a degree that can be summed up as an executive management degree for software. Minimum req is 3 years fulltime work experience so no use in me applying til June of next year.

 

[BobsRevenge]

Definitely take the GRE either while you're still in school or right after you get out, even if you want to enter the workforce for a bit before going to grad school. Trying to study for the GRE after you've been out of that system for a while is hard as shit.

 

[mugurumakensei]

Definitely take the GRE either while you're still in school or right after you get out, even if you want to enter the workforce for a bit before going to grad school. Trying to study for the GRE after you've been out of that system for a while is hard as shit.

ah GRE when you actually take it is pretty easy. I got near perfect scores on everything but the writing portion without studying. I'll be honest and say I phoned in my essay. I just wrote down enough drivel to fill a page and moved on. In retrospect, i should have spent time actually formulating my arguement.

 

[s7evn]

I have two interviews coming up the next couple weeks.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

how come you guys don't want to work for a few years in the middle and gain some practical experience?

Will have been working a full year before I start my MS degree in the background. Also interned for four years before graduating.

Guys my deadline is July 1st. I was planning on taking my GRE in April. Is this too late?

 

[BobsRevenge]

ah GRE when you actually take it is pretty easy. I got near perfect scores on everything but the writing portion without studying. I'll be honest and say I phoned in my essay. I just wrote down enough drivel to fill a page and moved on. In retrospect, i should have spent time actually formulating my arguement.

It's pretty hard for most people.

 

[dr3upmushroom]

I have a graduate school interview later today. If all goes well, I'll be studying there this fall.

So you're planning to begin studies spring 2013? If so, you should hustle at it may take a while to get good letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and decent GRE scores assembled. You register for the GRE through the ETS (http://www.ets.org/gre/). The general exam is usually required. You may need to take a subject exam as well. For more than a few programs, these tests are only suggested and not mandatory but I'm told taking them anyways is a good idea in most cases.

Where you should apply depends on your discipline and the deadlines vary school to school but if you're aiming for the spring, my hunch is that everything should be done and submitted by the end of September at the very latest. However, note that some schools don't do spring admissions so that's something you'll also have to investigate.

Thanks! I was wondering how common it was for masters programs to accept students in the spring, I guess I'll have to look into it. I'll be applying for a program in Economics, so I want to apply to Berkeley even though I doubt I'll get in just because that's what you do when you're majoring in Econ, and I'm applying Davis because a bunch of my professors teach classes there and I'm pretty sure I can get in, I still have to research other options.

Am I right in thinking that this isn't something I need to freak out about doing right now though?

how come you guys don't want to work for a few years in the middle and gain some practical experience?

I'd probably do this, there's two problems: 1) It's not like you just go out and get a job because you want one right now and 2) I eventually want to teach, and I know if I got a job the longer I worked the harder it would be to throw away the progress I'd made and go back to school.

 

[Bjern Fita]

Probably.

How tough/easy is the GMAT?

It's the sort of test you can learn to do well at.

Wife and I used one of the prep books and did maybe 1 hour during the week and 2 on a Saturday for 2-3 months. Really great training for the GMAT and it helped us both get in over the line with 700+s.

Buy one and do the prep! Too expensive to fuck up. Good luck if you go for it.

 

[Quadrangulum]

Thanks! I was wondering how common it was for masters programs to accept students in the spring, I guess I'll have to look into it. I'll be applying for a program in Economics, so I want to apply to Berkeley even though I doubt I'll get in just because that's what you do when you're majoring in Econ, and I'm applying Davis because a bunch of my professors teach classes there and I'm pretty sure I can get in, I still have to research other options.

Am I right in thinking that this isn't something I need to freak out about doing right now though?

My suggestion is to set up a timetable now by determining the deadlines of programs you find desirable and, perhaps most critically, to figure out who you should ask for letters of recommendation. Sometimes, your teachers might be researching abroad during the summer and if you're unlucky, you may encounter a few who are unreliable or forgetful.

If you're worried about the GRE, you might want to start studying now especially if you're busy with school. You do have plenty of time to do this however; I took my GRE in December, around three weeks before I submitted my application.

Needless to say, you're very early for fall 2013. Application information won't even be up until September-October for most programs.

On a separate note, you may want to see if these schools even offer standalone MAs. At least in history, many do not.

 

[IamMattFox]

It's the sort of test you can learn to do well at.

Wife and I used one of the prep books and did maybe 1 hour during the week and 2 on a Saturday for 2-3 months. Really great training for the GMAT and it helped us both get in over the line with 700+s.

Buy one and do the prep! Too expensive to fuck up. Good luck if you go for it.

Appreciated your response. I'd already owned one of the prep books from when I'd had thoughts of doing the grad school thing a few years ago. Signed up for the test in mid-February and took it last Monday.

Did quite average on the quantitative section, but did pretty well on the verbal section (English lit. was my undergrad major). Got full credit on the essay section, but that doesn't really matter, I guess. Either way, I did well enough to get into the program I was shooting for.

But yeah, to anyone else out there taking it soon, the advice on the prep book is definitely worth following. I'd also do at least a couple timed practice tests to get the feel down. You can download a program from mba.com that has two tests that are set up in the exact way the actual test is, so do that.