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[bsej87]

Wish me luck, guys! ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

Good luck on your GRE! It's pretty straight-forward as far as standardized tests go. Just remember (assuming they haven't changed it) that it's computer adaptive, so make sure you stay calm and ace those first few questions in each section and if it seems like the questions just keep getting harder and harder then you're doing well!

My "summer" ended two weeks ago, though they don't really exist in graduate school. Now I'm back to TA'ing over-privileged rich kids from the northeast who keep asking questions like "When will I use biochemistry?" despite all applying to medical/graduate/dental school. One of them already asked me for help on his essay topic because "I'm in the neuroscience master's program. What kind of neuro topic includes biochemistry?" The whole damn field, lawd. Kids these days. /yellatcloud

On the plus side, Scales and Ales is coming up which means I'mma get tipsy and yell obscenities at penguins and probably a few species of fish

 

[FelixOrion]

Yeah, of course that's my main priority, along with choosing a program that suits my field of interest, but that's all worthless when you're uncomfortable living there. ex: I almost accepted this research scholarship in Singapore with the University of Illinois, before finding out what gay rights are like over there :/

I'm probably getting ahead of myself, though. Getting accepted to a good school is gonna be really tough. I should focus on trying to get a good mark on my GRE

Spoiler

it's tomorrow (・へ&#12539

Wish me luck, guys! ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

Did a summer program. Met some really great people.


Good luck.

I'm taking the GRE next month.

I gotta take it some time this semester. Plus I have to take one of the Subject GREs in October. Fun fun fun.

 

[hateradio]

Also, it makes me a bit uncomfortable to see my hair that short, lol. Not happening again.

You actually look cool with short hair. The parted hair actually makes you look like a school boy.

I gotta take it some time this semester. Plus I have to take one of the Subject GREs in October. Fun fun fun.

I'm so glad that the MS I've applied to doesn't need a GRE.

 

[Mystic Theurge]

Thanks

Be sure to study hard. The vocabulary part is especially tough/annoying. I can give you some tips later if you want.

Well, I'm off to bed ( - .-) zzZ

I read tons, and from the practice verbal sections I did, I think I'm good on the vocab.

Despite the fact that I'm in CS, I feel like the math will be more challenging. I haven't had to do that kind of stuff in years.

Ooh what kind of summer program?

Summer research program in CS.

 

[FelixOrion]

You actually look cool with short hair. The parted hair actually makes you look like a school boy.


I'm so glad that the MS I've applied to doesn't need a GRE.

Some of mine don't, but it varies from school to school.

 

[bsej87]

Despite the fact that I'm in CS, I feel like the math will be more challenging. I haven't had to do that kind of stuff in years.

Just know your basic geometry and be able to spit out special triangles quickly and you're golden. GRE math is crazy easy as it pretty much stops at early high school level math. The hard part comes in having to do it rapidly.

 

[Alcoori]

Just know your basic geometry and be able to spit out special triangles quickly and you're golden. GRE math is crazy easy as it pretty much stops at early high school level math. The hard part comes in having to do it rapidly.

Exactly. Just practice a little bit and you'll get that 800 easy.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Summer research program in CS.

Hrm. That sounds...exciting?

 

[Blood Diamonds]

Tomorrow I have to go to my first day of that sacrament of confirmation catholic thing *sigh*

I don't even know what to believe anymore.

 

[mantidor]

what is this thing of gay gaf hating on transition lenses? seriously, they were a godsend, I could never look back.

 

[umop_3pisdn]

what is this thing of gay gaf human people hating on transition lenses? seriously, they were a godsend, I could never look back.

Fixed

Tomorrow I have to go to my first day of that sacrament of confirmation catholic thing *sigh*

I don't even know what to believe anymore.

Just be a horrible cynic and view it as an empty ritual done out of social convenience or something. Or not, I guess that's a little bleak. I kind of only got confirmed for the sake of making it easier to navigate the social situation at the time (went to a Catholic school, at like twelve or thirteen or whatever when it happened there was this running joke where my peers thought that I was a Satanist, though I was just an atheist), but I don't remember it taking more than one day, that kind of sounds like a pain.

 

[Blood Diamonds]

Just be a horrible cynic and view it as an empty ritual done out of social convenience or something. Or not, I guess that's a little bleak. I kind of only got confirmed for the sake of making it easier to navigate the social situation at the time (went to a Catholic school, at like twelve or thirteen or whatever when it happened there was this running joke where my peers thought that I was a Satanist, though I was just an atheist), but I don't remember it taking more than one day, that kind of sounds like a pain.

I have to go for about 7 months.
:|

I'll just deal with it, there's no way my Mom's letting me off the hook. Just hope I don't hear some homophobic shit or I'll just walk out of the church lol.

 

[umop_3pisdn]

I have to go for about 7 months.
:|

What oh my god no one should be confirmed, fight the injustice.

I'll just deal with it, there's no way my Mom's letting me off the hook. Just hope I don't hear some homophobic shit or I'll just walk out of the church lol.

It might not be a bad thing. We probably should be less tolerant of obvious bullshit in general for the sake of convenience, and if you do walk for a justifiable reason like that it might lead you to finding a church or some other thing that appeals to you more, idk.

 

[Blood Diamonds]

What oh my god no one should be confirmed, fight the injustice.



It might not be a bad thing. We probably should be less tolerant of obvious bullshit in general for the sake of convenience, and if you do walk for a justifiable reason like that it might lead you to finding a church or some other thing that appeals to you more, idk.

lol, I tried. My Mom pulled the "You're too young you don't get to decide" card so that's that.

I'm also half-kidding, I wouldn't walk out straight up but I would probably just stop taking the whole thing seriously.

 

[Kangi]

Not sure what's scarier - that I keep finding these spiders that come into close contact with me, or that according to everything I could find on the internet, this particular species does not exist.

 

[RM8]

Why are you taking it seriously in the first place? Legit question.

 

[umop_3pisdn]

lol, I tried. My Mom pulled the "You're too young you don't get to decide" card so that's that.

I'm also half-kidding, I wouldn't walk out straight up but I would probably just stop taking the whole thing seriously.

I think you get the "I'll play along as long as it doesn't become grossly offensive to me, at which point you would be teaching me a bad life lesson because I would be doing so purely for the sake of appearances which have no value compared to me having to agree to something that is totally incongruous with my values and which I would resent with every fibre of my being" card or whatever. Parents get to play the "Do as I say/It will make me happy" card if it's just some harmless, boring waste of time, which this will likely be. If it actually becomes something you care about your mom should honor that since being that at your age you can have meaningful opinions on things.

Not sure what's scarier - that I keep finding these spiders that come into close contact with me, or that according to everything I could find on the internet, this particular species does not exist.

They must be magical beasts, you are truly blessed.

 

[scarlet]

I just read that wentworth miller tried to commit suicide when he was 15

 

[Blood Diamonds]

Why are you taking it seriously in the first place? Legit question.

I don't really know how to explain this, so here goes:

I guess it's mostly because my Mom and Dad are religious, and I feel like our point of views are so different from each other already and I think religious differences would cause so much trouble and bullshit between us and I just don't want to deal with that.

Still, I've been religious for most of my life up until 3 or 4 years ago when things kind of starting breaking apart. I guess I sort of lost my faith but I still live being afraid of God for lack of a better way to put it.

Lately I don't know what to believe, my parents are becoming more and more religious as time passes. For example, there was a rainbow today, and my Dad asked "Do you know why rainbows happen?" I answered "Yeah, it's because water reflects in the sunlight or something like that, right?" and he actually gasped a little and said "Well yeah but it's because that's when Jesus signaled (blah blah blah)" and I was in shock. My Dad was always into science and stuff and it was just weird hearing that. Same with my Mom, it's getting weirder and weirder and it just complicates things a lot more.

 

[Poltergust]

I read tons, and from the practice verbal sections I did, I think I'm good on the vocab.

Despite the fact that I'm in CS, I feel like the math will be more challenging. I haven't had to do that kind of stuff in years.



Summer research program in CS.

Sweet! Another CS major in here! ^_^

 

[Sibylus]

You shouldn't do Confirmation unless your heart is in it, it defeats the whole purpose. if If your parents are sane human beings they'll understand that.

 

[dragonlife]

7 months? The fuck? Mine only lasted a couple weeks and sessions were, like, an hour max. Usually less. It was a waste of time but it was painless.

 

[mantidor]

You shouldn't do Confirmation unless your heart is in it, it defeats the whole purpose. if If your parents are sane human beings they'll understand that.

Yup, thats the whole point of it, you are "confirming" your previous vows.

I never did my first communion for various reasons, which was kind of a little scandal back in my school, because it was a catholic school, but I was an excellent student and the teachers liked me a lot, so besides a pretty nasty confrontation in front of the whole class by one of the priests asking me why I didn't do it, nothing else happened. Even then, when it was time to do confirmation, they actually asked everyone about it, which I felt was odd, but they were right, you have to be into it. Almost everyone did it, but for another reason, if they ever had plans to get married under the church, and as a catholic country almost everyone were, they had to do confirmation sooner or later, so... better be sooner.

 

[Vazra]

I just read that wentworth miller tried to commit suicide when he was 15

If he ever gets depressed again I know a way I could help to cheer him up.

 

[umop_3pisdn]

You shouldn't do Confirmation unless your heart is in it, it defeats the whole purpose. if If your parents are sane human beings they'll understand that.

I agree, but when it's 'institutionalized' in some way that doesn't seem to be the way it goes. It seems really incongruous if you're doubting your faith to go ahead with it because even if you see rituals in a really pragmatic way, it's going to have like none of the impact or meaning that it's supposed to, but it's exactly that kind of doubt that is going to prevent you from taking any kind of definitive stance, so then when everyone else is doing it etc the default 'do nothing' position is to just get confirmed. That was my experience, at least. I kind of decided at the time that it might be of some social benefit to me so I could pretend I was more of a Christian than I was, if I wanted. Blending in can be useful I guess, if I had to rationalize my perspective then, and I was already a non-theist so I didn't think there was any kind of sinful quality to what was essentially a lie.

 

[Blood Diamonds]

You shouldn't do Confirmation unless your heart is in it, it defeats the whole purpose. if If your parents are sane human beings they'll understand that.

They're sane, but very sensitive when it comes to religion. I'll just pull through it.

7 months? The fuck? Mine only lasted a couple weeks and sessions were, like, an hour max. Usually less. It was a waste of time but it was painless.

It's every Monday for 7 months. Hope it's just one hour tho.

 

[Sibylus]

Thankfully my parents kinda "got" the point of rituals, they didn't force me to get a baptism (the Protestant analogue). Even if one is a believer that merely sees it as a simply ceremonial rite (ie no spiritual level up), compelling people to participate who aren't in favor still runs completely against the grain of what the ceremony is supposed to stand for. Confirmation and baptism are about personal choices and a personal conviction... it's just an awkward game of dressup that really benefits no one if those prerequisites aren't met.

TBH, I would think they would be receptive to that if they're as sensitive as you're saying.

 

[Blood Diamonds]

I think the best way to put it is that they're stubborn. Yeah, that's the word.

Regret is starting to kick in though, I really don't want to go but I just have no choice. Ahhh fuck :/

 

[Sibylus]

You can frame the truth of the matter in their religious context, if that helps anything.

"I don't feel led/convicted to do this right now" is how I put the brakes on this kind of thing when I knew my heart wasn't in it (but didn't want to put it bluntly).

Worst comes to worst, I imagine the clergy have quite often been in a position of meeting people that were doing the rites and all because of pressure. If you're absolutely not comfortable with it, I figure they'd go to bat for you.

 

[Mr_Zombie]

The "aging gracefully" thread made me do this:

17 years old to 25 years old.

As I asked over there - is my brain sugar-coating it for me or am I really not aging a lot? Anyway, I'm shocked my terrible sleeping habits haven't screwed me too bad

Also, it makes me a bit uncomfortable to see my hair that short, lol. Not happening again.

To be honest, you look older in your 17-yo picture :x That's probably due to short hair and facial hair. But apart from that, you really didn't changed that much. (lucky you)

Lately I don't know what to believe, my parents are becoming more and more religious as time passes. For example, there was a rainbow today, and my Dad asked "Do you know why rainbows happen?" I answered "Yeah, it's because water reflects in the sunlight or something like that, right?" and he actually gasped a little and said "Well yeah but it's because that's when Jesus signaled (blah blah blah)" and I was in shock. My Dad was always into science and stuff and it was just weird hearing that. Same with my Mom, it's getting weirder and weirder and it just complicates things a lot more.

Wait, even if we go with the biblical explanation for a rainbow, it has nothing to do with Jesus. It was a symbol of covenant between God and all living creatures, a covenant mentioned in Genesis, so long before Jesus.

 

[Vazra]

Has been a while since my last pics here lets post a gif I posted on the Post Your Picture thread.

 

[sruckus]

It seems like every time I post about someone on here something happens to screw it up. The possible date had the flaky guy cancel, and now the situation with the guy i was starting to like from another state has gone south.

Basically we've texted almost every day for a week and a half or so and I was really starting to like him. We did have some fun with pic sharing, but he was at a party this weekend and we were texting and then he decided to send a sexy pic. I liked it and I finally sent him one of my full body (he had only seen certain parts and my face and clothed body previously b/c I hadn't shaved and I hate showing body hair).

After that he didn't text anymore and yesterday was just a horrible day with me feeling sick almost all day that it looks like I wasn't good looking enough for him. I tried convincing myself that maybe his phone just died or whatever (it happened before), but he surely would have had it charged sometime yesterday. It's clear he was less than impressed with my body, which I don't get considering he's seen enough of me and even me clothed to know what I would look like...and while I have no 6 pack nor am I super skinny (like him), he knew that. I thought he was fine with it. I am not a fat guy...I'm 5 10, 150 lbs.

This all just sucks . I have never felt so gross and sick and we never even dated! I guess I am just so completely bummed because I *really* thought this could be my first relationship and while he lived in another state it was still so doable because he had family right where I live. Ugh I am so mad. I think at the very least I am going to send him a mean message calling him a prick and whatever else I feel like. I need something to make myself feel better and let him know how it hurt.

I understand not having an attraction to someone, but I can figure that out very quickly up front, especially after seeing several pics of a person. I consider myself extremely picky and my body would not be a turn off. I guess I'm just too biased to the situation. Oh well...hopefully I'll get the energy to try again, but it's not going to be another favorable situation like this unless I literally meet someone around here and the possibility of that happening....ha...it certainly hasn't happened in 2+ years

 

[Yado]

It seems like every time I post about someone on here something happens to screw it up. The possible date had the flaky guy cancel, and now the situation with the guy i was starting to like from another state has gone south.

I don't think you should send him an angry text, send him another asking if he got it and you should be able to gauge how he felt about it based on his response. If he doesn't find you attractive then that's that. On to the next, Struckus.

 

[Mr_Zombie]

Has been a while since my last pics here lets post a gif I posted on the Post Your Picture thread.

"this file does not exists or is not available!"

I think at the very least I am going to send him a mean message calling him a prick and whatever else I feel like. I need something to make myself feel better and let him know how it hurt.

Before you do that, maybe first send him a normal message asking what's going on? Because, you know, maybe he truly couldn't text you back or simply forgot? Storming off like that would without making sure that he indeed started to ignore you would be rather stupid.

And don't feel bad about yourself. If he truly rejected you just because of a single pic, even though you were texting daily for over a week now and (it seems) had a good time doing so, then he truly is a shallow prick and someone who is not worth going after.

 

[Spree]

Good luck on your GRE! It's pretty straight-forward as far as standardized tests go. Just remember (assuming they haven't changed it) that it's computer adaptive, so make sure you stay calm and ace those first few questions in each section and if it seems like the questions just keep getting harder and harder then you're doing well!

haha I just read this. Yeah, I panicked when some really tough questions starting popping up near the end and I pretty much ran out of time. I left the exam feeling awful. They show you your scores at the end of the test (159 verbal/ 161 quant), but I had absolutely no idea how to interpret them (I had the max score in my head at 240 or something lol). I was on edge all the way home.

I only just got home. Turns out they're not horrible scores after all *phew*

I read tons, and from the practice verbal sections I did, I think I'm good on the vocab.

Despite the fact that I'm in CS, I feel like the math will be more challenging. I haven't had to do that kind of stuff in years.

Like bsej87 said, it's just high school level stuff. The challenge was having to do it in a really short time. Also, remember that the verbal section isn't just vocabulary. The reading comprehension parts turned out to be pretty tough (you get stressed and it becomes hard to focus). The best thing to do, after you've finished studying, is take a bunch of practice tests if you can, and time yourself as if it were a real exam.

 

[Menaged]

Yo folks. Summer is ending. School is starting. (for most of us. )

How was the last few months for yall?

My break started about a few weeks ago, and it's been... nice I guess. I didn't do anything special, but doing nothing is quite alright in my book, as long as I'm having fun.
I still have about 6 weeks to go until I go back to uni, so plenty of time to rest

Last night I slept with my crush.
So yeah, that was pretty weird...

Weird is definitely the way to describe it, lol.
I think it's for the best that you didn't do anything, as tempting as it was.
I'd be going crazy instead of you with all of these semi hints. The drunk text from about a week ago, and now this... damn. Keep it together!

It seems like every time I post about someone on here something happens to screw it up. The possible date had the flaky guy cancel, and now the situation with the guy i was starting to like from another state has gone south.

Like others have suggested, try the diplomatic way first. I understand you texted him the picture yesterday? Give him another day, and then ask something along the lines of "what's going on?". That's how I'd handle it anyway. He might give you an answer you won't like, but it's better than nothing :\

---------------

Pardon my ignorance, but what's GRE? Is it like SAT?

 

[FelixOrion]

Pardon my ignorance, but what's GRE? Is it like SAT?

SAT for graduate school.

 

[sruckus]

Thanks for the kind words and advice guys. I do tend to just react to being hurt in a bad way, but I decided to act smart and just send him a text a couple hours ago along the lines of "Looks like you didn't like them. It's fine, but sucks. Have a good one".

We sent pictures Sat night and he sent two and then I did and then he just never said anything again. That's why I'm pretty sure he didn't like them. The odds that his battery died at the worst time AND he didnt have a phone for all day yesterday ad now today is very unlikely.

He never responded, but it's possible he won't because saying that just makes you feel like a dick so...oh well.

 

[Spree]

Pardon my ignorance, but what's GRE? Is it like SAT?

GRE stands for Graduate Record Examinations. Yeah, its kind of like SAT, but for grad school (Masters, PhD), although not as much emphasis is put on it versus other factors such as recommendations from professors, college GPA, statement of purpose...etc.

 

[Menaged]

Oh, Okay.
So first you need SAT's to get into (most I guess) a college \ uni to do your BA, and if you want to procceed you need GRE's? Is it degree specific, and in which countries?
It's just that I never heard of it, so I'm curious

If I want to do my masters in psychology I know I need a special test that's specific to psychology, and I guess that there are other tests for other degrees.

 

[Alcoori]

Oh, Okay.
So first you need SAT's to get into (most I guess) a college \ uni to do your BA, and if you want to procceed you need GRE's? Is it degree specific, and in which countries?
It's just that I never heard of it, so I'm curious

If I want to do my masters in psychology I know I need a special test that's specific to psychology, and I guess that there are other tests for other degrees.

It's for US schools. Didn't have to take SAT to go to college in France (but had to take an exam), nor did I have to take the GRE for my Masters degree in the UK.

You also have topic-specific GRE if you wanna go to Law school, Med school, etc.

 

[Spree]

Oh, Okay.
So first you need SAT's to get into (most I guess) a college \ uni to do your BA, and if you want to procceed you need GRE's? Is it degree specific, and in which countries?
It's just that I never heard of it, so I'm curious

If I want to do my masters in psychology I know I need a special test that's specific to psychology, and I guess that there are other tests for other degrees.

No problem

So yeah, it's not degree specific. There are specialized versions of it, but most of the time only the general version is required. It can be taken in most countries around the world, but it's intended for studying in the US, and a few other English speaking countries. If you're looking to apply for a specific degree/program, the best thing to do is to check out the requirements for it on the university's website.

EDIT: Ninja'd!

 

[FelixOrion]

Oh, Okay.
So first you need SAT's to get into (most I guess) a college \ uni to do your BA, and if you want to procceed you need GRE's? Is it degree specific, and in which countries?
It's just that I never heard of it, so I'm curious

If I want to do my masters in psychology I know I need a special test that's specific to psychology, and I guess that there are other tests for other degrees.

Pretty much every single school requires an SAT or ACT for undergraduate admission.

The GRE is pretty much only used in English-speaking countries (pretty much just the US) and designed for all degrees, more or less. There are also additional subject GRE tests for certain fields (Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology; Biology; Chemistry; Literature in English; Mathematics; Physics; and Psychology) However, while both are often "suggested," some schools require neither and some require only the the General GRE (I've yet to see one in the schools that I'm looking at that requires both the general and my subject, but I would bet they exist).

At least that's my understanding of them.

 

[bsej87]

You also have topic-specific GRE if you wanna go to Law school, Med school, etc.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think law school is the Bar exam and med school is the MCAT which are both run by two different organizations separate from the one that does the GRE.

 

[FelixOrion]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think law school is the Bar exam and med school is the MCAT which are both run by two different organizations separate from the one that does the GRE.

I was just about to comment on that myself, and I'm pretty sure you're right, aside from the Bar Exam. The Bar Exam is after you graduate from law school to see if you can practice law, the exam to get into law school is the LSAT.

 

[Menaged]

Thanks for the info.
Always nice to learn new stuff

 

[Alcoori]

The bar exam is when you graduate law school and is required to practice law.

The LSAT is the entrance exam (Law School Admission Test), not sure who runs what but that's what it is!

 

[Vazra]

"this file does not exists or is not available!"

Now working?

 

[FelixOrion]

The bar exam is when you graduate law school and is required to practice law.

The LSAT is the entrance exam (Law School Admission Test), not sure who runs what but that's what it is!

The LSAT, MCAT, and GRE are all run by different organizations.

 

[bsej87]

I was just about to comment on that myself, and I'm pretty sure you're right, aside from the Bar Exam. The Bar Exam is after you graduate from law school to see if you can practice law, the exam to get into law school is the LSAT.

Oh, right, right. I probably should have known that considering I have a few friends waiting to hear back about their bar results.