America's Best Colleges

America's Best Colleges

Princeton tops the annual list of the national universities, while the California Institute of Technology was named the best national value among more than 1,900 schools ranked and reviewed.

• National Universities
• Liberal Arts Colleges
• Baccalaureate Colleges

• Master's Universities
• Business Programs
• Engineering Programs

http://www.usnews.com/sections/rankings/index.html

America's Best High Schools

America's Best High Schools

We analyzed data from thousands of schools in 40 states to produce our list of the nation's best. One hundred schools earned gold medals, while many more earned silver and bronze medals.

• Gold Medal Schools—Top 100
• Search All Gold, Silver, Bronze Medal Schools

• Magnet Schools
• Charter Schools
• Open Enrollment Schools

Source: http://www.usnews.com/sections/rankings/index.html

All Across America

Despite what the media may say, Los Angeles and New York are not the only two places to live in America. Even though the United States is one country, it is not a culturally homogenous entity. The states in its country are comparable to the countries in Europe. Los Angeles could not be more different than New York, and Texas may seem to be its own sovereign republic when compared to, say, the upper Midwest. So how is a foreign student supposed to know in which city he or she should go to college? How is one to choose from among all the many options presented by the United States?

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be as confusing as you may fear. For though America is a sprawling country, composed of a wide variety of people and a vast cross-section of humanity, it is, nonetheless, manageable when it comes to figuring out what will work best for you. Here, then, we offer some help and guidance.

It May Be Big...

...But it's not all that different from many other countries. France, for example, is composed of many distinctly unique regions. The culture of Normandy would be virtually unrecognizable to a resident of Cannes or Nice, and the hustle-and-bustle of Paris is nothing at all like the laid-back, deliberately slower ways of the people of Provence. America, to, is like this only more so because of its size.

So before you decide what schools to apply to, you should consider all the cultural options the United States has to offer. Do you want to live in a big city or a small town? A big city, while potentially more dangerous and certainly faster-paced than a small town, will nonetheless offer you the opportunity to meet and interact with people from all over the world, thereby, perhaps, making you feel a bit less "foreign" in the process. Big cities can also provide you with cultural opportunities that you may not get anywhere else: From world-class symphonies to top-notch rock concerts and from great restaurants to corner cafes teeming with people from all over the world, big cities often act like crucibles of human interaction, which can be perfect for inspiring and stimulating graduate students.

On the other hand, choosing a smaller town means that you'll be able to take your time when it comes to adjusting to your new country. The pace of life will be a bit slower, and the pressure to always be on the run will be far less pronounced, and you'll have the chance to adjust at your own pace. However, the down side is that there may be fewer people in your situation, thereby highlighting your foreignness. And there will be fewer cultural opportunities for you to take advantage of. But all that free time can be put to good use by affording you the opportunity to focus more on your studies, which is ostensibly why you traveled to the United States for grad school in the first place.

Whether Or Not You Like The Weather

Even excluding Alaska and Hawaii, the United States stretches from the chilly reaches of the northern border with Canada to the hot, humid world of southern Florida. In between, this country is comprised of landscapes and environments that are as rich and varied as those of any country in the world. And while it may seem like an obvious issue to consider, the ramifications of choosing one location over another are likely to be more far-reaching than you initially imagine.

If you grew up in, say, southern Spain, and are used to warm, sunny weather, then you may find your transition even more difficult to life in America if you choose to attend graduate school in a place whose weather is completely different from what you're accustomed to. So while a school in Ithaca, New York, for example, may seem like it offers the perfect program for you, you should still consider the weather: It tends to be fairly chilly and so cloudy that some students at one of the schools there actually name the cloud that, they claim, hovers over the town throughout much of the fall and winter. And while this should not necessarily dissuade you from attending school there or anywhere it should nonetheless be one of the factors you consider.

The same goes for the opposite weather situation: If you grew up in a cooler part of the world, then it might seem like a shock to deal with life in a warmer part of the country, especially the desserts of Arizona or Las Vegas. In fact, there are other considerations that are affected by the weather, too. Let's say, for example, that you grew up in a staunchly Muslim country, one in which women wear traditional Islamic dress and observe all the typical strictures of "Muslim female humility." You may be shocked to see what women wear when they live in one of the warmer parts of the United States. And while this may or may not offend you, it will likely add to your feeling of being quite far from home. So it's important to remember that even the weather in the part of the country in which you consider attending graduate school will affect the way in which you make your transition to life in America.

A Plane Ride Is Not Just A Plane Ride

When an American grad-school applicant considers studying in either northern England or the southern part, he does not really have to consider how much further one is from his home back in the United States than the other. In other words, a flight from Philadelphia to London is just about six hours, as is a flight to a city in the north of the country. This is because England is a fairly small country, at least in terms of size (though certainly not in influence). But America is a different story entirely.

It takes almost as long to fly from Philadelphia to Los Angeles as it does to fly from Philadelphia to London. Therefore, where you decide to attend school in America will have a very real impact on the convenience (or inconvenience) of going back home for holidays or emergencies. And while this should not necessarily be a deal-breaker for any school, it should nonetheless be considered as a major factor in your decision.

And even if you don't really plan on going back home all that often, the psychology of being such a long flight away may prove to be an issue. Very few people, after all, like to feel totally isolated from home.

In the end, one of the most appealing parts of attending graduate school in the United States is the astoundingly wide variety of cultures, climates, and overall experiences it offers. And since a graduate school education does not just occur in the classroom, but in the environment in which you live while working your way through the program, you stand to gain a great deal by enrolling in an American grad program. Just make sure you choose wisely, having considered as many of the relevant variables as you can. And as long as you make your decision carefully, you are sure to reap all the rewards of having attended grad school in the United States.


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Graduate School Admissions Tests for International Students

As an international student studying abroad in the United States, you will be required to complete certain examinations before you are accepted into an American graduate school program. The types of examinations you must take will depend upon the program you choose and its requirements. If the American style of the English language is not your native tongue, you will be required to prove your proficiency through taking a test.

The type of test you are likely to encounter is the computer-adaptive test, which is administered on a computer. More and more schools are beginning to use computer- adaptive examinations. Test-takers see one question at a time and cannot jump around the test. Scoring depends on the question's level of difficulty and estimates the test-taker's ability level when moving on to the next question. Essays are typed on a keyboard as opposed to being written out on paper.

English Proficiency and the TOEFL

English proficiency involves the ability to read, write and communicate orally in the English language. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is a test you may have to take in order to demonstrate your proficiency to the grad school of your choice. If you have been educated in English for most of your life, you might receive a TOEFL waiver. On the other hand, you may be required to take courses to improve your mastery of English.

You should complete the TOEFL at least one year before you apply to a grad program, and English language admission standards vary from school-to-school. Some schools require the Test of Spoken English (TSE) in addition to the TOEFL. The TOEFL is an Internet-based, computer-adaptive examination with a limited number of testing centers, so you must preregister. Mail-in registration should be done at least three weeks before the test date, and you will need a credit card in order to register by phone or fax.

The TOEFL is a multiple choice and essay exam with four sections: listening, structure, reading and writing. The reading portion consists of 36-to-70 questions and takes from 60-to-100 minutes to complete, while the listening section consists of 34-to-51 questions and lasts from 60-to-90 minutes. The speaking portion involves six tasks and takes 20 minutes to complete, while the writing portion involves two tasks for which you are given 50 minutes to complete.

The TOEFL is scored by combining the number of right answers with your essay score. Raw scores are converted into scaled scores for each section, and range from 0 to 30. The total score is calculated from the scaled score and ranges from 40 to 300. Acceptable scores depend upon the school, but generally a score between 213 and 250 is adequate.

The GRE and the GMAT

In order to enroll in an American grad school, you will most likely have to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which is a computer-adaptive test developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The general GRE measures your verbal, quantitative and analytical skills, while the GRE subject tests measure your knowledge in specific subject areas such as biology, biochemistry, English literature, mathematics, psychology or physics.

The GRE consists of three sections: writing, verbal and quantitative. The writing portion has two parts, one in which you analyze an issue and another in which you analyze an argument. You will be given 45 minutes to complete the issue part and 30 minutes to complete the argument part. For the verbal section, you are given 30 questions to complete in 30 minutes, while the quantitative section is made up of 28 questions which you have 45 minutes to complete. Each section of the GRE is scored between 200 and 800.

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer-adaptive test that assesses your qualifications for advanced study in business and management. This test was also developed by the ETS. It is comprised of three sections: the analytical writing assignment, quantitative section and verbal section.

The analytical writing assignment is made up of two parts, just like the GRE. In one part you analyze an issue and in another part you analyze an argument. You are given 30 minutes to complete this section. The quantitative section is comprised of 37 multiple-choice questions, and focuses on data sufficiency and problem-solving. You will have 75 minutes to complete the section.

The verbal section, which you are given 75 minutes to complete, includes 41 multiple-choice questions on reading comprehension, critical thinking and sentence correction. GMAT scores are good for five years. The total scaled score for the test ranges from 200 to 800.

Some Advice

No matter which test or tests you are required to take, you should register as soon as possible. You will want to make sure that your registration fits into your graduate school timeline. No matter which test or tests you are required to take, you should register as soon as possible. You will want to make sure that your registration fits into your graduate school timeline, so find out the deadline applicable to each test. You will also want to determine any costs or fees involved in taking the examinations. To find out what tests you need to complete, contact the graduate school program you wish to attend and work out a timeline with an advisor. Good luck!


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Most Popular Fields of Study

Fields of graduate study vary in popularity by many different socioeconomic and cultural factors, including geography. That popularity also varies by time, with new trends continually emerging. For instance, women now make up 58 percent of graduate students, but by the middle of the last century, they represented only about 20 percent. What women and minorities--another growing group of graduate students--have chosen to study has a huge effect on enrollment percentages. Changes in our economy and society also impact interest in various subjects. For instance, it is not surprising to learn that, in this computer-savvy age, computer science is one of the fastest-growing fields.

According to research by the Council of Graduate Schools, the three most popular graduate degrees are earned in education, business and the social sciences. These were followed closely by health sciences, engineering and the physical sciences. For doctoral degrees more specifically, the life sciences have been the most popular field since the early '90s. Engineering, physical sciences and other areas of study that don't fit a neat category are also becoming more popular for doctoral work.

Master's degrees are the most frequently awarded graduate degrees with close to half a million recipients annually. U.S. institutions awarded more than 44,000 doctorates in 1995. That number, though, has risen considerably, growing by nearly 4 percent annually since the federal government began tracking doctoral education in the late 1950s.

Girls against boys
Gender is a huge concern for educators, who consistently worry that girls are being shortchanged in math and science, while boys are being turned off to reading and creative writing. As students approach graduate school, it appears many of those gender generalizations remain valid. For instance, according to the Council of Graduate Schools, enrollment in business programs are 57 percent male, while women account for 74 percent of education students. The fields of engineering, physical sciences and business enroll the highest percentages of men, while the health sciences, public administration and education attract the highest percentages of women.

Women have made great strides in the pursuit of doctoral degrees. Thirty years ago, they constituted less than a quarter of all doctoral recipients, and were barely represented at all in the physical sciences or engineering. Today, women earn 67 percent of education doctorates, 26 percent of physical science degrees and 18 percent of engineering degrees, according to a federal survey. Women are also the majority of doctoral candidates in the social sciences, humanities, and, for the first time ever, in life sciences.

The color line
For many years, minority students were not welcome at most U.S. academic institutions, and therefore made up a miniscule percentage of graduate students. Today, minorities comprise more than a quarter of all graduate students. In fact, since the mid-1980s, minority enrollment in graduate programs has grown about 5 percent annually while white enrollment has remained virtually unchanged. African Americans account for the largest sub-group followed by Latinos, Asians and American Indians. Women represent more than half of the enrollment of every minority group, and twice as many black women are enrolled as black men.

Grad Study Fields for Minorities
According to the Council of Graduate Schools, education is the most popular graduate field of study for African Americans, with 31 percent of all black grad students studying in that field. Of those, more than 70 percent are women. Business and social sciences were the second and third most popular choices among blacks. Education is also the most popular choice for Latinos and American Indians. On the other hand, Asian-American students are very unlikely to enroll in education programs, but are found in much higher percentages in business, engineering and the physical sciences. White students favor education and business, followed by health sciences.

Doctoral degree enrollment reflects a similar interest in education among minorities. Engineering is another popular field for minority doctoral work, while they have their lowest representations in physical sciences and humanities, according to a survey by the federal government. More than 5,000 Ph.D.s were awarded to minorities in 2005, about 20 percent of the total.

International Students
While international students comprise only 2.5 percent of all bachelor's degree students in the United States, about 10 percent of graduate students and 33 percent of all doctoral students are foreign. While education and business degrees are favored by 36 percent of U.S. students, international students earn approximately one-half of all doctoral degrees in engineering, mathematics and the physical and biological sciences. Just 10 percent of U.S. graduate students are enrolled in engineering and the physical sciences. International students also show a strong interest in business and social sciences, while only 4 and 5 percent of those studying education and public administration respectively are foreign students.

Societal trends
Trends in graduate study often relate directly to changes happening beyond academia. The challenges to racism and sexism in America have altered the graduate map while emerging technologies create new streams of education. Even the values promoted by the institutions themselves dictate how fast a given field will grow.

As women and minorities swell the graduate student ranks, the fields they've chosen have grown rapidly. The health sciences, where more than three-quarters of the students are female, form one of the fastest-growing fields of graduate study, rising at an average annual rate of 4 percent. Meanwhile, engineering and physical science enrollments are on the decline, mainly because the number of international students has decreased. These are the fields with the highest concentration of international students, accounting for more than two-fifths of international graduate enrollment.

It's important to realize that these trends don't necessarily reflect consistency across the world of higher education. For instance, a relatively small number of institutions award a disproportionately large number of doctoral degrees. Of the 416 universities that offer a Ph.D., the top 10 percent of institutions granted nearly half of all doctorates in 2005. The University of California-Berkeley granted the most degrees, followed by the University of Texas-Austin.

Changing priorities also influence enrollment. The fastest-growing field for doctoral study is computer science, hardly hard to fathom with the surge in computer usage and the dominance of the Internet over the past several decades. That change is likely due both to a shift in university offerings as well as student demand. Other changes are more directly attributable to academic policy. Though education is the most popular field of study, social science programs receive the highest number of applications. So what accounts for the seeming disproportion? Since education programs are often part of the service mission of universities, they tend to have higher acceptance rates. At the same time, some relatively large programs have gone from granting research doctorates in education to granting professional doctorates. Public administration follows some similar trends.

And so the cycle of grad school popularity continues. Interests change, trends shift, and what is popular now might not be popular in even a few months. What is good to see, however, is that more and more underrepresented groups are attending graduate school, and that's good for everyone.


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Managing Your Time in Graduate School

Graduate school is known to be much more intensive than undergraduate work, so it is important that students develop good time management skills. In order to avoid feeling overwhelmed, you should keep track of your time and plan it out on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis. You may already feel short on time, but it is worth it to set some aside to plan out the year or two ahead.

Managing your time can be easy once you have received your deadlines and ranked your priorities. A calendar is the most obvious choice for people who are looking to manage their time. You can use a date book, a computer, or in some cases, even your cell phone. Some cell phones have built-in calendars that allow you to set alarms to remind yourself of what you need to accomplish. Most university bookstores offer great academic planners that allow you to plan for the week, month and year.

Getting Started
A good way to begin managing your time is to take a look at any syllabi you may have. Your class syllabus will list all of your assignments for the semester along with the dates each assignment is due. As you read through the syllabus, enter assignments and due dates into your calendar. If you are taking more than one course, be sure to include the class information in your calendar entries so that you do not get your assignments mixed up. Color-coding classes can be helpful, and your calendar entries can be as detailed as you need them to be.

When you are ready to begin prioritizing your assignments and tasks, you should look first at the "big picture" to determine what is due and when. If you need some help, look to your advisor or other professors for assistance. They know what a graduate school course load looks like, and they may have some priceless advice for you on how to handle it. Other, more experienced graduate students could also be a strong source for advice.

In addition to indicating when an assignment is due, you may want to make an entry dictating when you would like to begin working on the assignment. Assignments are not the only things that need to be planned for-any research, laboratory time or grant proposals should also be scheduled into your calendar. A great way of keeping track of your grades is to enter the grade you received for each assignment in the corresponding calendar day.

Break it Down
For yearly planning, be sure to include any application and financial aid deadlines. Don't forget to mark the beginning and ending dates of each semester, as well as any school closings and breaks. Your yearly plans should be broken into months, while your monthly plans should be broken into weeks.

Monthly calendars are ideal for entering paper deadlines, test dates and any appointments. You will definitely have deadlines from your teachers, but you may want to include your own deadlines as well. Weekly calendars can help you keep up with day-to-day assignments and deadlines, as well as study groups. It is useful to carry your weekly calendar with you at all times so that you can refer to it and make any necessary changes.

Daily Planning
To-do lists are a great way to keep yourself focused on a daily basis. Some people prefer to make their to-do lists in the evening for the next day, while others prefer to make them each morning. It is often helpful to list your daily tasks in order of priority. Cross off each task once it has been completed-you may be surprised at how rewarding that can be.

You may want to consider setting aside some time each day to do schoolwork and research. If you are a full-time student, perhaps you will want to designate a few days a week to work on assignments from each class. Blocking out your time this way, so that you are working on just one course's assignments, on a given day, may provide you with stronger focus and continuity in your studies.

However, no matter how detailed your self-scheduling is, you should always remember to remain flexible.

You will find some things that you simply cannot plan for, that may cause you to have to rearrange your calendar a bit. And do not be afraid to say "no" when it comes to taking on additional activities and responsibilities-you're not a superhero!


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Current Perceptions of Full-Time MBA Programs

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has released its eighth annual MBA Graduate Survey of graduate students in their final year of business school. The survey covers the quality of the MBA programs, and employment expectations and selection criteria.

For the survey, 5,641 students from 158 schools from around the world were interviewed. Ninety-six percent of those surveyed were enrolled in MBA programs, while the others were participating in other types of Master's of Business programs.

Most MBA students (61 percent) were enrolled full-time, while the rest were enrolled part-time or in executive programs. Thirty-nine percent of respondents were students from outside of the United States, while 24 percent of those surveyed were students who were enrolled in programs in countries other than the United States.

Graduate Education Value and Quality
The respondents were asked to compare the cost of the graduate program and the quality of their education when gauging the value of an MBA program. The survey reports that more than two-thirds of full-time MBA graduates feel that their degrees are of high value, and as many reported that their instructors were of high quality.

Ninety percent of respondents reported that they would advise other graduate students to enroll in their program. Most of the class of 2007 also indicated that the admissions, curriculum and management of the program they enrolled in was excellent.

Respondents added that the most valuable aspects of the MBA program curriculum were the business policy and strategy, finance, marketing, and management and organizational behavior. Management strategy, and the innovation and knowledge of general business functions, were reported to have improved. During the past few years, the quality of career services at some schools has been in question, but nearly 40 percent of respondents reported that the career services office in their program was extremely helpful.

Employment Expectations
The full-time MBA graduate student respondents indicated that they assumed the programs they were enrolled in would lead to more options in the working world. They also believed that their graduate education would afford them the skills and abilities they need to land long-term employment. Financial security and challenging employment were other benefits named by the respondents.

More than one-third of the students reported that the most important job interview skills included a cultural fit with the company, knowing others in the company and the reputation of the MBA program. Other important interview skills, such as interpersonal skills, the ability to perform and leadership were also named.

Full-time MBA 2007 graduates were found to be more likely to leave school with at least an offer letter for employment than students who graduated in 2006. In fact, more than half of the respondents had already received job offers. Most of the students surveyed expected to enter a mid-level occupation after graduation, while nearly one-quarter expected to begin at the senior level.

MBA Graduate Employment Criteria
According to the survey, the consulting and finance/accounting industries stand to see the most growth as a result of the increasing number of MBA graduates. The consulting industry can expect a 75 percent increase in MBA graduate employees, while the finance/accounting industry may increase 35 percent. The technology and nonprofit government industries stand to lose a percentage of employees after graduation.

The survey respondents listed decentralized decision-making, a cooperative and casual atmosphere, and flexible career paths as attractive features of a potential job. They also included clearly defined responsibilities, formalized procedures and a clear and well-communicated vision as positive attributes of an employer. A focus on company success and individual performance-based rewards also topped the list of criteria.

The full-time MBA graduates indicated that potential for advancement, a fit with the company culture and a positive organizational atmosphere are the most important deciding factors for a job. The MBA class of 2007 can expect to make 54 percent more, through the course of their careers, than they could have realized with their pre-MBA salaries.

As one can see, the outlook for MBA graduates is positive, as is the attitude of the graduates. MBA graduates can look forward to more challenging work, better job placement rates and higher salaries.


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Adjusting to American Grad School

Moving to a new country can be a very stressful experience, and going there to attend graduate school only compounds the process. After all, this is not a vacation you're here for, so on top of all the normal difficulties associated with moving abroad, you will have graduate level schoolwork added to the mix. And if you're not careful, it could become overwhelming.

With the right attitude, however, attending graduate school can actually make adjusting to your new home easier. It's just a matter of attitude, a willingness to open yourself up to new experiences, and your ability to bend to a new culture. So while the following suggestions are certainly not solutions to all the problems you may encounter, they are sure to help. And the philosophy behind them is generally applicable to most of the stresses you will experience as you adjust to life as an American graduate student.

Just remember: it's more than possible, and it's extremely rewarding.

Remember Who You Are, But Stay Open To Everyone Else Who we are is very much a product of where we've been raised and spent most of our lives. A person who was raised in the United States would likely have a very different outlook on the world, and a very different way of doing things, if he were raised in Russia or France or Namibia instead. It is widely accepted that much of who we are is determined not by intrinsic internalities but rather by the accumulated experience of having lived in a specific place at a specific time. In other words, though we are who we are no matter where we're from, the details of how we go about our lives are very much determined by the culture in which we have always lived.

And this is one of the most difficult and complicated parts of living in a foreign country: We remain who we are, but the cultural references that we have always used to order our lives are missing. Which means that, in order to ease the adjustment period, you should do everything you can to accept your new country's way of doing things. Don't forget your ways, of course, and don't ever pretend to be someone or something you're not, but by adapting your normal routines to those that are accepted in your host country, you will ease the transition tremendously.

One of the best ways to start adapting is by trying to eat like the residents of your host country. For students attending graduate school in the United States, the first thing they may realize is the way Americans eat. Indeed, especially for Western Europeans, whose cultures generally consider mealtime to be a somewhat sacred time in the day that should be extended, savored, and lingered over, it can be rather difficult to adjust to the American way of eating. Except for rare occasions, eating in America is a quick affair. The two-hour lunch almost never occurs in America, and it is considered bad form to drink in the middle of the day. This is perhaps a result of our Puritan roots, or due to the constant pressure to perform and to get as much accomplished in as short a period of time as possible. Or it's just because there's something good on TV and we have to hurry up and finish our food so we can fully enjoy it. Whatever the reason, try not to confuse the way Americans eat with a disregard for the small pleasures. It is simply a different way of doing things, and you may even discover somewhere along the line that there is a certain amount of enjoyment to be gained from the American way of eating, regardless of how different it is from what you're used to.

Also, once you've made friends, you may want to invite them over to your residence for a traditional meal from your home country. This will not only allow you to host your new friends, but it will also serve to bridge whatever culture gap may exist. And a little taste of home always helps.

Learn To Love The Language

Most foreign graduate students speak a textbook version of English. There's nothing wrong with this-it's simply how English is taught around the world. In fact, it's how most languages are taught. And while this will certainly prepare you for the more formalized type of discourse employed in graduate studies, it will not prepare you for the many variations of it that are employed in informal interactions. For example, you may have learned that the proper English-language greeting is "Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you." In reality, however, Americans are a distinctly casual people, and you may be surprised to discover that the vast majority simply greet each other with nothing more than, "Hey, how are you?" or even, "What's up?" This is not disrespectful, and it is not an indication that you are being brushed off. Rather, informality like this can and should be seen as a sign of acceptance. And indeed, the proper response-"Good. How are you?" or "Nothing much, you?" -is informal as well. You'll become more comfortable with this as you continually adjust to life in the United States.

One of the best ways to really learn the English language is through popular culture. Chances are you've already spent some time listening to American music or watching American movies. And now that you're here to attend school for an extended period of time, you should take even greater advantage of this opportunity. Remember, the more you can use the language in the same was as Americans do, the easier time you'll have communicating and fitting in. And that will make your time here even easier and more enjoyable.

Don't Get Overwhelmed With Your School Work

Graduate school is stressful in the best of situations. Indeed, working at this high a level in your specific field is both highly rewarding and extremely demanding. On top of all this is the fact that you're living in a new country, and trying to adjust to a new way of life. So it is not uncommon to feel overwhelmed at times. In fact, it would be a bit odd if you didn't feel the strain at some point-it's one of the natural effects of transitioning to life in a new country.

Therefore, it's important to make time for yourself. Remember, it is not possible to study all the time, nor is it advisable to lock yourself in the library 24 hours a day and do nothing but work. You'll burn out, and as a result, you won't get anything accomplished. So while you're here for school, you should still explore this country. Try to make friends. Go to restaurants. Enjoy the city or town in which you're living. Join clubs on campus or in your new community. Whatever you do, make sure you take time out for yourself. In the long term, you'll be glad you did. And your education will not just have occurred in the classroom, but in the larger world, too. And you will be a better, more interesting person for having allowed that to happen. Plus, you're bound to have some fun along the way.


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Applying to school as a foreign student

Applying to graduate school can be a headache even in the best of circumstances. After all, it's not nearly as easy as applying to most undergraduate colleges and universities, which involve taking the SAT's, filling out an application, writing one essay at most, and having your school's guidance counselor send your transcript to the institution to which you're applying. No, applying to graduate school is much more involved than that, and it is a lengthy process even for American students.

As a foreign student, however, the process is even more arduous. After all, you not only have to go through everything your American counterparts do, but you also have to deal with the paperwork required for maintaining legal student status in the country, taking the appropriate and corresponding standardized tests in your own country, and making sure you have all the proper materials filed on time from your home overseas.

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to make the process of applying to an American graduate school easier. And while this is merely a primer, it should certainly help you along.

Look At The Big Picture

Before you start anything, it's important to consider everything you'll have to do-before you do it. This way, there will be no surprises along the way. So once you have narrowed down the list of schools you're considering, make a list of what you have to do to complete the application for each school. Remember, while there are some universals when it comes to applications, every school will have its own little (and sometimes not so little) quirks. So the more you know before you begin, the smoother the process will go once you get started.

Whatever the deadline is for each of the programs, make sure you get all of your materials to the right person in no less than one week before they're due. This way, even if there is some unforeseen event that slows down the process along the way, you will still be able to get everything done on time. The last thing you want is to put all that effort into applying and then to miss the deadline because you weren't adequately prepared.

Finally, give yourself a weekly goal for each of your applications. If you make a schedule in the beginning, and follow it every week, then you won't have the opportunity to fall behind. Really, you should think of the application process as another job. Take it seriously, get your work done, and don't fall behind.

A Smart List Is A Good List

Don't just make a list for each application of everything you have to do and start checking off items at random. There must be a specific order to what you're doing or you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. For example, filling out all the basic information on the application can wait until the last minute, but signing up for the standardized tests-whichever ones you plan on taking-must be done as early as possible. Space constraints are a big problem for American applicants, and they're taking tests that are typical in this country. For foreign students, there may only be one or two tests a year in some countries, so making sure you reserve a spot early will allow you to avoid not getting a spot at all.

Also, many applications include essay sections. There are generally two that are required, but again, this varies depending on the program you choose. The biographical essay-sometimes called the "personal statement"-is the easiest one to write, so you should probably save it for last. If, however, you are required to write a scholarly essay dealing with some issue that is relevant to your field, you should give yourself plenty of time to complete it. Remember, you may need to do research, or read several books, before writing it, and that takes time. So the earlier you start the process, the better off you'll be.

Finally, make sure you give yourself enough time to do any work you simply forgot about along the way. Of course, if you have a good list, and follow it, this shouldn't be an issue. But there are always last-minute items that you realize you didn't put on the list in the first place. Make sure you give yourself enough time to do these. This, after all, is why you built a week or two of buffer time into your list in the first place.

The Waiting Game

While you wait, it's a good idea to begin preparing for all that you'll have to do once you're accepted to a program and you've decided to enroll in it. Don't start any of the paperwork just yet, because there's always the possibility that you may not get into any of the programs to which you have applied this time, but you should be prepared nonetheless. This means scouring the Internet for information on what you'll have to do in order to become a full-time student in the United States, and perhaps even gathering some of the paperwork and documentation you'll need to file with the United States government prior to coming to America. Because this, too, can be an arduous process, and you should be as prepared as possible for all that it involves.

This may seem like a lot of work-and it is-but it will save you a lot of aggravation as you begin the process of applying to graduate school in the United States. However, no matter how difficult or time-consuming it is, the end result will be quite more than worth all the effort. After all, there are very few ways to better spend your time than pursuing a graduate degree. In the end, it will all be worth it.


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Choosing An American School

You've already made the most important choice, and that is to earn your graduate degree in one of the best countries for graduate education. Now comes the hard part: choosing the ideal school. A lot of factors go into this decision, from the location of the school to the size of the class, not to mention the actual fields of study.

Fortunately, there are several strategies you can employ that will not only make your decision easier, but will also make you more likely to come to the most sensible decision. And while an exhaustive accounting of all the issues facing you would be rather longer than the space afforded us here, the following three questions are the most important ones you should ask yourself early on in the decision-making process, and they are sure to help you as you figure out what to do.

Do I Want To Live In A Big City Or A Small Town?

America is a big country, and our graduate schools are spread throughout the land. Therefore, you have a virtually limitless number of options when it comes to choosing where you want to attend graduate school. So while your task is to narrow down the list of potential schools to the ones that offer you the best education in your field at a price you can afford, the next question you should ask yourself is whether you want to study in a big city or in a smaller town.

A big city school may seem overwhelming at first; the hustle-and-bustle of American cities can seem ridiculous to people who are not used to it. And all of the stimuli that come at you from every direction in a city may make you feel insignificant and hopelessly foreign. And it's expensive, too. But it can also force you to adapt much more quickly than you would have otherwise. And attending school in a city like New York or Chicago or Los Angeles will likely help you meet many other people who are in your same situation. That is to say, foreigners who have come to America for an education. Also, big-city life will afford you the opportunity to experience the culture in a way that you cannot otherwise do. From theater to concerts to restaurants to street culture, cities are chock-full of the kinds of things that define and shape American culture.

Attending graduate school in a smaller town will allow you to take your time adjusting to your new surroundings, and to focus a bit more on your studies. It will also afford you the opportunity to explore American culture at a slower pace, to ask more questions along the way, and to get to know more people in your community, each of whom can potentially help to make your transition easier. Plus, it's generally cheaper than living in a big city.

Either way, whether you choose to attend graduate school in a big city or in a small town, you will have a wonderful experience and, eventually, adjust to your new surroundings just fine.

How Many International Students Attend The School?

It may seem obvious, but too many students don't consider this issue when choosing where to attend graduate school. There are, after all, some schools with large populations of international students and other with virtually none. So while you should not base your decision entirely on the answer to this question, you should nonetheless take it into consideration.

There are two advantages to attending graduate schools with large numbers of foreign students. The first is that there will likely be more of an institutional infrastructure to help you adjust to life in the United States. It only stands to reason that the greater the number of foreign students at a school, the better the school's facilities should be in order to take the most advantage of all that diversity.

The second advantage is that you will feel less alone and more a part of a community. For no matter where the majority of foreign students come from, or from how wide a variety of countries, all of you will have one very important thing in common: You will be new to America. The bigger the community of foreign students, the richer and deeper the support structure you can all build for one another as you transition to life in the United States.

Of course, there is nothing terrible about attending a school with no sizeable international population. In fact, there is the very real possibility that, without an overabundance of other people going through all the same trials and tribulations as you are, you will be forced to adjust more quickly than you otherwise would have. That having been noted, however, your transition to life in America, and your support system for getting through the period of culture shock, will likely be better if you attend grad school at an institution with a relatively large number of foreign students.

Is It Expensive?

Unlike many national governments, the one in the United States does not universally supplement the cost of attending graduate school. And while there are certainly scholarships offered at both the state and federal levels, graduate school can be rather more expensive than it is in your own country. So you should ask yourself how you plan to pay for your American education.

One of the first things you should do is research scholarships for which you're eligible. These may come from the American government, your own national or state government, or religious organizations. You will be amazed by how many organizations are out there just waiting to give you money for graduate school. It's simply up to you to find them.

After that, you should also look into work-study options that may be offered by the schools you're considering, By either working on campus or teaching introductory-level classes in your field, you will often be able to offset some or most of the cost of attending graduate school. In fact, many programs offer stipends on top of scholarships, and these can make it much easier to afford to maintain a decent quality of living while you're in school.

Just make sure you research all of these issues before you decide on a specific school. Remember, the more you know about what you're getting into before you decide, the better your decision is likely to be. And that will lead to a better graduate-school experience.


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U.S. Grad Schools Seek More International Applications

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has released its 2007 International Graduate Admissions Survey Phase I: Applications, which explores the changes in the number of international students applying to American graduate schools. Since the events of September 11, 2001, the number of international students enrolling in masters and doctoral programs in the United States has significantly decreased.

The Council of Graduate Schools surveyed 468 American colleges and universities and tracked enrollment by country of origin and field of study. The survey also examined application numbers in relation to the size of schools' international student population.

In the past few years, applications have picked up at a slow rate, and while that is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. Between 2006 and 2007, international student applications to U.S. institutions saw a 12 percent increase, compared with the five percent decline in 2005. However, international applications have not increased enough to reach pre-September 11 numbers.

Seventy percent of American graduate institutions have fewer international graduate applicants than they did in 2003. The number of applicants fell 27 percent during that four-year span. Applications for student visas, which serve as early indicators of international student applications, have also declined.

The two most important reasons for the decline in international applications are (1) a more globally competitive graduate education system and (2) tougher U.S. restrictions on international student visas post-September 11. More foreign countries have strengthened their graduate programs, attracting students away from the United States. The global competition for international students is at an all-time high. Graduate programs in other countries have been producing leading research.

Since the terror attacks of September 11, the United States has implemented stricter security and entrance policies that make it difficult for international students to gain access to U.S. graduate schools. Some students are also forced to get a visa each time they go home to visit their families. As a result, international students studying in the United States are likely to feel they are being watched by the government.

The annual number of academic study visas provided by the U.S. State Department to current and prospective international students decreased by 10 percent between 2001 and 2005. Five years prior to September 11, 2001, these visas increased annually by 11 percent.

Between 2006 and 2007, 53 percent of all international graduate students who attend American institutions are natives of China, India and Korea. Applicants from India rose only 6 percent, while applicants from Korea decreased 2 percent. The number of Chinese applicants to U.S. schools remained nearly the same, and applications from the Middle East were up by nine percent.

The fields of business, engineering, social sciences, physical sciences and life sciences have attracted the most international students for years. In 2007 these fields accounted for 73 percent of international graduate applications to American institutions. Engineering applications grew 8 percent.

International graduate applications for business programs increased by seven percent in 2007, while they had increased by 16 percent the year before. Applications for physical and earth science graduate programs rose by eight percent. No growth was reported for the field of social sciences.

The study fields with smaller international graduate application numbers were the ones to see significant growth between 2006 and 2007. Education applications were up by eight percent. Arts and humanities applications rose 12 percent, while applications for life sciences and agriculture graduate programs increased by 13 percent.

American colleges and universities with the largest international student enrollment saw the biggest increases in international graduate applications. The 10 institutions with the largest international student populations experienced a 13 percent increase in applications in 2007. The 50 institutions with the largest international graduate student populations enjoyed an increase of 10 percent in applications for 2007. Institutions with smaller international student populations saw increases in applications of just five percent.

Applications from Indian students increased 22 percent at the 10 institutions with the largest international graduate student populations, while decreasing by eight percent at the other, smaller institutions. Business and education program applications increased by 21 percent at the 10 institutions with the largest international graduate student populations. The applications for these programs fell by 8 percent at the smaller institutions.

The CGS survey reports that the small increases of 2007 could point to a temporary lag in international graduate applications. The recent increases are not enough to get back to where the levels were before September 11, 2001. Depending on your particular opinion on this subject, this could seriously impact the future of our country.

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Choosing a GRE Study Guide

When I began my search for graduate programs in creative writing, one of the first things I did was sign up to take the GRE general test. Nearly a year before any of my applications were due, even before I was certain where I wanted to apply, I hit the study prep books. I took copious notes in the workbook portions and locked myself in my bedroom with a stopwatch for the practice tests.

On the day of the exam, three months later, I arrived feeling confident and proficient. Then I sat down at the computer and stared at the instructions in disbelief. What was required of me had nothing at all to do with what I'd so diligently studied. In fact, I had used the study guide my husband purchased several years before when he had considered obtaining a social work degree. I mistakenly thought the test could not have changed that much since the study guide was published, a mere four years before my test date. I was wrong. While some books are classics for all ages, study guides are not. Nor are they all created equal. The guides vary not just in quality, but also in philosophy and learning style. Since most advanced degree programs require at least the GRE general test for admission, choosing the right study guide is of utmost importance.

Timing Is Everything

The GRE changes at record speed. This is meant to prevent cheating and to conform to the latest academic research. The test is administered and graded by only one company, a non-profit called Educational Testing Services (ETS), based in Princeton, New Jersey. It is the same company that administers the SAT, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and many other standardized exams. That means the decision to change the test and its policies are completely up to ETS administrators.

The best way to make sure your study guide is up to date is to explore the ETS website before buying a book or CD Rom. Had I bothered to do that before my test date, I would have realized the exam is currently organized into three parts: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing. As it was, I spent hours practice solving puzzles - which are no longer on the test - and had no idea I would have to write an essay of any sort. Whenever ETS makes any changes to its tests, from content to grading to identification policies, its website will let you know.

Philosophy Test

Which study guide you use depends a lot on the way you learn. Theories about standardized test taking abound. One of the most common is that choosing between A, B, C or D tells a lot less about how smart or educated you are than how well you take tests. Guides that take this approach teach you how to master test taking skills. Other guides promote the idea that passing the test requires true knowledge of the material to be covered. These encourage brushing up on math skills and provide extensive vocabulary lists. Most combine these philosophies, advocating a mix of content retention with "tricks" on how to decode the structure of the test.

Your Test Taking Temperament

Most people who have ever taken a standardized test - and every graduate candidate has likely taken the SATs or ACTs - has learned the basics of test taking shortcuts. These include narrowing down multiple choice answers and learning to rephrase difficult questions. In taking today's computerized tests, it's also important to perform the best on the earliest questions, because correct answers lead to harder questions which lead to higher scores. Most study guides offer much more specific strategies and it's important to find the one that works best for you.

My study guide relied on the philosophy that the GRE was little more than a test of your ability to take tests. Though it did include some basic math refreshers and an index full of vocabulary words, most of the exercises relied on learning the test's format. It advised requesting as much blank paper as administrators would provide, dividing the paper into eight to twelve blocks, and using each block to rewrite the questions in a different way. The new question format differed from section to section and for different types of questions. For each question, I was to write down the letters of the multiple choice answers and cross off each letter when I decided it was not the correct answer. The idea was that I would be left with only one or two letters on my blank paper and would therefore be able to make a much narrower guess than if I had been staring at all four or five answer choices on the screen at once.

At first, this strategy seemed absurd, but as I began to practice it, I found I liked the approach. Despite having studied the wrong format, I was still able to perform reasonably well by applying the book's narrowing strategy. While this technique worked well for me, it's not for everyone and other methods abound. Some rely on becoming familiar with common types of analogies and rounding rather than calculating exact answers for math questions. One humorous tip for the essay section warns against taking poetic license. The computer that scores the writing looks for structure and transition words, and does not have an appreciation for witty sarcasm, creative metaphors or offhand references to pop culture.

Format Finder

Basic test taking tips are readily and freely available online, but guides that lead you through the test, show sample questions, provide common vocab words and include practice tests usually cost money. Students can choose between paid online subscriptions, purchased software - either downloaded or on CD Rom - and old fashioned workbooks. Some people love being able to sit at the computer and focus on the screen while others prefer to jot notes in the margins of books or even study in the backyard.

While individual preference should guide the choice for initial study, be sure you have the opportunity to practice the test at a computer, since that will give you the best feel for the actual exam. Most critically, you will not be able to change your answers and your new questions will be based on your early answers. On the other hand, it is also helpful to take some practice exams on paper, which will allow you to go back and see where you made mistakes and learn to correct them. Some books offer practice tests printed in the book as well as on CD Rom. If yours does not, be sure to find online practice exams or invest in a combination of books and software.

However you choose to study, be sure to begin long before your exam date and, even if you no longer live with your folks, be sure to remember some basic "mom" rules. Always rest and eat well before the exam. Do some light stretching and deep breathing to calm your nerves before entering the exam room. Wear comfortable clothes. Most of all, don't panic. You can always retake the GRE and hey, that will give you a chance to explore more study guides.


Choosing a GRE Study Guide by Rachel Buchman

Taking the MCAT

Nobody likes tests, but if you're planning to go to medical school, you're almost certainly going to need to take the MCAT so here's a little information to help you on your way.

Overview

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized, multiple-choice examination that is a required component for application to most medical schools in the United States as well as many in Canada. The test was designed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to assess problem solving, critical thinking, and writing skills as well as the test-taker's knowledge of science concepts that are necessary pre-requisites to study medicine.
The exam is scored in four areas:

* Verbal Reasoning
* Writing Sample
* Physical Sciences
* Biological Sciences

The physical sciences tests knowledge of physics and general chemistry while the biological sciences tests biology and organic chemistry.

Scoring

Interestingly enough, your scores are based on a curve so that your performance on the test is actually measured in comparison to everyone else who took it. All the sections except the Writing Sample are judged on a scale of 1 - 15. The Writing Sample score is converted to a letter score ranging from a low J to a high T. Typically a score of 30 or higher on the MCAT is considered quite competitive. It is also desirable to have balanced rather than lopsided scores on the three different scored sections.

Paper vs. Computer Test

Right now, the MCAT is undergoing changes as the AAMC announced in July 2005 that they are converting the entire test to a computerized format. This will allow them to increase the number of available test dates as well as decreasing the length of the test day and number of test questions and improve grading accuracy and the time required to distribute scores.

The paper version of the test is anticipated to be in use only to the end of 2006. The new test will also capture examinees' thumbprints electronically instead of on paper as has happened in the past.

Be sure to clearly investigate your options as far as taking the test as this conversion takes place and to be aware of how these changes may affect your test taking!

Study

Studying to take the MCAT is very important. It is best to try to take the test only once and in order to perform well, you will need to have a firm foundation in biology, chemistry, physics, and organic chemistry. Conceptual understanding in addition to just knowing facts is vital.

There are many MCAT books and practice tests available. Be familiar with the test and the format and questions you'll be dealing with so nothing is a surprise on test day. You could take a test prep course depending on your ability to discipline yourself to study and your desire to have help planning your study efforts.

Plan, prepare, and good luck on your MCAT!


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Taking the LSAT

If you are considering law school, you will almost certainly have to take the LSAT. The Law School Admission Test is required for all ABA-approved law schools, most Canadian law schools, and many others as well.

When contemplating the LSAT, you might be tempted to echo Oscar Wilde's remark that "We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities." However, since it is necessary for entrance to law school, here's some information to help you as you prepare.

(If you are taking the GRE or the GMAT , see our introductory articles for those tests.)

Overview of the LSAT

The LSAT is designed to measure a person's reading and verbal reasoning skills in a standard way so that law schools can use the test scores to compare various applicants. The test is offered four times a year (generally in October, December, February, and June) at hundreds of locations worldwide.

Although there may be exceptions, most law schools place a great deal of importance on an applicant's LSAT scores so studying and doing well on this test is very important. Studies have been done revealing that a difference of four to five points can ultimately have a significant impact on a student's salary after graduation. (See http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/help/salary.htm for an example.)

Format

The test lasts approximately 4 hours and is divided into 5 categories. You are allowed 35 minutes for each section of the test.

* Reading Comprehension - 1 section of 26 - 28 multiple-choice questions where you read passages and answer questions
* Logical Reasoning (Arguments) -2 sections of 24 - 26 multiple-choice questions where you analyze statements for logical errors
* Analytic Reasoning (Games) - 1 section of 24 multiple-choice questions where you solve complex logical deductive puzzles
* Experimental - 1 section of some type
* Essay - 35 minutes to complete 1 essay

A few general thoughts on these different sections: Many people find the analytical section the most difficult as it involves thinking in a way that many people are not used to thinking. The experimental section varies according to test and is used to pretest new test questions. The essay is not scored, but is sent to the law schools to which you apply. Taking into account the 4 sections of the test that are scored, the scale is 120 to 180.

For more information on the format, test dates, and to register, you can visit the Law School Admission Council's website .

Preparing for the LSAT

Most law schools require that you take the LSAT by December for admission the following fall. However, it is considered generally advisable to have taken the test by June or October.

What should you be doing now then? Studying! Take practice tests. The LSAT tends to be very similar and has not changed a great deal over the past several years. Therefore taking the practice tests can really help you before you walk into the real thing.

You may also want to take a preparatory class that will help you develop strategies for the test and learn what you need to know from the experts. However, you can also get various other materials, either online tutorials or books at your local bookstore, that will help you prepare.

You'll want to study well before you take the test the first time since most schools average your scores rather than simply taking the best score you've earned. It is not generally advised to take the LSAT more than once. However, it is possible to cancel your scores after the test so they are not reported to law schools if you feel they are going to hurt you, and you can then take the test again without having the scores averaged together.

All in all you can view the LSAT as an opportunity to gauge your law school potential. Studies have shown that those who do well on the LSAT are far more likely to do well on the bar exam after they have finished law school. After careful study and preparation, you should be able to perform well on this test if you have the aptitude to do well in law school. Rather than viewing it only as an unnecessary necessity, you may want to think of the LSAT it as an opportunity to evaluate your goals and your decision to pursue a law degree. Good luck!


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Taking the GMAT

"Make a virtue of necessity."

Richard Burton's anecdotal advice from his Anatomy of Melancholy reminds us that though we can hardly expect taking the GMAT to be fun, we can choose to regard the exam as an opportunity to demonstrate our virtues rather than a torture device set to destroy us.

Overview of the GMAT

Business schools generally use the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) to assess the quality of applicants. It is a standardized assessment that is delivered in English. It is typically only used as one predictor of academic success among many. Different schools will place different levels of emphasis on this test.

The GMAT measures the basic verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills that you have acquired and developed over an extended period of time in education, in work, and in life.

It is important to keep in mind that the GMAT does NOT assess any of the following things:

* Your job skills
* Your business knowledge
* Specific content from an undergraduate degree or other university work
* Your abilities in specific subject areas
* Any of your subjective qualities or skills such as motivation, creativity, or perseverance

Format

The GMAT consists of 3 main parts:

* Analytical Writing Assessment (Two 30 minute essays)
* Quantitative Section (One 75-minute, 37-question section)
* Verbal Section (One 75-minute, 41-question section)

The GMAT is a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT). The CAT software calculates your score based on the number of questions you answer correctly, the difficulty of the questions you answer, and the number of questions you complete. When you take the GMAT CAT, you'll begin each section with a medium-level question and an average score. If you answer the question correctly, the computer will raise your score and give you a harder question. If you answer the question incorrectly, your score will decrease and you'll be given an easier question. The process repeats for each question in the section, to arrive at your final score for that section.

The overall composite score for the GMAT ranges from 200 to 800 in increments of 10. It is based on the combination of Math and Verbal scores (with each section ranging from 0 to 60). Your AWA essays are graded on a scale of 0 to 6, each by a person and by a computer. These four scores are then averaged together and rounded to the nearest half point. The AWA score does not, however, count toward the composite score.

For more detailed information on each section of the test, please visit http://www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT

Analytical Writing

The GMAT begins with the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). For the AWA, you will be given two separate writing tasks: Analysis of an Issue and Analysis of an Argument. For each, you will be provided with 30 minutes to compose an essay.

Quantitative

You are allowed an optional five-minute break, and then will have to continue with the Quantitative section. The 37 questions in this section fall into one of two categories - Data Sufficiency or Problem Solving. The maximum time allowed for this section is 75 minutes.

Verbal

Following the second optional five-minute break, the Verbal section begins, featuring three categories of questions: Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. Once again, you are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the section.

Preparing for the GMAT

Prepare? Perhaps you are thinking that having gone through a barrage of standardized tests in your past and having completed a college education there should be no need to prepare. The answer is yes and no. First, it always is helpful to have practiced and know the form of a test before walking in the door so you spend less time deciphering directions and format and more time answering questions. Second, there are likely to be some questions (particularly in the math section) that look rather alien unless you are prepared. Most of us learned our basic Algebra and Geometry somewhere along the line, probably in high school. Sadly, some if not much of that information seems to have trickled out of our brains as we crammed them with other information in more recent years. As one test taker put it, "If you know Calculus but forgot fractions - you are in trouble!"

Resources

One good source to prepare for the GMAT is http://www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT . The people at www.mba.com provide FREE test prep software that will help you prepare to take the GMAT and become familiar with the test format and questions. They also provide helpful test-taking strategies from those who know the test well.

If you are looking for some more advanced help, you can access a number of on-line test prep services. They generally offer various levels of test preparation including regular classes, online classes, and private tutoring that will help you to improve your test taking skills and prepare you for everything you will face on the GMAT.

There are countless other resources available on the topic. Any bookstore you walk into should have several books available with practice exams and tips and advice for test takers. Do not be overwhelmed, but do take the time to prepare yourself so that you know what to expect going into the test.

In all your preparations it is important to remember to leave yourself enough time before your application deadlines so that you can study and take the GMAT and allow time (up to four weeks) for the scores to arrive. While it would be unreasonable to expect testing to be fun, at least if you have taken time to prepare you should feel satisfied that you have worked hard and will do well on your test. And that is how you make a virtue of necessity. Good luck!


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Overview of the GRE

As we have all come to learn, standardized tests seem to be an inevitable part of the admissions process as we climb from one phase of education to the next. Having braved the standardized tests for an undergraduate education, it seems almost unfair that graduate schools should continue torturing students in this fashion. Sadly they do, and so we include this article in hopes of providing an overview of the most common graduate school test, the GRE. There is also information on www.GradSchools.com on the other common graduate school tests. (GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, TOEFL)

We will focus on the GRE General Test for the purposes of this article, but be aware that there are also a number of specialized subject tests (Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology), which may or may not be required or suggested by the programs to which you are applying. Always be careful to know which tests you need to take.

Overview of the GRE

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test is a multiple-choice admission test for applicants to graduate schools. The GRE is a computer-adaptive test (CAT), and consists of three scored sections:
* Two essays to be written on the computer: Analysis of an Argument and Analysis of an Issue (introduced in October 2002)
* One 45-minute, 28-question Math section: Problem Solving and Quantitative Comparison
* One 30-minute, 30-question Verbal section: Sentence Completions, Antonyms, Analogies, and Reading Comprehension
In addition, there may be a marketing survey, or one or two experimental sections, which can be Verbal or Quantitative.

It is important to understand what a CAT is and how it works. A CAT is a computer-adaptive test, whose software calculates your score based on the number of questions you answer correctly, the difficulty of the questions you answer, and the number of questions you complete. When you take the GRE CAT, you'll begin each section with a medium-level question and a score of 500. If you answer the question correctly, the computer will raise your score and give you a harder question. If you answer the question incorrectly, your score will decrease and you'll be given an easier question. The process repeats for each question in the section, to arrive at your final score for that section.

Each of the multiple-choice sections is scored on a scale of 200 to 800. The average scores for the GRE are about 470 for Verbal and 570 for Quantitative. The Analytical Writing section is scored on a scale of 0 to 6.

Many students want to know how important the GRE will be in determining their entrance into the school of their choice. It really depends on the school. Some schools view them as a necessary but minor part of the process while other schools place a much heavier emphasis on the scores. You can probably determine this by talking to the schools themselves and studying their admissions requirements. Either way, however, it is important to keep in mind that your scores are a major factor in determining eligibility for financial aid.

Preparing for the GRE

Prepare? Perhaps you are thinking that having gone through a barrage of standardized tests in your past and having completed a college education there should be no need to prepare. The answer is yes and no. First, it always is helpful to have practiced and know the form of a test before walking in the door so you spend less time deciphering directions and format and more time answering questions. Second, there are likely to be some questions (particularly in the math section) that look rather alien unless you are prepared. Most of us learned our basic Algebra and Geometry somewhere along the line, probably in high school. Sadly, some if not much of that information seems to have trickled out of our brains as we crammed them with other information in more recent years. As one test taker put it, "If you know Calculus but forgot fractions - you are in trouble!"

One good source to prepare for the GRE is www.gre.org . They have a variety of programs available either FREE or for a small sum that will not only allow you to practice the types of questions you will experience on the GRE, but also provide opportunities to write essays and submit them for actual scoring and feedback so that you can improve your scores.

If you are looking for some more advanced help, you can access a number of on-line test prep services. They generally offer various levels of test preparation including regular classes, online classes, and private tutoring that will help you to improve your test taking skills and prepare you for everything you will face on the GRE.

There are countless other resources available on the topic. Any bookstore you walk into should have several books available with practice exams and tips and advice for test takers. Do not be overwhelmed, but do take the time to prepare yourself so that you know what to expect going into the test.

In all your preparations it is important to remember to leave yourself enough time before your application deadlines so that you can study and take the GRE and allow time (up to four weeks) for the scores to arrive. While it would be unreasonable to expect testing to be fun, at least if you have taken time to prepare you should feel satisfied that you have worked hard and will do well on your test. Good luck!


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K-12 Reference

Education World's Research Center
http://www.educationworld.com/research/
The Toolbox Section contains all sorts of handy useful links to great resources, like online dictionaries, language translators, encyclopedias, maps, conversion engines, and more!

Fact Monster
http://www.factmonster.com/
Fact Monster is an ideal reference site for kids ages 8-14 that provides entertainment and educational resources. It combines the contents of an encyclopedia, a dictionary, an atlas, and several almanacs loaded with statistics, facts, and historical records. A single search engine allows you to search all these sources at once.

HomeworkSpot
http://www.homeworkspot.com/
HomeworkSpot.com is a free homework information portal that features the very best K-12 homework-related sites together with engaging editorial in one high-utility, educational spot. With the help of students, parents and teachers, HomeworkSpot's team of educators, librarians and journalists has scoured the Web to bring you the best resources for English, math, science, history, art, music, technology, foreign language, college prep, health, life skills, extracurricular activities and much more.

World Almanac for Kids
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/index.html
Cool facts from the publishers of the World Almanac and Book of Facts for kids about animals, the environment, birthdays of famous people, inventions, countries of the world, population, U.S. Presidents, world religions, space, sports, the 50 U.S. states, and a timeline of U.S. history.

Writing and Math

Writing

Strunk, William, Jr. 1918. The Elements of Style
http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html
Asserting that one must first know the rules to break them, this classic reference book is a must-have for any student and conscientious writer. Intended for use in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature, it gives in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style and concentrates attention on the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated.

How to Cite/Format References for Research Papers
http://www.emich.edu/halle/style_guides.html
This website features a collection of links to websites that explain how to properly use American Psychological Association (APA) Style, Modern Language Association (MLA) Style, American Medical Association (AMA) Style, Chicago Manual of Style, and Turabian Style for writing research papers.

A Guide for Writing Research Papers Based on Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation
http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml
Recommendations here are based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. It is important to note, however, that individual instructors and institutions or departments may vary from these recommendations somewhat and that it is always wise to consult with your instructor before formatting and submitting your work.

Mathematics

Math.com
http://www.mathacademy.com/pr/prime/index.asp
Math.com is dedicated to providing revolutionary ways for students, parents, teachers, and everyone to learn math. Combining educationally sound principles with proprietary technology, Math.com offers a unique experience that quickly guides the user to the solutions they need and the products they want.

Mathematics Help Central
http://www.mathematicshelpcentral.com/
Are you stumped on a math problem? Help is on the way! Mathematics is a challenging subject that mystifies many. Imagine the problem as a complicated puzzle that you must solve. All the pieces must fit in order for you to realize your success. This web site is devoted to helping you through your math worries!

Professor Freedman's Math Help
http://www.mathpower.com/
This site provides information about basic math, algebra, study skills, math anxiety and learning styles and specifically addresses the needs of the community college adult learner. A student who is frustrated by college math can be helped by identifying his individual learning style and recognizing the instructor's teaching style. This site provides links for students and teachers to information about learning styles, study skills tips, and ways to reduce math anxiety and gives the students access to tutorials, algebra assignments, math videos, and a forum for discussing with the professor a variety of math topics.

S.O.S. MATH
http://www.sosmath.com/index.html
S.O.S. MATHematics is a free resource for math review material from Algebra to Differential Equations! Get help to do your homework, refresh your memory, prepare for a test. Browse more than 2,500 Math pages filled with short and easy-to-understand explanations - from simplifying fractions to the cubic formula, from the quadratic equation to Fourier series, from the sine function to systems of differential equations - this is the one stop site for your math needs. You can also check out CyberExams to prepare for a test, or ask a question on the popular CyberBoard!

Webmath
http://www.webmath.com/
Is is late at night? Stuck on math homework due tomorrow? Big exam coming up? Perhaps Webmath can help! This site is composed of many math "fill-in-forms" into which you can type the math problem you're working on. Linked to these forms is a powerful set of math-solvers, that can instantly analyze your problem, and when possible, provide you with a step-by-step solution, instantly!

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Dictionaries

Merriam-Webster Online

http://www.m-w.com/
Merriam-Webster provides a free online dictionary, thesaurus, audio pronunciations, Word of the Day, word games, and other English language resources.

Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/
This is a free online English dictionary, thesaurus and reference guide, crossword puzzles and other word games, online translator and Word of the Day.

American Heritage Dictionary
http://www.bartleby.com/61/
Over 90,000 entries feature 10,000 new words and senses, 70,000 audio word pronunciations, 900 full-page color illustrations, language notes and word-root appendixes.

Yahoo! Directory Dictionaries > By Language
http://dir.yahoo.com/Reference/Dictionaries/Language/
Yahoo! Search Directory's listing of language dictionaries from Afrikaans to Yiddish.

RhymeZone
http://www.rhymezone.com/
A language arts reference tool and comprehensive search engine for words. Includes the functions of a rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, and spelling checker, as well as an integrated full-text search engine for all of Shakespeare's works and thousands of quotations and poems."

On-Line Medical Dictionary
http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/
OMD is a searchable dictionary created by Dr. Graham Dark and contains terms relating to biochemistry, cell biology, chemistry, medicine, molecular biology, physics, plant biology, radiobiology, science and technology. It includes: acronyms, jargon, theory, conventions, standards, institutions, projects, eponyms, history, in fact anything to do with medicine or science.

MedTerms Medical Dictionary
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/hp.asp
MedTerms online medical dictionary is the medical reference for MedicineNet.com, containing easy-to-understand explanations of over 10,000 medical terms. This online medical dictionary provides quick access to hard-to-spell medical definitions through an extensive alphabetical listing.

ArtLex Art Dictionary
http://www.artlex.com/
You'll find definitions for more than 3,500 terms used in discussing visual culture, along with thousands of supporting images, pronunciation notes, great quotations and cross-references.

SYMBOLS.com
http://www.symbols.com/
SYMBOLS.com contains more than 2,500 Western signs, arranged into 54 groups according to their graphic characteristics. In 1,600 articles their histories, uses, and meanings are thoroughly discussed. The signs range from ideograms carved in mammoth teeth by Cro-Magnon men, to hobo signs and subway graffiti.

Webopedia
http://www.pcwebopedia.com/
An online computer dictionary and internet search engine for computer and Internet technology definitions.

Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures
http://www.nist.gov/dads/
This is a dictionary of algorithms, algorithmic techniques, data structures, archetypical problems, and related definitions. Algorithms include common functions, such as Ackermann's function. Problems include traveling salesman and Byzantine generals. Some entries have links to implementations and more information.

Biographical Dictionary
http://www.s9.com/biography/
This dictionary covers more than 28,000 notable men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the present day. The dictionary can be searched by birth years, death years, positions held, professions, literary and artistic works, achievements, and other keywords.

Thesauri

Merriam-Webster Online
http://www.m-w.com/thesaurus.htm
Merriam-Webster provides a free online dictionary, thesaurus, audio pronunciations, Word of the Day, word games, and other English language resources.

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition
http://www.bartleby.com/62/
Containing 35,000 synonyms in an easy-to-use format, this thesaurus features succinct word definitions and an innovative hyperlinked category index by the Editors of the American Heritage� Dictionary.

Roget’s International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases
http://www.bartleby.com/110/
Mawson’s modernization of the classic structure becomes even more user-friendly on Bartleby.com with 85,000 hyperlinked cross-references. Additionally, over 2,200 quotations from classic and modern authors illustrate the 1,000-plus entries.

Encyclopedias and Research

CIA - The World Factbook
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.htm
The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973 except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer components. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The Factbook was first made available on the Internet in June 1997. The year 2003 marks the 56th anniversary of the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency and the 60th year of continuous basic intelligence support to the US Government by The World Factbook and its two predecessor programs.

Columbia Encyclopedia
http://www.bartleby.com/65/
Containing nearly 51,000 entries (marshalling six and one-half million words on a vast range of topics), and with more than 80,000 hypertext cross-references, the current Sixth Edition is among the most complete and up-to-date encyclopedias ever produced.

Encyclopedia.com
http://www.encyclopedia.com/
Encyclopedia.com, the Internet's premiere free encyclopedia, provides users with more than 57,000 frequently updated articles from the Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Each article is enhanced with links to newspaper and magazine articles as well as pictures and maps - all provided by eLibrary.

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Wikipedia is a free content wiki encyclopedia being written collaboratively by contributors from around the world. As of May 2004, there are 261003 articles in English; every day hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world make tens of thousands of edits and create thousands of new articles.

Google Scholar
http://scholar.google.com/
Google Scholar enables you to search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a wide variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as scholarly articles available across the web.

MSN Encarta - Encyclopedia Article Center
http://encarta.msn.com/artcenter_0/Encyclopedia_Articles.html#tcsel
Search more than 4,500 articles on the world of knowledge--from aardvark to Zambia.

HighBeam Research
http://www.highbeam.com/library/index.asp?refid=elearners
Search this extensive archive of more than 32 million documents from 2,800 sources — a vast collection of articles from leading publications, updated daily and going back as far as 20 years. Save your searches, save articles and set up alerts to save time and increase your efficiency. HighBeam Research offers both basic (free) and full membership options.

Questia
http://www.questia.com/
Questia is the first online library that provides 24/7 access to the world's largest online collection of books and journal articles in the humanities and social sciences, plus magazine and newspaper articles. You can search each and every word of all of the books and journal articles in the collection. You can read every title cover to cover. Questia requires a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

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