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GRE - Studying

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Before I start explaining my process of how I got to exam day, I would like to share my scores. I took the GRE twice. I needed a specific score of 300 or above in order to apply for the program I wanted. My program was not concerned entirely with the writing score. First attempt: 295 W3.5 Second attempt: 306 W4.5 The first attempt, I used the 12 week study plan and felt like it was too long of a study period. I focused more on the concepts. The second attempt, I used the 6 week study plan. I focused more on the test taking skills, my vocabulary, and quizzing. Now onto the study plan... Step 1: Take the practice GRE that Princeton Review offers for free There are various locations. For me, my scheduled building was easy to find and plenty of street parking for early in the morning. It simulated real test time and break times with exception that it was a paper test rather than the computer based test. I treated this practice test as my way to introduce myself to the GRE so th...
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GRE - The Materials

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There are a variety of ways to study for the GRE -- classes, online materials, self-paced, books, etc. Personally, I work best in a self-paced manner, so I chose to not pay for a tutor or class. Out of the various companies that produce workbooks, I went with Princeton Review. How did I come to this decision? I went to Barnes & Noble study aid section and paged through Kaplan, Princeton Review, Barron's, and Manhattan Prep. All were great at presenting information and providing examples and practice questions, but Princeton Review clicked with me more than the others. It was easy to follow and understand. I strongly recommend you read a paragraph or two in the various books before deciding on which book to buy. It will be important when you actually go to study.  There are a few Princeton Review book choices for the GRE -- I went with Cracking the GRE Premium . The basic version of Cracking the GRE  does not offer a study plan with your purchase or as many practice ex...
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GRE - The Breakdown

The GRE. The wonderful standardized test that most graduate schools use to gauge a student. It may be a daunting task, but with a little organization and the correct study material/schedule, you will do just fine. Now take a deep breath. :) The following sections are various breakdowns that surrounds the GRE. If there is anything that you think I should add, let me know. You can tweet Grad Girl @_gradgirl_   Grad School Breakdown Most schools require the GRE. There are some schools that do not require it, but it is a rare occurrence (from my own research).  Some schools will require subject tests -  Link for the GRE subject tests page . I do not have experience with these, but check with the schools that you are interested in before going any further.  Schools have their own preferred score range -- pay close attention to these when studying/applying For example, to apply to University of Florida, I needed a combined score of 300 and they did not fully...
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Finding Your Foundation

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Having a solid foundation is important...which is why my second round of school was going to start with a good foundation and pacing on my own terms. Looking back on everything, I should have taken a gap year before going into undergrad. I felt as though I was not prepared for college and I rushed into everything. Understanding that, I knew I needed to take time off before I enter my second round of school. It is sort of like a second chance, or at least that is the way I am looking at it all... I bought my book from Barnes & Noble My first step in building my foundation was reading The Princeton Review's  The Best 167 Medical Schools 2015 edition. ( There is a 2016 edition and I am sure the two books are similar in content. Either book will do fine.) In the 2015 book, there are six chapters that are extremely informative. It is especially important to read the chapters that have to do with medical school itself, the different types of medical programs, nontraditional s...
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Congrats! You graduated! Now What?

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source:  Finding Nemo So...you just graduated. Not top of class. Not bottom of class. Just. graduated. Feel familiar? You are probably feeling like the tank gang in Finding Nemo...Now What? Well, you have a few options -- or at least options from my perspective. 1. Take the MCAT and go through the med school app process and hope for the best 2. Give up the possibility of medical school 3. Take an alternative route to medical school I thought it through and decided on door three. I knew I was not competitive for the medical school application process and I knew that my odds were totally not in my favor. I had to get creative and if you have read this far, you will too. My road has been interesting and complicated. I graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 2015 with a degree in Neuroscience and a minor in Microbiology. Upon graduation, I knew I wanted to take a break from schooling before starting my long road ahead. My gap time included working, tr...
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