darklord1984

Hello. I understand that the TOEFL test scores have a validity of two years. I had given mine on December 24, 2004. Now, If i wish to apply for Spring 2007 to universities for MS, I will obviously be applying before December 2006. Keeping this in mind, will I be able to use these test scores, or will I have to retake the TOEFL if I wish to apply for Spring 2007? Furthermore, I believe most people choose to join in the Fall session. Is there any disadvantage of joining in the Spring session as such?

Hello. I am currently in the Final Year of B.E. (equivalent to B.S.) Instrumentation Engineering from Vivekanand Education Society's Institute of Technology affiliated to the University of Mumbai. My details are as follows... GRE: 1390 (Score report awaited) TOEFL: 287 Aggregate: 70%, ranked 3rd in my college, and within the top 10 ranks in my university. Recommendations available from highly qualified faculty members, including the principal of my college and the HOD of our department. My question is as follows... What are my chances of getting an admit for a course of M.S. in Computer Engineering for example? Is there a provision for changing the field of study from Instrumentation Engineering to Computer Engineering? If so, will I be at a disadvantage? What additional steps will I have to take? Please help out.

Hello. I am currently in the Final Year of B.E. (equivalent to B.S.) Instrumentation Engineering from Vivekanand Education Society's Institute of Technology affiliated to the University of Mumbai. My details are as follows... GRE: 1390 (Score report awaited) TOEFL: 287 Aggregate: 70%, ranked 3rd in my college, and within the top 10 ranks in my university. Recommendations available from highly qualified faculty members, including the principal of my college and the HOD of our department. My question is as follows... What are my chances of getting an admit for a course of M.S. in Computer Engineering for example? Is there a provision for changing the field of study from Instrumentation Engineering to Computer Engineering? If so, will I be at a disadvantage? What additional steps will I have to take? Please help out.

My guess is that it had to do with the first question, which I do not think I got. I believe it is the most important question of them all, sometimes worth 100 marks.

Thanks!

Hello. I gave my GRE in the afternoon of 20 August, 2005. Following are my details... GRE score: 1390 (800 in quantitative + 590 in verbal), essay score awaited, but expected to be a minimum of 4.5 TOEFL score: 287 I am currently in Semester VII of Instrumentation Engineering, and studying at Vivekanand Education Society's Institute of Technology, affiliated to the University of Bombay, India. My aggregate is 70%, I am ranked 3rd in my class, and I stand within the top 10 ranks in the University. I am able to get very good recommendations from our principal, as well as our final year project guide who happens to be faculty advisor of the ISA-VESIT student section in our college (http://www.isa.org). I have good extracurricular and cocurricular activity records. I was hoping to do an MS in Electrical/Electronics Engineering, and I was looking at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta as one of my primary options, others being Iowa State University, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Arizona. I wish to apply for the fall session of 2006. Please rate my chances of getting into one of the above mentioned universities, with a teaching assistantship or a research assistantship. I should probably add that the day before I gave the GRE, I practised the two Powerprep tests for the first time, and got 1520 and 1460 respectively. I felt that my first question itself in verbal was tougher than usual. Moreover, the quantitative section was also tougher than the Powerprep tests, though I scored 800 in it.

Hello Kevin. The essay attempts to cover most of the relevant points. However, I personally felt that some statements in your dissertation are a bit ambiguous, such as the one quoted above. I would rate the essay at a 4 or 4.5. Then again, this is just my opinion. I must admit, I am NOT an authority in judging essays. Perhaps a more distinguished person's judgement would hold more weight.

Hi, please rate the essay below. It is my first issue essay. It was done in around 25 minutes. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. No. of Words: 593 What are the appropriate word lengths for the issue essay and the argument essay? ______________________________________________________ "It is unfortunate that today's educators place so much emphasis on finding out what students want to include in their curriculum and then giving it to them. It is the educators' duty to determine the curriculum and the students' duty to study what is presented to them." ______________________________________________________ Today, education as we know it is greatly diversified. Specialisations in various fields are available to the student. In fact, a student in the past did not have much problems of volition regarding his/her specialisation. In most countries, especially in the era of the 1960s and 70s, the situation was much against the students, since as many opportunities were not available. However, now, with the rapid advancement in technology and other fields, and a growing emphasis on education throughout the world, students have a plethora of choices, with each specialisation having a sub-specialisation. The question raised, however, who is more qualified in deciding which line the student should follow, the educator, or the student? In my opinion, the students are the best judges regarding this issue. If any other individual decides a student's curriculum, and the student is then obligated to study what is presented to him/her, the question will always be there in his/her mind...whether or not the educator has made the correct decision, unless the student wholly agrees with the educator's decision. On the contrary, if the students take their own decisions regarding the curriculum they wish to study, they will undoubted have a sense of responsibility for making a particular choice. Hence, when the time comes in a student's life when he/she has to make a choice regarding the type of curriculum best suited to him/her, the student should be allowed to choose independently. However, the educator's role is not one of a tutor alone. The educator must act as a guide, a mentor. He/she can, and should, help the student in making these decisions if the student has a problem choosing, but under no circumstances should the educator's decision be made binding on the student. The final decision has to be taken by the student, and no one else. Of course, if the student values the educator's decision greatly, he/she will definitely give the educator's recommendation a thorough consideration, before arriving at a decision. Moreover, such guidance will be invaluable to the student, considering the times, and number of choices and hurdles faced by him. Where I come from, the students are not really given much freedom in deciding their curriculum. This problem is especially evident when the time comes for the selection of professional courses. Normally the parents of the student (again, an external factor), play a major role in deciding the student's curriculum at this stage. The problem faced here is the mob mentality, where most of the students crowd for a few select courses, even though their aptitude may be totally different. The result could have been easily predicted...such students often fair miserably at the course they select. They miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity to start on the right foot, because they fail to gauge themselves appropriately. What makes matters worse is that the students do nothing about it, having been brought up in a more suppressed manner. They do not have the capability to make their own decisions after considering relevant factors. The solution to the problem again lies with the educators. Rather than choosing the curriculum for the student, the educator must make the student capable of making logical decisions about the course of action to be taken. Of course, this is a long term process, and must begin at the early stages of a student's life. Then, when the time comes, the student will be far more capable of making the correct decisions, taking responsibilty for them, and, in short, becoming an independent individual.

Hey, thanks for your feedback. I certainly hope I can ameliorate my analytical writing skills. The GRE is very close now. Will definitely practise more.

Hi, please rate the essay I have written. Also, give me any suggestions on any improvements I could make. I am aspiring to do an MS in one of the top 25 US universities, so please let me know if my essay score would be commensurate with my aspiration. __________________________________________________ The University of Claria is generally considered one of the best universities in the world because of its instructors' reputation, which is based primarily on the extensive research and publishing record of certain faculty members. In addition, several faculty members are internationally renowned as leaders in their fields. For example, many of the faculty from the English department are regularly invited to teach at universities in other countries. Furthermore, two recent graduates of the physics department have gone on to become candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physics. And 75 percent of the students are able to find employment after graduating. Therefore, because of the reputation of its faculty, the University of Claria should be the obvious choice for anyone seeking a quality education. __________________________________________________ The argument stated above may seem convincing at a first glance. However, after a deeper scrutiny, it can be observed that several loopholes exist. In the beginning, the statement says that the University of Claria is considered to be one of the best universities in the world because of its instructors' reputation. Of course, the assumption that this statement is correct would not really tell us much about the students themselves. We should understand that the students are the ones who need to be judged, and the knowledge of the instructors, though necessary, is not a sufficient condition for labelling a university as an 'obvious choice' In addition, the statement above has described in great detail the knowledge and competence of its instructors, and even substantiated their assertion to an extent with examples of candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physics. Still, several factors go into making one university a better choice than the other. We often have to look at accomodation available, technical and recreational facilities, and a general environment, especially for foreign students. A university should help in the all round development of a student. Mere bookish knowledge is by no means enough. The statement does not mention any details other than the academic ones. The statement has mentioned that certain faculty members have an impressive publishing record and have done extensive research in their respective fields. In this regard, some statistics would be more helpful in deciding the level of the university, not only of the University of Claria, but also of several others, something that could be done using proven statistical methods. In order to understand how good the University of Claria is, one would have to compare its advantages with those of other universities as well. Another statement has been made about 75% of the students being able to find employment after graduating. This statement does not mention whether this is a regular trend, or whether this statistic is valid only for a particular academic year. Moreover, the statement does not throw light on the nature of employment, nor does it mention names of organisations/institutions which have hired 75% of the students. It is safe to say that this particular point is the most vague one, and needs a siginificant amount of deliberation. In conclusion, referring to the above statement alone, it would be unwise to consider the University of Claria an 'obvious choice for anyone seeking a quality education'. Several additions need to be made, and more information has to be provided. Then, one would be able to gauge the level of the university in a more well-informed manner.

Hi, please rate the essay I have written. Also, give me any suggestions on any improvements I could make. __________________________________________________ The University of Claria is generally considered one of the best universities in the world because of its instructors' reputation, which is based primarily on the extensive research and publishing record of certain faculty members. In addition, several faculty members are internationally renowned as leaders in their fields. For example, many of the faculty from the English department are regularly invited to teach at universities in other countries. Furthermore, two recent graduates of the physics department have gone on to become candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physics. And 75 percent of the students are able to find employment after graduating. Therefore, because of the reputation of its faculty, the University of Claria should be the obvious choice for anyone seeking a quality education. __________________________________________________ The argument stated above may seem convincing at a first glance. However, after a deeper scrutiny, it can be observed that several loopholes exist. In the beginning, the statement says that the University of Claria is considered to be one of the best universities in the world because of its instructors' reputation. Of course, the assumption that this statement is correct would not really tell us much about the students themselves. We should understand that the students are the ones who need to be judged, and the knowledge of the instructors, though necessary, is not a sufficient condition for labelling a university as an 'obvious choice' In addition, the statement above has described in great detail the knowledge and competence of its instructors, and even substantiated their assertion to an extent with examples of candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physics. Still, several factors go into making one university a better choice than the other. We often have to look at accomodation available, technical and recreational facilities, and a general environment, especially for foreign students. A university should help in the all round development of a student. Mere bookish knowledge is by no means enough. The statement does not mention any details other than the academic ones. The statement has mentioned that certain faculty members have an impressive publishing record and have done extensive research in their respective fields. In this regard, some statistics would be more helpful in deciding the level of the university, not only of the University of Claria, but also of several others, something that could be done using proven statistical methods. In order to understand how good the University of Claria is, one would have to compare its advantages with those of other universities as well. Another statement has been made about 75% of the students being able to find employment after graduating. This statement does not mention whether this is a regular trend, or whether this statistic is valid only for a particular academic year. Moreover, the statement does not throw light on the nature of employment, nor does it mention names of organisations/institutions which have hired 75% of the students. It is safe to say that this particular point is the most vague one, and needs a siginificant amount of deliberation. In conclusion, referring to the above statement alone, it would be unwise to consider the University of Claria an 'obvious choice for anyone seeking a quality education'. Several additions need to be made, and more information has to be provided. Then, one would be able to gauge the level of the university in a more well-informed manner.

Hi. For some reason, I feel that my Achilles' Heel is the analytical writing section. I am aspiring to get admission to an MS program of perhaps one of the top 25 US universities. How important would my AWA score be if I am able to get 1450+ in the GRE?

Hi, please rate the essay I have written. Also, give me any suggestions on any improvements I could make. ___________________________________________________ The University of Claria is generally considered one of the best universities in the world because of its instructors' reputation, which is based primarily on the extensive research and publishing record of certain faculty members. In addition, several faculty members are internationally renowned as leaders in their fields. For example, many of the faculty from the English department are regularly invited to teach at universities in other countries. Furthermore, two recent graduates of the physics department have gone on to become candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physics. And 75 percent of the students are able to find employment after graduating. Therefore, because of the reputation of its faculty, the University of Claria should be the obvious choice for anyone seeking a quality education. _________________________________________________________________________________________ The argument stated above may seem convincing at a first glance. However, after a deeper scrutiny, it can be observed that several loopholes can be found. As a beginning, the statement says that the University of Claria is considered to be one of the best universities in the world because of its instructors' reputation. Of course, the assumption that this statement is correct would not really tell us much about the students themselves. We should understand that the students are the ones who need to be judged, and the knowledge of the instructors, though necessary, is not a sufficient condition for labelling a university as an 'obvious choice' In addition, the statement above has described in great detail the knowledge and competence of its instructors, and even substantiated their assertion to an extent with examples of candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physics. Still, several factors go into making one university a better choice than the other. We often have to look at accomodation available, technical and recreational facilities, and a general environment, especially for foreign students. A university should help in the all round development of a student. Mere bookish knowledge is by no means enough. The statement does not mention any details other than the academic ones. The statement has mentioned that certain faculty members have an impressive publishing record and have done extensive research in their respective fields. In this regard, some statistics would be more helpful in deciding the level of the university, not only of the University of Claria, but also of several others, something that could be done using proven statistical methods. In order to understand how good the University of Claria is, one would have to compare its advantages with those of other universities as well. Another statement has been made about 75% of the students being able to find employment after graduating. This statement does not mention whether this is a regular trend, or whether this statistic is valid only for a particular academic year. Moreover, the statement does not throw light on the nature of employment, nor does it mention names of organisations/institutions which have hired 75% of the students. It is safe to say that this particular point is the most vague one, and needs a siginificant amount of deliberation. In conclusion, referring to the above statement alone, it would be unwise to consider the University of Claria an 'obvious choice for anyone seeking a quality education'. Several additions need to be made, and more information has to be provided. Then, one would be able to gauge the level of the university in a more well-informed manner.

Hi. Which of the following could be considered the best GRE courseware (most realistic)? Please rate them accordingly... Barrons Kaplan Princeton BigCD