#professor wisdom

[livinglifedeliberately]

When we look at ourselves in the mirror, are we looking at a simple reflection, or do we scrutinize ourselves and compare ourselves to a better-looking, perfect version of ourselves we imagine we could be?

something my comm professor said that's important to keep in mind

[zackandkellysprom]

Behind every sin is an unmet human need

Tim Threlfall

[beyondthelaughs]

Looking from within the margins allows you to see what others cannot

-Wellesley Professor

[literarycatchall]

A Professor's Wisdom

The other morning, one of my English professors was at my on-campus office for a meeting.  I had him for a couple classes and, in the Spring, he led a study abroad trip to England (which I attended).  After his meeting, he stopped by my desk to chat for a bit.

I hadn't been planning on asking him for advice about my GRE scores.  But, I had talked to him quite a bit about Graduate programs while we were in England and he was an alum of one of the programs I was applying to.  So, my mouth kind of took over and I just asked. 

I wanted to know what he specifically thought of my scores.  When I told them to him, he said they sounded pretty good, but that he wasn't really familiar with the New GREW and wasn't sure what would be competitive now--as compared to when he took the GRE and attended graduate school.  Understandable.

But, he did offer me one piece of advice: contact the schools.

I had been considering the idea.  The book I profiled previously about writing personal statements had suggested that if you had any questions or concerns, you should call the school and see what information they could provide you with.  Though a lot of information was available to me online, there wasn't a lot of "hard evidence" in regards to GRE scores (only one of eight schools had listed specifically what the average score of their students was). 

However, I didn't really wantto call.  I am very serious about these schools and was almost afraid that if I said my scores out loud, they might laugh at me... Or jot my name down on a list titled "Do Not Accept."  (Did I ever mention that I'm an irrational worry-wart?)

But, when my professor suggested it and we talked about it a little more, I realized that if I wanted to be considered for these schools--and taken seriously--I needed to go to the source for all of my information so that I could prepare the best application possible.  Plus, would it really be that bad to get my name out there?

I emailed seven of the schools today (Oxford does not accept GRE scores because they do not have an equivalent test in the UK; they base their application on your GPA instead).  I'll let you guys know what I hear back!