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Here’s a roundup of some of the top graduate school articles from the week. Happy reading!

Best Graduate Schools Rankings Coming March 12 (U.S. News Education)

This week U.S. News Education announced that it will be publishing the 2014 edition of the Best Graduate Schools rankings on usnews.com on March 12, 2013.

What’s the Purpose of an Admissions Interview? (About.com Graduate School)

Want to make sure that you interview well? The first step is to understand the purpose of the graduate school admissions interview.

7 Reasons to Write from the Start (Grad Hacker)

A current grad student gives seven great reasons for why you should start writing as soon as you begin anything related to your thesis collection.
Read more

Need a break from writing your grad school applications? Take a moment to catch up on some recent stories circulating around the grad school community.

Happy Friday!

Should You Ask a Teaching Assistant for a Recommendation Letter? (About.com Graduate School)

Trying to decide who to ask to write your grad school recommendation letters? Here’s why it’s probably not the best idea to turn to your undergraduate TAs.

Grad School Application Checklist: 10 Months Out (US News Education)

It’s never a good idea to wait until the last minute to get your graduate school applications together. Here is US New Education’s third installment of advice for completing your applications in a timely manner.

What I know now: Grad School (Jeremy Yoder) (The Molecular Ecologist)

Planning to attend grad school for science? Check out what one postdoctoral associate wishes he’d known to do (and what he’s glad he did) in graduate school.
Read more

It’s finally Friday! Celebrate the end of the week with today’s set of grad school-related articles:

Writing Your Statement of Purpose (Grad Hacker)

As you’re packaging your grad school applications, be sure to check out this piece from Grad Hacker for some detailed advice and quick tips for writing your statement of purpose.

The Pros and Cons of Writing Letters of Recommendation (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Find out what the recommendation letter process is like from someone who actually writes them. Associate professor of anthropology at GSU talks about what materials are most helpful when drafting letters of recommendation for her students.

Consider When to Contact the Graduate Admissions Office (US News Education)
According to US News Education, it’s may not be in your best interest to contact admissions officials on a regular basis to reinforce your strong interest. Here are four examples of legitimate reasons to contact the admissions office.
Read more

Need some good Friday reads? Take a moment to catch up on some of this week’s top graduate school and GRE-related stories.

Schools Pitch New Degrees at Job-focused Students (MSN Money)

This fall, name-brand schools are launching cross-disciplinary masters programs meant to make students more competitive in a changing economy.

What to Consider When Considering Graduate School (About.com Graduate School)

Thinking about heading to graduate school in the future? Here are some things to consider before you solidify your decision.

Four Ways to Make Good Money While Earning Your Degree (USA TODAY College)
Read more

Catch up on your graduate school tips and news with some of this week’s top articles:

How to Strengthen Your Graduate School Application (Happy Schools Blog)

Read about the various elements of the graduate school application and learn how to construct your best application package.

15 Essential Things To Do Before Starting Grad School (USA Today College)

Your summer before grad school should not be an intense one. USA Today College has 15 things you should do to fill the time.

What’s the Role of GPA in Graduate School Admissions? (About.com Graduate School)

Read more

Take a break from studying and catch up on some of this week’s top articles!

The GRE Tests Give Students More Options than Ever (NewsUSA)

The GRE revised General Test now provides more options and opportunities for test takers. Check out the five reasons why there’s never been a better time to take the GRE revised General Test.

Tips for College: Finding the Right Grad School for YOU (Jobs & Hire)

Jobs & Hire has some great tips to keep in mind if you’re trying to find the right grad school for you.

6 Tips for International Graduate Students Enrolling This Fall (U.S. News Education)

Learn how to adjust to studying in the United States as soon as you get to campus.

Where Will the Money Come From? (Inside Higher Ed)

At a roundtable discussion, research officers discuss the future of federally funded research — and the growth of technology transfer and an emphasis on entrepreneurship at their institutions.

Last week, an ETS news release gave us some statistics on the 2011 administrations of the GRE. The big news was the huge increase over previous years in the number of test takers. ETS reports a roughly 13% increase in test takers over 2010 bringing the 2011 total to more than 800,000 tests “ an all-time record. Even considering the steady growth in the number GRE test takers over the past decade, this year stands out as a significant jump. Here is a chart of approximate GRE test takers for the past 9 years.

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We are launching a new GRE workshop called Thursdays with Jen and we would like to invite you to attend. Every other Thursday, join MGRE instructor Jennifer Dziura for an hour and a half study session. Regular readers of the blog will probably recognize Jen as the contributor of many of our blog articles. In fact, Jen is our Blog Editor and Lead Content Developer, and the instructor of our first-ever GRE classes.

In these special Live Online sessions, open to the public as well as current students, Jennifer will conduct mini workshops on a few different GRE-related topics. Both the verbal and quant sections of the GRE will be covered.

If you can’t attend the session, don’t worry. A copy of the recording will be made available the following Monday. You can sign up for an upcoming session, or find recordings of past sessions, here: //www.manhattanprep.com/gre/thursdays-with-jen.cfm

Each session will deal with new GRE topics. To suggest a topic or ask a question for next time, email Jen at jdziura@manhattanprep.com. We hope to see you this Thursday for the workshop!

Here is what happened in the world of the GRE this week…

• About Graduate School Guide wrote about goal setting and new year’s resolutions.
• AOL’s Daily Finance wrote about which graduate degrees are worth the cost.
• Finally, in case you missed it, our very own Taylor Dearr wrote about three reasons to start your GRE prep in January.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Manhattan GRE’s three-day boot camp is a program designed for students who have strong math backgrounds and/or have been studying for the GRE for at least 1 month. Taught by top-notch teachers and built on content-based learning, class sessions are interactive and challenging, building students’ proficiency and confidence for every question type on the exam.

The course includes a complete set of our 8 Strategy Guides, plus access to 6 online practice exams.

Course Details
Date: Friday, November 18th – Sunday, November 20th
Location: 138 W. 25th St (our NYC center)
Price: $590

Detailed Schedule
11/18 – 3 hour session 5:30PM – 8:30 PM Online
11/19 – 3.75 hour Online Practice Exam 10am-1:45pm (online or in our center, space permitting)
11/19 – 3.5 Hour Session 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM
11/20 – 3.75 hour Online Practice Exam 10am-1:45pm (online or in our center, space permitting)
11/20 – 3.5 Hour Session 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM

Please note: The session on Friday November 18th will be held in a Live Online classroom. Saturday and Sunday sessions will be held at the Manhattan GRE center (138 W 25th Street, New York, NY 10001). Student should also set aside time to take two 3 hour and 45 minute practice exams, one prior to each of the two in-person sessions. These tests can be taken at home or in Manhattan GRE’s testing center (testing center availability limited).

Meet the Instructor

Jennifer Dziura is Manhattan GRE’s Blog Editor and Lead Content Developer. She has scored perfectly on the GRE twice, has written or contributed to more than 10 published test prep books, and is the author of Manhattan GRE’s 500 Essential Words and 500 Advanced Words flashcard sets. In her M.S. in Education program, she worked on projects relating to using research into the brain to decrease stress and enhance learning and memory. She has helped over 2,000 people master the content for the GRE and other exams. Jennifer uses her obviously copious spare time to co-host an adult spelling bee.

Note: Images are from our favorite boot camp movie, GI Jane. Actual GRE bootcamp looks more like this (no pushups!)

Sign Up Here