The following article comes from our friends at AdmitSee. We’ve invited them to share their insight about peer mentors in the grad school application process.

As you begin the grad school application process, you will have plenty of opinions at your disposal.  From your parents, to your current educational institution, to grad schools themselves–you may be bombarded with conflicting opinions on where you should apply. Add to that the plethora of free (and sometimes unreliable) information on the web, often written by anonymous sources, and you’re likely no clearer than when you started!

If you’re fortunate enough to have an older sibling with a tight group of friends who’ve taken career paths that interest you, you’re in luck! Spend lots of time talking with these folks about how and why they picked their grad schools, what they like and don’t like about their programs, and what they wish they knew when they were considering their options.

But, if you’re like most applicants, you need to seek out your own mentors.

Often, people with similar interests who are just a year or two ahead of you will be your most effective mentors. There are many reasons for this, but, to start, you will have an easier time connecting with your near-peers than with someone who’s 20 years older than you. You’ll find more common connections and more shared experiences to bond over. A strong personal connection is the foundation for a great mentor-mentee relationship.
Read more

While studying for the GRE Text Completion (TC) and Sentence Equivalence (SE) questions, you naturally want to study vocabulary.  After all, that’s what the test is testing, right?

Yes and no.  The GRE does test vocabulary, but it also tests your ability to analyze a sentence and divine the author’s intended meaning.  (And for those of you keeping score at home, did I use the word ‘divine’ correctly?  Are you familiar with this less common usage?)

And so, we preach (sorry, with the word ‘divine’ earlier, I had to!) a method for TC and SE that involves identifying the Target, Clues, and Pivots in the sentence.  All well and good, but how do you to this?  Here’s where the following limited grammar discussion should help, because although the GRE does not directly test grammar, a little grammar knowledge can be immensely helpful!

We begin with the core elements that every sentence contains: the subject and the verb.  Separating the subjecting and the verb from other elements (which I will generically call descriptors) is part 1 of my TC and SE analysis.  Part 2 is matching each descriptor to what it describes.

So let’s see two examples.  One is a TC example from Lesson 1, the other is a SE example from the 5 lb. Book.
Read more

One of the biggest shopping days of the year has arrived–Happy Black Friday! In case you’re too full of turkey and stuffing to make your way out to the shops today, we’re serving up something extra special.

Today through December 15th, we’re offering $200 off all of our Complete GMAT, LSAT, and GRE courses*! This deal includes all Complete Courses– in-person as well as Live-Online. To receive this limited-time discount, register for a course that starts in December and enter the code Holiday200 at checkout.t!

*Offer is valid for courses starting in the month of December only. Not valid for students currently registered for courses, or with any additional offers. Offer expires 12/15/2013 for GMAT courses

Studying for the GRE take a free GRE practice exam, or try out one of our upcoming free Manhattan GRE trial classes, running all the time near you, or online. And, be sure to find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and follow us on Twitter!

In one of my recent classes, I told the students “You’ll never know how to answer a geometry question.”  The reaction was fairly predictable: “Why would you say that?!?  That’s so discouraging!!”

Of course, I certainly was NOT trying to discourage them.  I used that statement to illustrate that geometry questions are often a type of quantitative question that can feel immensely frustrating!  You know what shape you have, you know what quantity the question wants, but you have no idea how to solve for that quantity.

This is what I meant when I said you’ll never know how to answer these questions. That “leap” to the correct answer is impossible.  You can’t get to the answer in one step, but that’s all right: you’re not supposed to!

(An important aside: if you’ve read my post regarding calculation v. principle on the GRE, you should be aware that I am discussing the calculation heavy geometry questions in this post.)

The efficient, effective approach to a calculation-based geometry question is NOT to try and jump to the final answer, but instead to simply move to the next “piece”.  For example, let’s say a geometry question gives me an isosceles triangle with two angles equaling x.  I don’t know what x is, and I don’t know how to use it to find the answer to the question.  But I DO know that the third angle is 180-2x.

That’s the game.  Find the next little piece.  And the piece after that.  And the piece after that.  Let’s see an example.

The correct response to this problem is “Bu-whah???  I know nothing about the large circle!”

But you do know the area of the smaller circle.  What piece will that give you?  Ok, you say, area gives me the radius.  A = pi*r^2, so pi = pi*r^2, so r^2 = 1, so r = 1.  Done, and let’s put that in the diagram.
Read more

Happy Friday and happy Fourth of July Weekend! Here’s our weekly roundup of grad school news and tips:

Leverage International Roots for U.S. Grad School Applications (U.S. News Education)

Emphasizing cultural differences is a natural way prospective international graduate students can craft unique applications.

What is an Online Graduate Class Like? (About.com Graduate School)

Online classes hold some similarities with traditional on-ground courses, but there are also many differences.

6 Important Things Nobody Tells You About Grad School (Cracked)

If you’re considering or already in postgrad work, take some helpful advice from someone who already has two and a half postgraduate degrees under his belt.

Policing Your Productivity: 7 Tools to Help You Focus (Entrepreneur)

Are you easily distracted by social media and entertainment sites? Keep your focus, especially when it’s time to study, with these helpful programs.

Did we miss your favorite article from the week? Let us know what you’ve been reading in the comments or tweet @ManhattanPrep

Happy Friday and happy summer! Get a jump start on your summer reading with a few of this week’s top grad school articles:

When Grad School Does and Doesn’t Make Sense (USA Today College)

Here are 10 circumstances when grad school may make sense and 10 when it might not.

How to Choose the Right Graduate Program? Consider Your Personal Life (About.com Grad School)

Sometimes you have to look beyond academics to choose the right graduate school program for you.

5 Tips for Applying to Graduate Programs in Clinical or Counseling Psychology (About.com Graduate School)

Be on your game to improve your odds of admission to graduate programs in psychology with these five helpful tips.

How to Tackle Student Loan Debt as Quickly as Possible (USA Today College)

Here are some wise steps to pay off your student debt as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Read Your Way to a Higher Score: Summer Reading Recommendations from our GRE Instructors (Manhattan GRE Blog)

To celebrate the first day of summer, we’re bringing back a post from the archives. Check out our list of summer reading recommendations!

Did we miss your favorite article from the week? Let us know what you’ve been reading in the comments or tweet @ManhattanPrep

Take a time out to catch up with this week's grad school news!

Here’s a roundup of our favorite GRE links from the week. Enjoy the weekend!

Don’t Be Afraid of Going to Graduate School in the Humanities (Pacific Standard)

Full-time, tenure-track professorships in the humanities are famously scarce. But that’s not a reason to avoid an advanced degree.

3 Concerns of International Grad School Applicants (U.S. News Education)

Here are some answers to common application questions from prospective international graduate students.

How to Choose the Right Graduate Program? Consider Your Personal Life (About.com Graduate School)

Sometimes you have to look beyond academics to choose the right graduate program for you.

3 Key Ways College, Graduate School Differ (U.S. News Education)

Grad School isn’t a continuation of college. Be prepared for larger workloads and more responsibility.

Graduate Degrees with Strong Career Prospects (Graduate Guide)

Here are some of the best fields to consider in graduate school when it comes to the current job market.

Happy Friday! It’s time to take a break from GRE prep to catch up on some of the top grad school tips and news links from the week:

8 Steps for Making the Most of Your Summer Internship (Brazen Life)

It’s almost summertime! Here are some great tips to help you maximize your summer internship experience.

Yes, Guys, Graduate School in the Humanities is Still a Worthwhile Investment (Policymic)

Graduate school, especially in the humanities, has been receiving very bad press for a long time, but 2013 has already produced a bumper crop of essays about the Ph.D. process.

Get Research Experience for Graduate Admissions (About.com Graduate School)

Graduate programs, especially PhD programs, highly value research experience. Without it, it’s unlikely that you’ll gain admission, regardless of your GPA.

Grad School May Not be for Everyone (Daily Sundial)

A current student argues that grad school is a good idea, but only if you’re 100 percent ready for the challenges that await.

Did we miss your favorite article from the week? Let us know what you’ve been reading in the comments or tweet @ManhattanPrep

Set the GRE prep work aside for a moment to catch up on some of this week’s top grad school tips and news links:

How to Make the Final Grad School Enrollment Decision (U.S. News Education)

Former dean of admissions has some advice for how to focus your needs and desires when you make your final grad school enrollment decision.

Overcome Procrastination with the Pomodoro Technique (About.com Graduate School)

Looking for a way to overcome procrastination? The Pomodoro Technique is a formal timer-based time management technique”it’s simple and effective.

How to Choose a U.S. Graduate School (U.S. News Education)

Use these four tips to thoroughly research graduate programs and prospective career fields before becoming and international graduate student.

U.S. Graduate Schools Stung by Drop in Chinese Applications (Reuters)

Reuters reports that slowing grad school enrollments, including a 5 percent decline in applications from Chine for fall 2013, are hurting the revenues of many U.S. universities.

Did we miss your favorite article from the week? Let us know what you’ve been reading in the comments or tweet @ManhattanPrep

Catch up on some of the top grad school tips and news links from the week. Happy Friday and happy reading!

What Graduate Students Should Know About the Sequester (U.S. News Education)

According to U.S. News, admissions criteria will change at some schools due to the sequestration. Find out why it could lead to a decrease in the number of students admitted.

What to Do When You are Accepted to Grad School (About.com)

Congrats to you if you’ve recently opened a graduate school acceptance letter! Now it’s time for some practical advice about what to do next.

Making the Most of Graduate School Advising (U.S. News Education)

This week U.S. News started a series addressing the questions that admitted graduate students often ask as well as information on how the academic advising process works.

You Can Be Busy or Remarkable”But Not Both (Study Hacks)

Here’s a great post that explains the profound difference between being busy and being remarkable. We think you’ll be ready for some down time after this read.

Did we miss your favorite article from the week? Let us know what you’ve been reading in the comments or tweet @ManhattanPrep