It is officially Fall and that means it’s time to take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam)!
Some of you may have already taken it, which is wonderful! But for those of you who haven’t yet, this is the time when you should definitely sign up and at least have a test date scheduled.
Most dietetic internships do not require that you take the GRE, but graduate schools do. If you are still unsure which path you want to take, I suggest taking the GRE to keep your options open.
It can be very difficult to study for the GRE while in the middle of your semester. School can be challenging enough with midterms, papers, projects, and having a social life. But my main advice is: persevere. You have to do this. You will get through it. It will be worth it to keep your options open and give you the opportunity to go to graduate school.
My next advice: study. I will be the first to admit that I did not study enough for the GRE. I felt I was too busy. I assumed that since I was college educated I would be able to handle the obstacles of the test. For the most part this was true; however as a dietetic student who spent the last 4 years concentrating solely on science, the verbal portion of the GRE resulted in hair pulling and teeth grinding.
Buy or borrow a study book. Make a schedule for yourself such as: study for 3 hours every Sunday and 2 hours cumulatively throughout the week for 6 weeks leading up to your test. You could also make a schedule determined by the sections of the study book: such as getting through two chapters every week. Another option would be to accomplish daily tasks such as learning 2 new words per day, and practicing 15 math and 15 verbal problems every day. Whatever your schedule is, be sure to cover all areas of the exam and finish it in a timely manner before you take the exam.
Visit the GRE website. Read through the instructions before taking the test. Read the tips that they provide. I found that this actually prepared me the most for the test because it gave helpful advice as to how to understand the questions, how to choose an answer even if you don’t know the answer, and how to manage your time while taking the exam. Additionally the website has daily practice problems that you can do.
If you take the GRE and you did not get the score you wanted; do not stress. Learn from your mistakes. What was the hardest part of the exam? Was it the problems? Was it the pressure of time? Was it understanding the questions? Identify what your biggest problem with the test was and work on that first. Schools do not mind if you have to take the exam more than once. Only your best score matters. If they see you didn’t do so well the first time, the best thing you can do for yourself is to try again and improve!
Good luck!
By: Lindsey Pfau
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