Tuesday, August 12, 2008

GRE

I went in with two personalities. One me said, you've got this in the bag; the other me said, you can always take it again. It was a lot less intimidating than going in to the LSAT--no 100 yard long line curling about in the lobby, no thumbprint. Just a couple of chairs and some smiling, helpful faces at the counter. Nonchalant. Go ahead, take your silly test.

I can't really just go in my sweats, though it may be the comfortable route. Casual chic suits me better for these occasions. So, I went in my "new" jeans. See, I got a few pairs from my sister-in-law last May that I had to bend laws of physics to fit into. A few carrots and push ups later, they're my new comfy jeans. A feeling of accomplishment, just by getting dressed. I'm already winning.

I love that they give me ear plugs and giant headphones--I felt like I was gearing up at the shooting gallery (my dad will be proud). How did I do? Well, instead of feeling like crying with shame at the end of it, I felt like laughing at my own ridiculousness-trying to pummel through 8th grade algebra. I felt like one of those really awkward little kid ballerinas, you know--those ones who scrunch up their hands and shoulders into something vaguely reminiscent of first position. That's what I look like trying to do math. A giraffe with strep throat. I could go on. When I told my friend my quantitative score, she straight up laughed at me. So the ridiculousness wasn't just me.

Verbal? A'ight. Just a'ight. I'll wait to see my percentile writing before I decide to take it again. Writing section? I thought I made some very compelling arguments and analyses...whether the graders feel the same remains to be seen. The hard part is over though. Now I know the staff, I know the layout. I can even bring my own earplugs--actually no, they probably wouldn't allow that.

And just for the record, I must be a glutton for punishment because I went to the dentist's office right after the test. Or I might just be sick, because my dentist office's staff always cheers me up. I love those gals (Note: these are not the evil wenches from the oral surgeon's office). They tell me to take more yoga because my jaws won't unclench, and now I have to get some weird "bite plate" thing. They said I can't just use an athletic mouthguard. (I asked).

1 comment:

Matt Desmond said...

Oh, I know you did better than "ai'ght" on the Verbal. Who the hell do you expect us to believe is better?

Well, okay, me. :-) Maybe. But how could they know that? I'm a freak. And I didn't get into the program I applied to, anyway. Meh.

...but that test is weird, isn't it? It just keeps getting harder, because there's, like, Artificial Intelligence involved. They're evaluating you right at that moment, and coming up with the craziest words they can think of. I felt kinda traumatized, but got a pretty okay score. Apparently, that's the plan.

Just like the engineering kids no doubt get lots of questions about Linear Regression and Differential Equations, whereas I stalled out at the trig and statistics problems. (No, I don't exactly know what those math things that I mentioned are, but I like those lovely Latinate words. "regression." "integration." See the problem?)

Seriously, this is not a worry for you. Anybody applying to things you're applying to either has mediocre scores--you know these people much better than I do, bless their hearts--or absolutely cannot produce anything. (Hey, that's me!) You'll be fine.