How long should it take me to study for the GREs?

[Genecks]

Whoops.

 

I seem to have forgotten about the fact that I need to do the GREs. Yeah, that along with actually get 1 year of research experience, which doesn't seem to be happening any time soon. I'm in Chicago, so I've talked with my adviser and decided to check out the big universities in town for research experiences. Either way, I'm taking a full-time load in the summer. So, besides being bogged with studying for those courses, I'm also bogged with this idea of taking the GRE.

 

I'm thinking I won't be able to devote much time to it. I think I have about three months before I have to take the thing. As such, that might indeed be enough time to actually study for it. I'm not sure. I'm thinking I'm going to take the general one, and I'm also going to take the biology subject GRE.

 

I'm not sure how well I will do. If I think I'm going to do poorly (I might since I really haven't looked into what it's all about, despite me being a decently intelligent/sharp guy), then should I take it? Is there like a time length for how long I have to wait until I take it again?

 

Truthfully, I thought about staying in Chicago for another year and taking a year of math and physics along with gathering research experience. I would already have the B.S. in Neuroscience, though.

 

I'm still very, very unsure if any university will simply dismiss me for not taking physics, which is what other biology students do.

 

Should I take it even though I might have three months to study?

 

The campus has plenty of GRE books around. So, I don't think it will take me too long to study those.

[ecoli]

I just took the general one (that was enough to get into a Phd program in biology) and I studied for a little over a month. Though I was working at the time and didn't study particularly hard.

 

Taking an extra year can't hurt, but I'm sort of confused about your game plan. When are you planning on applying (and in what field to answer your physics question... though I'm surprised that physics wasn't a requirement for your neuroscience major. I had to take it for biochem and that's probably even less relevant).

[Genecks]

I just took the general one (that was enough to get into a Phd program in biology) and I studied for a little over a month. Though I was working at the time and didn't study particularly hard.

 

Taking an extra year can't hurt, but I'm sort of confused about your game plan. When are you planning on applying (and in what field to answer your physics question... though I'm surprised that physics wasn't a requirement for your neuroscience major. I had to take it for biochem and that's probably even less relevant).

 

Thanks for the one-month input.

 

I'm aiming toward a doctoral program in neuroscience. Although, if I understand the admission politics, then they won't let me in without a year of research, thus brushing me aside into a Master's program, which would more than likely be biology related and cost money.

 

Since I really, really don't feel like shelling out 60K+ for the next three years, and I think it's possible for me to get into a Ph.D program, I am really refusing to pay for a Master's program in order to continue my education.

 

Here is a thread with my views on that: http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51962

Edited June 25, 2010 by Genecks

[ecoli]

Thanks for the one-month input.

 

I'm aiming toward a doctoral program in neuroscience. Although, if I understand the admission politics, then they won't let me in without a year of research, thus brushing me aside into a Master's program, which would more than likely be biology related and cost money.

 

Since I really, really don't feel like shelling out 60K+ for the next three years, and I think it's possible for me to get into a Ph.D program, I am really refusing to pay for a Master's program in order to continue my education.

 

Here is a thread with my views on that: http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51962

 

 

Yeah I understand not wanting to go the masters route. However, I find it very difficult to imagine that you'd get into a top program without plenty of research experience. For example, I've been working in labs for over 5 years now (though this is probably on the high end of what you might need).

 

It seems as if you might need to hold of on graduating and working in a lab as an undergrad (possibly as a volunteer) or looking for work as a research tech for a year (which might be tough, because they usually like people with some experience as well).