Take Two!

So a couple of weeks ago I took the GRE for a second time. I took at the end of August, so it was the new and "improved" (and improved means not as good) test. I did however save 80 dollars since the GRE was trying to get people to take the new test by offering a sale on it. That's is the biggest improvement I noticed, since now I have paid a total of $240 on tests alone (so that doesn't even include other costs of driving, study books and opportunity costs, check your econ 101 textbook for that one).

My test was at 4pm and I was told to expect it to take 5 hours meaning that I could expect to get out of the test around 9pm! I had to leave my house at 2 because the closest testing center is all the way up in Puyallup (I'm currently in Olympia) and the traffic around Ft. Lewis sucks and I didn't want to be late like I was for the first test.

I got there about half an hour early and they let me start the pre-test rituals right away. I had to right out this statement saying that I won't cheat or share any of the test questions with anyone... in CURSIVE! The last time I used cursive to right anything besides my signature was probably in the  fourth grade when my teacher made us right in cursive. No one uses cursive anymore! So that took a while since I was out of practice. After that I noticed changes to the test right away. Before I could enter the testing room I had to be scanned by a metal detector (to make sure I don't cheat or something) and the locker system was different. You can't take anything in with you besides your locker key and your photo ID.

Then I got to start the test. I started with the writing sections and then unlike the old test I didn't get a break after writing two essays. I had to take the first math section. At least it wasn't more words. Then I got a ten minute break. I tried to use up as much of it as possible by walking around, getting a snack, getting water, anything to get me out of the room. Then I went back and had to take four more sections with only a minute break in between each one. And one of those non-writing sections doesn't even count but they never told my which one it was. I think it was a math one because I had three of those.

Finally it was tine to send off my scores. I sent them to the same schools that I did last time. UW, UCSB, Georgetown, and Northwestern. then after all of that I finally got to see my scores. Now the new test is on a new scale, but since the scales are supposed to be based of percentiles the new scale isn't in place yet. So they gave me a range of scores on the old scale which my test fell into. For the verbal my range was 650-720 and my math section was 720-800. So I definitely improved my verbal which is good, I was disappointed  with my score last time (530), and I didn't do any worse on the math section. Then as I was leaving I was informed that my scores will be sent out on November 8th, my birthday. So now I have to wait and hope that these scores are good enough to get me into a good school with funding, because again with the new test the rules have changed once again. Before with the old test you could take it once a month and no more than 5 times a year. With the new test you still can only take it 5 times a year but now you have to wait 60 days in between tests. So if I wanted to take the test again my scores wouldn't be sent in time to make it for this application cycle and I wouldn't be attending school in the fall of 2011. So this will have to do.

Officially a bachelor,
Kit


To Do List: 1. Find a Job
2. Look for schools
3. Start Applying for schools
4. Blog about it 

Your Reward:
From Economists Do it with Models; from Modified Rapture
The Top Ten Lines for Hitting on an Economist
1. You’ve got the curves to supply my demand!
2. Let’s go to bed and try to disprove the law of diminishing marginal utility.
3. You’re my very favorite kind of moral hazard.
4. I have a feeling you really understand the “nature of the firm.”
5. Baby, I love you so much I’m willing to forgo my exit option.
6. Wanna talk about our private goods?
7. You’re an economist. I’m an economist. How about a little horizontal integration?
8. Now those are some tangible assets!
9. I’ll reveal my preferences if you will.