By: Victoria Lopez
Whether first-gen/minority or not, comment below if you can relate. Which numbers do you relate to?
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By: Victoria Lopez As a McNair Scholar, I took a summer course to help prepare for my graduate school applications this fall and to prepare for the GRE. For those who don’t know, the GRE stands for the Graduate Records Examination, and is a standardized test often needed for admissions applications. Depending on your program of interest, you might need the GRE or another type of test. The test is about 4 hours long, with a 10 minute break, and has 2 essay portions and 5 math or verbal sections. Interestingly, one of the math or verbal sections is an experimental section which doesn’t count toward your score (they don’t tell you which section).
When I first heard about this test, I was terrified. It reminded me of the time I was preparing to take the ACT in high school and I felt like whatever number I got was going to determine my future. Nothing feels worse than being judged by simply one test or one score when you, as an individual, have so much more to offer. At the same time, I remembered my high school English teacher telling me that the ACT was not going to make or break my life. While most standardized tests often feel this way, I always try to remember my English teachers advice because what she said is true. No matter what happens, we learn, adapt, grow, roll with the punches, and figure it out as we go. That’s life isn’t it? While I kept positivity in my mind and was always encouraged by my McNair cohort, life happens and taking the GRE during a pandemic isn’t exactly ideal. Due to testing areas being too far from my home, I was able to arrange to take the test at school. The first time I went to take the I was extremely nervous. After more than an hour of the online proctors redirecting me, I was not able to take the exam because of technical issues. Literally, I cried out of frustration but rescheduled for the following week. The next week all my test anxiety from my first attempt was gone and I was determined to simply take the test. I finally was able to begin the test, but technology kicked me out in the middle of writing my second essay (the two essays are the first section of the test). At that point, I admit, I did give up. I decided that I was not going to take the GRE, at least not anytime soon because I was so frustrated with it not working. After relentless support from the McNair director and help from RU IT support, the McNair director told me that I should not have any issues if I decided to take it. Even though it is not in my character to give up, I was hesitant to register for the exam. I asked my older sister for her advice and she told me, “well, third time’s the charm.” She made me realize I had nothing to lose and gave me the courage I needed to take the test. I was finally able to take the GRE on my third attempt. I received a score I’m happy with and I am proud of myself for not giving up (even though I did at first). Sometimes, challenges shut us down. However, I think when people find enough motivation within themselves or are able to have that encouragement from their supporters, nothing is impossible. By: Angelina Anderson As we prepare for back to school there are a lot of new changes and questions to be asked as we return to the school year during a global pandemic and this post is here to help answer some of those questions and offer some encouragement. One of my top tips for back to school is to get a planner. There are a lot of different kinds of planners out there, so find one that suits what you need. Personally, I like to have one that has both a monthly calendar and a weekly calendar, that way I can put long term projects and events in the monthly calendar and shorter everyday assignments in the weekly section. A planner will also be super helpful for any online or remote learning classes. Make sure to write down all of your assignments from the syllabus and include any Zoom class times. You can also get a wall calendar to help keep track of your meetings and assignments too, this can be extremely helpful if you have mostly online and remote classes and are having trouble keeping track of the days. I have a wall calendar hanging in my hallway so I can check what day it is and if I have anything to do that day. While many classes aren’t in person this semester that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up some fun new school supplies. I don’t have a desk at home, so I set up a little shelf in my room as a “work space” for the semester, where I plan to keep my notebooks, textbooks, and pens. Try to have some fun with getting your supplies and space together, assign different classes a color, get some stickers, or different colored pens and pencils. Having some new school supplies and trying to get some fun things too, will help to get you excited for the upcoming semester. I picked up some fun notebooks, stickers, and pens from the dollar bin/clearance areas at my local stores. I recommend keeping a regular schedule day-to-day, especially if most of your classes are online or remote. Set up a schedule for yourself when you’ll wake up, eat, do homework, and remember to make time for yourself to do something fun and relaxing too. Personally, I like to color code my classes, usually with a matching notebook and pen color for my planner/calendar. With both online/remote and face-to-face classes it's also important to keep a close eye on your school email and Blackboard. Your email and Blackboard are the main places where information about your classes will be posted (unless your professor states otherwise), so make sure to check both at least once a day for assignments and announcements. Another helpful way to keep track of assignments can be your calendar and reminder apps on your phone, especially if you find that a physical planner doesn’t work well for you (there are also planner apps you can check out like P. Schedule). Especially this year it is important to reach out to your professor early if you have a question about class or need help for any reason, the sooner you reach out the more time they will have to get back to you and help. Also don’t forget that just because a class isn’t in person doesn’t mean your professor doesn’t have office hours in some manner, reach out and see how they may be handling virtual office appointments. Although this semester looks very different then past semesters, there are still a lot of ways to get excited for the semester. When going out don’t forget your mask and social distance!
Photo Credit: Whitingham Town Library |