elz

What this means is that they are looking for people who performed better than 59% of the other people who took the very same GRE exam. This is a rather simplistic explanation rather than an exact explanation, but it does explain to you the general meaning. Now to give you a general idea that means somewhere in the neighborhood of 520 points on the verbal and about 610 on the quantitative. This will vary with each group of test takers so it is impossible to give you an answer as to what the percentile will be prior to the GRE exam being given and scored. The admissions office will look for students in the upper 40% of test takers in the group that you test with. The analytical section would mean the essay portion of the exam. In general what this means is that you need for your score to be in the top 40% with GRE test takers from all over the world on that day, thus I hope that you are in one of our preparation courses for this task Elz

Dear Bojana, Thanks for sharing this. We tell them and we tell them....the iBT is really a challenge no matter how good your English skills are, because it is integrated, meaning they ask the student to perform a variety of tasks that are academic in nature. However, if a student does not arrive at the exam expecting this - it really catches a person off a balance. The iBT really asks students to perform tasks that are standard in an American high school classroom - note-taking, verbal feedback during an academic lecture, quick, off-the-cuff responses to academic material - it can really come as a surprise if a person has never done anything like this before. So what's your next step? Elz

One small correction that I would make about the iBT scores - many programs require 100 points for graduate students. It is really important for students to research their programs thoroughly because each program has their own requirements and there can be some variation. For example, many programs that are looking for teaching assistants will set a higher requirement on TOEFL scores just to be sure that the students are very capable of communicating well in a classroom. I will say that 100 is typically as high as the score requirements will go for graduate students. The main with the TOEFL score is to bear in mind that in most cases, once you hit the required score, an admissions committee will just move on to the rest of the application package. Typically, although nothing should be taken for granted, the math, science, and engineering programs will often be less demanding in terms of a TOEFL score, than say a comparative literature department. Just be sure that you research these requirements for each university where you apply. Once again, thanks much Pavle for a very thorough view of the process through an applicant's eyes. If you have time to tell us more about what are doing right now, the kind of work you are engaged in, and how it all meets your expectations, we would be delighted to hear about. Elz

Okay, first it would be most helpful if you can find those instructions from each institution and cut and paste them to me. I need to see the exact instructions as they department has written them. So please cut and paste the instructions into this post so that I can look at it. I have several ideas for you, but I need to see the exact wording of what they have said in the instructions. As soon as I see that I will reply. Elz

OK Doctors, I have found an outstanding site for you to visit. This is a great relief to me and hopefully it will be of great help to you: www.matcharesident.com "MatchAResident is an online residency program database that designed to maximize your chances of securing as many interviews as possible by applying only to those programs that will consider having you as a resident in their program. Almost all residency programs have screening criteria that they use to select applicants for interview. The most common criteria looked at includes US grads vs. foreign med grads, immigration status (US citizen, green card, H-1 or J-1), minimal USMLE scores and US clinical experience. Using various sources including direct information from insiders in each residency program, enabled us to not only provide you with a customizable list of residency programs, but also those that are IMG friendly (10% or more of their current residents are foreign grads)." MAR offers customized reports, these reports are lists of residency programs in a specific specialty that match the credentials of each IMG saving them the time and money calling residency programs for requirements. Upon registration, our system will ask each of these applicants specific questions and at the end of registration the system will create a list of programs that math these answers giving during registration. These questions are the same question IMGs ask when they call the programs. You will need to register and here is the information that the site has shared with me: You will need to answer the following questions: IMG or AMG? Visa (J1 or H1) or US citizen/GC/EAD? Time since graduation? US clinical experience? USMLE scores (step 1 and 2ck)? Our database is updated twice a year (January and June). Our last updated took place in June-July 2007. We update our reports obtaining the information DIRECTLY from residency programs and NO other source. We do not rely on program websites to update our information. Residency programs update their own information as well any time there is a change made, that makes our system a dynamic system. Access to these reports expires April 1st of each year. That means if you purchase a report today or next month you still have access to the list until April 1st 2008. The fee for the first specialty is $79 nd 20% discount on additional specialties. If you purchase four or more specialties we will activate and additional specialty free of charge (5th free). We also offer access to ALL 13 specialities for $399. Our 13 Specialties offered: Internal Medicine (IM) General Surgery (GS) Family Practice (FP) Ob/Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) Pediatrics (Peds) Psychiatry (Psych) Anesthesiology (Anesth) Emergency Medicine (EM) Pathology (Path) Transitional Year (TY) Neurology (Neuro) Physical Medicine and Rehab (PM&R) Radiology (RAD) Good Luck with this. I realize it is a fee paid service at the point where you get serious, but I think this kind of service is probably the most efficient way to get into a residency program. As soon as someone uses this service, please share your thoughts on how it works. We would like to hear all about it. Elz

Oh our dear Sasha, Hope you are getting into the thick of intellectual life. Say, when you have time would you be willing to share some GRE score info with us? We are getting a great many questions and some of the scores that students are hoping will get them seem to me a bit dismal. I really like to see students over the 50th percentile, especially when counting on a substantial financial aid package. I think it is harder for students in the social sciences because a great deal is riding on their verbal which can be the hardest part for non-native speakers. What are your thoughts on this? Elz

In general, these results will naturally be quite differently by different admissions departments. However, these are not sterling GRE scores. What the percentiles mean is where the test taker ranks when compared with the other students all over the world that took that exam. In other words, in this case: 42% means that the test taker scored better than 42% of the other test takers, and so on. One key to remember when analyzing GRE scores is that the lowest possible score is 200 points. To give a general idea of how scores are viewed, The Ohio State University at Marion has some information on their website to assist students in grasping the implications of their scores: Masters degree programs have lower requirements than doctorate programs. For example, in psychology the average GRE V+E for a masters program is about 1030, for practice-oriented or applied Ph.D. programs the average V+E is about 1100, and for research focused Ph.D. programs the average V+E is about 1200. Know the desires of the programs to which you wish to apply. A sample using 31 students who took the GRE achieved the mean scores as follows: V= 460 (8 of 31 or 26% were above 500) Q= 530 (21 of 31 or 68% were above 500) A= 560 (25 of 31 or 81% were above 500) For all examinees, the Verbal tests tend to produce the lowest scores and the Analytical the highest. In the national norm sample (~575, 000 students over three years): ~ 43% score above 500 on the Verbal ~ 67% score above 500 on the Quantitative ~ 72% score above 500 on the Analytical This information was taken from http://www.marion.ohio-state.edu/career/gr...tscores.htm#top Of course any student looking for a financial aid package needs to score as high as possible to increase the chances of financial aid. Graduate Departments like to look at the entire student and it is important that you access your entire academic experience. For example, although these are not sterling GRE scores, perhaps you have some publications or other honors. Most likely with English being your field, the analytical score could probably greatly damage your application package. You will note that the score is in the 14th percentile, which is not a very favorable indicator to an admissions committee in terms of how well you can express your ideas in English. It is important to think of your scores as they compare with other test takers - this is why the percentile can be so important. In other words, what is in the rest of your application package that can make you more attractive than another student who scored above the 50th percentile in each area? Or someone who scored in the 60th? 70th? The admissions process is often more art than science, but based on our experience, an admissions committee will look at these scores and wonder why? I recommend that you retest. I am sure that these scores do not reflect your true abilities. Elz

Ah Sasa, I think that once you get the hang of our library system, you will be crazy about it - because it allows you the luxury of browsing by subject matter, much like a giant bookstore. For example, I always lived in the D-DK area of Bizzel Memorial. (Slavic History). It must seem a bit odd to have to have a map to find your way around the library, but I swear you will find the library totally enriching once you learn your way around it. No matter what book I was after, I always found so many other great and interesting books parked around the one I was looking for. The Library of Congress system of our libraries is really an amazing thing. As a young country, we had the luxury of arranging our books by subject matter. Of course in your subject matter, you are facing a run all around the library However, I do think that you will start to enjoy it once you learn your way around it. Please keep us posted on your adventures. Elz

Well Sasha, Since you have found time to visit the forum, come on and tell us more. What's it like so far? Elz

Dear Dr. Misha, First of all, I hope that you fully understand the nostrification process for the United States. If not, there are links within this area where you can go and search. It is not notrification in the classic sense - you will have to prepare yourself for some exams in order to meet the licensing criteria. It is a somewhat exhaustive process, but certainly worth it. Now as to actually working with patients; most medical personnel in the USA have to be licensed. However, there are quite a few research opportunities that you could look for. This will have the added benefit of helping you become familiar with the protocol in the United States in terms of medicine and science. It will, no doubt, help you prepare for the USMLE and other requirements. One thing that you need to be aware of in the process of obtaining your medical license in the United States is that each of the 50 states sets its own regulations. Therefore, where you live is going to have strong impact on the exact procedure that you have to follow. I hope this information helps and congratulations on the Green Card! Welcome to America! Elz

Dear Ivana, One thing that you might do to get started is to begin a bit of the research on your own. Start with google and of course, since you are working on Comparative Literature in Italian, you might want to research on that topic and see who is publishing and writing on those topics. For example, just typing in Departments for Comparative Literature graduate studies into google will give you quite a bit of research. Or you could type in, Rankings for Comparative Literature Graduate Studies and also get quite a bit of information that you can begin to browse and research. Also if you want to look for your own criteria, especially as it pertains to funding, you might try the www.phds.org site. I hope that this helps. Since Sasa just arrived at Yale to begin his graduate studies, it might be quite some time before he even has time to visit the forum. Also do not forget to visit the American Corner and look at the Humanities Edition of Petersons. That should also give you quite a bit of information so that you can research and work on your GRE. Elz

Dear Adrian, First of all, have you been to graduate advising? I see that you are from Novi Sad and sometime in September or October we will be doing some outreach visits there. In the meantime if you have not been to graduate advising, you can attend at our offices in Belgrade if you do not want to wait for the Novi Sad trip. Did you have an opportunity to read the part of the forum that is dedicated to legal studies? Also there are quite a few materials that you can download from our website in .pdf format and this should provide you with some background information. Best regards, Elz

Eh Milos, Thanks for the post. It really makes me happy to see you share your experience with other students. We do the best we can to assist students, but the stories from students who have made it really helps other students. Tis downright inspirational.....BTW, I hope all of our alum will have another great academic year...and that everyone lets us know when they are going to be in town for the holidays so we can plan a nice reception for them. Elz

Dear Bojana, Great that you were able to register and will be testing with us. Enjoy your time in Turkey and we will see you when you get back. Elz

Dear Ivana, Here is a link for students that are still looking and running a bit behind. It is a state by state search and a bit labor intensive, but I think that you will find it helpful. http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/forst...lityResults.com This is not the ideal plan as you know. The ideal plan is to get a jump 12 to 18 months before applying, but this is certainly a good back up source for you. Warm regards, Elz

Also please send a copy of the offer to us at office@iacbg.org. As always, it is better for us to see the list of requirements and than rely on your interpretation of events - we do this a great deal. I always like to see EXACTLY what they have said to you since I am fluent in American Bureaucrateze

Dear Cyclonela, First of all, CONRATULATIONS! ! ! This is a great opportunity and one that we are trying to alert more students about. In fact, there are several of these listed on our last bulletin. Now, about the insurance, often the school provides this kind of student health insurance, but your case may be different. First before you purchase anything, hold on and let me make some inquiries. Your insurance has to be "accepted" on the USA end, but the institution that is issuing the paperwork for your visa. I feel that it will probably be a J-1 status that you are looking at. I will submit this question to some experts and see what I can learn. Also, perhaps you would like to stop by our office and pick up a predeparture packat and a handbook that we give to students that are going out to study. Best regards, Elz

Dear Stasha, Well naturally a 9.50 or better is easier to work with However, a great deal of that depends on your faculty and how you compare to the other students of your generation - this is one way to assess yourself. Also whenever I see this kind of GPA, it usually means that you should begin to analyze your "transcipt". Look at the 9's and 10's to get an area of where you are really good, then begin to look graduate school departments that place a high value on those areas of knowledge and less value on the areas where seem to have weakness. A good GRE score is a way to showcase that you are a strong academic player. Think very seriously about what kind of commitment you want to make to graduate studies. For example, most PhD. programs will provide full funding for students including assistantships, but not all will do that. There are also Masters programs that provide funding, but not as many. The first rule of thumb is to begin your search by immediately ruling out schools that will not fund you or provide an external source of funding for you to apply for. As for your chances with your GPA, admissions committees tend to have culture of their own. However, in general, they tend to look at the entire candidate, the rigor of your course of study can be one factor that can help you come ahead of someone with a higher GPA whose program of study was not as difficult or demanding as the one that have undergone. Writing a very strong personal statement and addressing the issue of your GPA within that context is also an option. For example, if you are in a department where everyone else has higher marks that you, you have got to sit down and ask yourself some serious questions about why you are not at the head of the pack. There are people who worked or carried a great deal of other responsibilities on their shoulders during the course of their studies - this can make a big difference. In fact, in my opinion someone with an 8.00 who has been shouldered with a great deal of external responsibilities can make a strong case for being a better candidate than someone who only needs to focus on being student. (i.e., all meals prepared for that person, clothes laid out and ready to go each day, pencils sharpened for them, basically a student living in a household where optimal studying conditions appear to be the main focus of the entire household-on the other hand, this same person can frame an equally strong case as to the level of dedication, etc.) It is all about self-assessment and framing the picture that you feel is important for the admissions committee to see, how to show that you really belong in that department and will be a part of that team. I hope this helps some. Elz P.S. Somehow I missed your post on my "view newest posts" trip and it took me a while to find this question. Sorry for the delay!

Dear Ivana, Congratulations and I am so happy for you. Yes, I have to admit that I was very jittery about your application to just one school, but thankfully everything worked out well for you and the best is that you are going to LOVE DePaul! There are so many great schools out there which students have not heard of, but with a little research can find. Please do write to us with your details and let us know about your terms of admission, so we can add DePaul to our list of schools where we have students. We are always a bit nosy about financial aid packages, just so we can tell other students what to expect Also if DePaul has been generous enough with you, they get a listing in the EducationUSA list that we keep internally for financial aid advice to students. Also one more thing that I want to emphasize, not just for you, but for all students, I learned something new at a conference that attended this summer - go to the career center on campus as soon as possible. Visit there, get acquainted with the people who work there, and stop by frequently to keep in touch with all opportunities. I was told this by some very successful students who were on a panel at the USAP conference that I attended at Smith College. I plan to make a big deal out of that for all departing students from this day forward, "Get thyself to the Career Center on your campus!" Once again, congratulations - I know how long and hard you worked for this. I hope that we will get to see you before you take off. And it is wonderful to have you post here and say thanks to us. It means great deal to us to know how these things turned out for students. Do not forget that even once you get to the USA, we are still here for you. Please do stay in touch, feel free to visit when you come home for holidays. Let us know in advance when you will be back in Serbia and we can be sure that you are on the guest list for receptions and other events, plus you can sit on panels for students that are just starting to dream about school in the United States. Warm regards, Elz

Dear Pavle, Thank you so much for signing up as an alum. It is so important for other students to have a place where they can come and look and see that, yes, indeed, it is possible. I know how hard you worked for this great opportunity and it is wonderful that others are able to see that hard work does make it possible. I hope that you will stay in touch with us, send us pictures, and continue to share your experience with others. Remember us when you come back to visit and try to drop by to visit. Warm regards and Best Wishes, Elz

Dear Zindi, Since I know that Lazar is a bit engaged these days, I will fill in a few statistics for you and we can await his more vivid description of life at Yale. Here is an overview of the Yale student body: Currently there are 5,303 students enrolled at Yale 49% female 93% are from out of state 8% are International Students 50% of the students describe themselves as Caucasian These are the most current figures from Princeton Review. The 8% is a pretty healthy international student body. In addition, 93% of the students being from out of state means that campus life is quite rich. In terms of scholarships, I can pretty much answer that question for you - scholarships are available at Yale and the last time I checked, Yale was still need-blind to international students, in other words does not consider your financial situation for admissions. However, Yale will require, as do most institutions offering scholarships, an excellent academic record and very good SAT scores - admission will be competitive so students applying there will need to be prepared to present themselves as quite competitive in terms of academics. I think that Lazar or some of the other students at Yale can also provide their opinions on this matter. However, my experience with the students that we have worked with has been that it is a good idea to look at several institutions when applying and looking for financial assistance - it is there and Zindi if you are a good student you can most likely obtain an attractive financial aid package at one of the many good schools. You might want to download our most recent bulletin http://www.iacbg.org/.res/File/bulletin14.pdf and read Giga's Undergraduate Guide about selecting a school. He speaks quite openly about the schools search and competitive admission process. I hope this helps a bit until Lazar answers

Lazar did not go through IAC...we did not exist then, but all he needs to do is bring us a photo and he will get a card - consider it the equivalent of an honorary PhD...he he. Our admin is getting ready to promote him with some tag line...as well as Giga and Alexa. Elz