GRE

I spoke about taking the GRE at the last bit of the previous blog post, but I want to give you the "real" low down on the GRE not what the ETS website tells us. The very first basic thing you need to know is what is the GRE. Well it is the standardized test that most students have to take in order to be accepted into graduate level programs. You can think of it more or less as the SAT--they just want to make sure that you have kept some of those basic reading, writing, and mathematic skills that we all should have learned in high school.

Let me start off by describing my experience with, that the center I tested at had technical difficulties so I should have known it was going to be not a normal test. I mean Hello! I woke up at 6:00AM to get here thirty minutes early (and I was earlier than 30 minutes) like the website told me and now we can't even start on time because the computer system isn't working?! And then I had to take off my class ring and breast cancer awareness bracelet.

So Chloe's tips on the GRE:

• Show up early but not too early! (8:15 start time--7:50 show up)
• Do not wear ANY jewelry
• If you are not dying of starvation or have to pee--skip the optional break. The test is so long to begin with why make it longer.
• Eat before you go so you do not get hangry(it's a real word and real emotion, trust me)
• Get to bed early the night before
• If you haven't had a math class in three years, you might want to brush up using that SAT study guide you having laying around
• Plan a fun day for after the test so your brain that is now mush doesn't have to concentrate very hard



Some things my friends said about their experiences with the GRE:

"I thought the worst part was how they make you write the confidentiality paragraph in cursive."

"I got one question that was like 'Today my dog is____" A. Happy, B. Sad, C. Angry, D. Lamenting"

and then there is my weird friend Kelsey...

"I loved it, but I've always enjoyed standardized testing. It was a strange experience, having to put everything in a locker."

No-Nonsense Guide to the GRE

How to Study

All in all the GRE is not the most awful standardized test I've every taken, but I'm so glad I don't have to retake it.

Single Digits

In case you can't tell by the post's title, I am currently in the single digit countdown for my days left in America. Crazy to believe that in a week I will say goodbye to the land of the free and home of the brave for four months. It seems like I just wrote the post "Thirteen," where did those days in between go?

With my days left to prepare and savor coming to an end that means tensions are high in the Spitzer household. Packing for my mom's part of the trip (ten days with me abroad) was a breeze for her, but packing for me has not gone so well. First off, I don't layer! Not to say I don't like it--if you check out my Pinterest I have pinned countless photos of girls looking fabulous in layered outfits. I however, have not mastered the layered look. I just turn out disheveled and frumpy, not things you want to look when meeting new people. And trying on outift after outift of multiple layers, my body temperature soars and my patience level drops. 

My current checked bag contains:

Black backpack

1 dress

1 purple skirt

2 pairs of skinny jeans

1 pair of normal cut jeans

LL Bean duck boots

Sperrys

1 pair of flats

2 pairs of pajama pants

1 "I Dig the Pig" shirt (to sleep in)

1 bath robe

4 scarves

2 beanies

6 pairs of socks (ankle cut and boot cut)

Lingerie + sport's bra (a week's worth)

1 rain jacket

1 light jacket

1 packable winter coat

3 button ups

1 long sleeve cardigan

1 vest

1 pair of Underarmour leggings

1 Underarmour longsleeve shirt

2 tank tops 

1 Converse pullover

2 hoodie pullover sweaters

6 long sleeve Henley shirts

8 sweaters

3 belts

1 pair of gloves

And I know that looks like a lot, but it has been an...experience reducing it to this and I'm not sure I can go with less.

To say that the next few days are going to be hectic/chaos/mayhem would be an understatement. I took the GRE today as the first step in beginning the application process for graduate school and on Thursday I make the 9 hour round trip to Spartanburg to return library books and a bassoon before I leave the country. And between those set events, I will be purchasing last minute materials, hoping my music and adapters arrive in the mail, get a haircut, and catch up with friends and family.

 

#ALLTHEFEELS

The past few weeks and the next thirteen days are just a cluster of emotions and here are some gifs to try to explain what is going on in my world.

When my mother tells me to just repeat outfits while abroad





 

 

 

When one of my Converse besties texts me

 

 

 

 

My response when anyone asks me how I feel about going abroad

 

 

 

What it will be like on my last day of work

 

 

 

When I think of all I'm going to miss while I'm abroad

 

 

 

My response to the completion of the "To-Do List" my mother keeps referring to

 

 

 

 

But basically...

 

 

 

     love always,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thirteen

As of today, there are only thirteen days until I will be taking off from Charleston, South Carolina, and will eventually find myself in Cork, Ireland, for the next four months. Yes you read that right, for the entire fall semester of my senior year I will be studying abroad. And I cannot be more excited. I've mentioned this before, but I have definitely been bitten by the travel bug. Though I consider myself the quintessential girly-girl I think I would be quite content to just travel the world for an unlimited amount of time.

My one downfall with this dream, would be my packing skills. I would like to give myself a pat on the back for just taking one small carry-on when I went to Argentina for two weeks. However, four months and two weeks are very different things to pack for. And sweaters take up a lot more space then t shirts and bathing suits. Currently, I am trying to stuff the entire contents of my winter clothes drawer and half my closet into a large suitcase that will be checked and cannot weigh more than 50lbs. My mother has told me that three pairs of shoes are the maximum for travel. WHAT?! I'm not sure how I'm going to manage that. Now I am that person that has a million outfits but prefers to wear the same seven over and over and over even though I will pack more than seven outfits. But shoes-they are my Achilles heel.

 Besides figuring out how to pack my life into one checked and one carry-on bag and describing every boring minute detail that happens for prepping for this amazing adventure, I will be documenting in the next few posts about the things and people I will be leaving behind. Because without the support of many, I would not have this opportunity.

And if you (whoever you are) have any tips on traveling, Ireland, etc. please comment and let me know. I will take any help I can get.

                    Love always,