Each individual school has a score age after which it expects new results. However, AFAIK one can take the exam as often as one wants to pay the money and spend the time and effort. The most recent score is the one reported. So, for a person whose scores are "high enough," retaking is foolish (may be risky?). For a person with low scores, retaking may make sense. For a person with "seasoned" undergraduate training, some brush-up might be appropriate.
I doubt retaking would make the difference in admission to a program unless it is a matter of a cutoff score, and one is able to move the score above that mark. Especially for a seasoned applicant, performance in the work world would be more important to a prospective adviser (and having a prospective adviser who wants you is the single most important factor in admission to many programs). Many programs that have a cutoff score for the GRE treat that as a "pass-fail" condition. If one makes the cutoff, then other variables are considered, but the GRE is of no further consideration. That may not be true for some programs, but I have never met a faculty member who looked beyond pass-fail on the cutoff score. All I have met looked at other variables. Another way of putting that is that I have known situations where a prospective adviser said to an applicant, "I couldn't take you because the Graduate School turned you down for GRE scores. If you can get your GRE scores up to the Graduate School's cutoff, then we can try again." I have never known one who, faced with two applicants, opted for the one with the higher GRE scores rather than the applicant whose prospects for success in science were higher otherwise. David McNeely ---- Kyle Finn <[email protected]> wrote: > Someone mentioned retaking the GRE in a previous comment to this question. SO > at what point then are your GRE scores old enough to warrant retaking the > test? ________________________________ From: Aaron T. Dossey <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 8:25 PM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Advice for 36 year old trying to get into M.S. program If you do for some reason (which I cannot currently imagine) to go to graduate school, here is some advice that will help you get the most out of it without putting the future of your career at risk: 1) pick a very HANDS-ON professor who spends a lot of time with his or her students and postdocs (eg: they spend lots of time in the lab) in a successful lab with a great reputation (lots of publications, with students and postdocs who have left it and have successful careers currently who can attribute it to having worked in that lab) and 2) insist that you ONLY will work on work that is from the professor's own ideas - from their grants and based on their ideas. Do not fall into the trap of working for a professor who expects you to come up with your own projects. You are there to learn from them primarily, and also to do parts of their research. If you already have a certain skillset and can come up with your own research projects and successfully > execute them, you do NOT need to be a student (at least in that lab). Pick > a lab and a professor who have a lot to offer you in the form of TRAINING, > connections and projects likely to be very fruitful. IF and when you have your own ideas you want to pursue, keep a log book of those and save those for when you graduate and are on your own/independent. Otherwise, it can get ugly. Many professors will, to put it bluntly, steal credit and reward for your ideas and independent work. Might as well avoid that pitfall and keep everyone happy (and keep you learning) by doing whatever work originates from the professor - besides, it's their job to drive the research and come up with the ideas. Basically, pick a prof and lab who seems to have YOUR CAREER INTERESTS at heart and act like it. On 1/30/2013 8:49 PM, Michael Garvin wrote: > All depends on what you want, > > I went back at 35. Best decision I ever made. You can only go so far in the > scientific world with a BS. Fact of life. It's a card that opens doors. > But the most important thing is to enjoy what you are doing. If you can do > that with a BS, do it. If not, go back. And I agree with previous posts. > Find someone who is studying what you want and convince them you have a skill > set to offer. Worked for me. > > M. > On Jan 30, 2013, at 4:18 PM, "Aaron T. Dossey" <[email protected]> wrote: > >> My advice is: forget about graduate school. Find a way to get going with >> your dreams, passions interests and desired work rather than seeking >> "training" for it. I am 35 and the only thing that would take me back to >> any kind of school would be if I wanted to go to law or medical school, or >> some sort of professional training with a very specific and targeted purpose >> in mind. I CERTAINLY wouldn't do something like a postdoc or other similar >> type of temporary technician position. Life's just too short. >> >> Consider positions with the government or even some sort of entrepreneurial >> track (the latter is what I am doing now - or maybe work for or start some >> sort of non-profit organization). Don't be afraid to apply for grants to do >> the work you want to do, particularly private organizations/foundations who >> care less about the unfortunate academic pyramid shaped ivory tower >> hierarchy or titles. >> >> You might find some useful information in the articles posted on this >> facebook page - email me if you would like me to send you a large list of >> them all in a single email. >> https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Postdoc-Union/275402225908673 >> >> Good luck and feel free to email me directly if you would like any more >> specific information, etc.! >> ATD of ATB >> >> -- Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. >> Biochemistry and Molecular Biology >> Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs >> Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation >> http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/ >> http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs >> 1-352-281-3643 >> >> >> >> On 1/30/2013 4:31 PM, Sean wrote: >>> Having graduated with an abysmal GPA from Colorado State University back in >>> 2000 ( wildlife >>> biology 2.7), I have found it very difficult getting into graduate school. >>> Two winters ago I >>> completed two graduate level classes at Oregon State: Forest Wildlife >>> Management and a >>> graduate Statistics course. Unfortunately just a B+ on the statistics but >>> A on the wildlife. Of >>> course I have a ton of field experience going back 14 years in lots of >>> different taxonomic >>> groups. Having just turned 36 I'm at my wits end trying to move forward. >>> So I am soliciting >>> advice. Would a non-thesis program like the field naturalist program at >>> U. of Vermont be >>> worthwhile? Frankly at this point I want to get into something permanent. >>> I'll always engage >>> my naturalists interest regardless of the employment I have. If I do >>> something unfunded (such >>> as non-thesis) I would really need to have good employment prospects coming >>> out of it. >>> Sage words of wisdom are welcome! I'm completely open to any and all >>> advice. My ideal >>> situation would be a thesis based M.S. on any of the many taxa I have >>> experience with (birds, >>> butterflies, amphibians, bats, plants etc). >>> >>> -Sean >> >> -- Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. >> Biochemistry and Molecular Biology >> Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs >> Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation >> http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/ >> http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs >> 1-352-281-3643 > Michael Garvin, PhD > Post-doctoral Fellow > University of Alaska Fairbanks > School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences > 17101 Point Lena Loop Road > Juneau, AK 99801 > 907-796-5455 > [email protected] -- Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/ http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs 1-352-281-3643 -- David McNeely
