Should I even bother?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>I know most fo you are American citizens and probably don't have much of a clue about international student financial aid, but I thought I'd give it a shot. </p>

<p>I applied to US school as an undergraduate a couple of years ago and it was practically impossible to get a substancial amount of aid that would allow me to study in the US. I've read in several places that is much easier for an international student to get financial aid at the postgraduate level than as an undergrad. Could anyone tell me why that is? </p>

<p>Also, could you guys suggest some programs to look into? I don't know exactly what I want yet, but the fields I'm looking into are English, Journalism, and Political Science. I haven't taken the GREs yet, but my SATs were rather mediocre... I scored 640m/720v and SAT II 730writing/710french. Do GRE scores tend to be lower than SATs? What's the best way to study for them? In Spain we are graded on a scale from 1-10 and my average will probably be around an 8 (I sure hope they won't transalate that into an 80, because then I stand no chance). And what else....? Oh, yeah, I would prefer New England schools, because my family's in Europe and I don't want to have to change planes 3 times each time I come home. </p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Hi margarita,</p>

<p>Financial aid for international students tends to be hard to come by at my universities; however, there are schools that will offer assistantships for international students. </p>

<p>The "general" rule of thumb for GRE scores is that your math will stay about the same while your verbal will fall anywhere from 50-150 points. Studying can help reduce this drop-off, of course, and extensive studying can improve your scores. It all depends on how much time and effort you can put into it. I didn't study at all and I experienced no drop off in math and a 110 point drop off in verbal from my SAT scores. </p>

<p>Most people seem to recommend the Barron's book. I used the ETS software that you can download off of their website to get a feel for the exam. </p>

<p>¿En qué universidad asistes? Hay dos o tres universidades en España con una reputación grande.</p>

3

<p>
[quote]
I haven't taken the GREs yet, but my SATs were rather mediocre... I scored 640m/720v and SAT II 730writing/710french.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You have a funny idea of mediocre.</p>

<p>ARe you looking into a PhD or an MA, or what?</p>