<p>My daughter just graduated from a small liberal arts college with a degree in English. She just started a one year americorp type program. She's not too clear on what she wants to do but she has some interests in food justice. There's a program at NYU that interests her but she's not too sure about it. Is it common practice or recommended to take the GRE now and "get it out of the way" then apply to grad school when there is a clear decision on what to pursue? I'm hoping this one year stint with the americorp type program will help guide her in that direction. Thanks!</p>
<p>GRE scores are valid for five years. With that said, I think it’s better for her to take the GRE now while the academic stuff is still fresh in her head. If she does not like her score, she can always retake it again before she decides to apply.</p>
<p>Thank you Mashiro. I spoke with my daughter today and she will begin studying for the GRE soon.</p>
<p>I don’t think this is necessarily a good idea.</p>
<p>First of all, the GRE doesn’t really test academic skills. It tests reasoning and aptitude - mostly vocabulary, writing skills, and basic math skills. Practically none of what the GRE tests is learned in college, so I don’t think your performance is really determined by how close to school you take it. So you can take it now, or later, it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>But secondly, your daughter seems unsure of what she really wants to do. That means that she doesn’t need graduate school just yet. Graduate school is essentially a means to an end; you go because you have a specific job/career that you want to do that requires that particular graduate degree. If she doesn’t know, then she can’t apply this year because she doesn’t even know what kind of degree she wants - at the earliest she can apply next fall for entry Fall 2015 while she thinks about it. And that’s okay!</p>
<p>Personally I think she should wait until she knows what she wants to apply for before she takes the GRE, because she may decide she doesn’t need graduate school at all, or she may decide that she needs grad school but it’s 7 or 10 years down the line.</p>
<p>I agree with julliet’s points, but I would still consider taking the GRE sooner rather than later. Even though very little “college stuff” is relevant, the habits of studying and test-taking are still fresh to her. I had considered returning to graduate school two years after graduating college and found it difficult to settle in and study for long periods for the test - and I was an excellent student in college. I ended up putting grad plans on hold, but I know that if I do pursue it in the future, it will be hard to get back in that mode of studying - especially the math components. The only risk is that she may need to retake it if she puts grad school on hold for 5 years…or the cost of the test if she doesn’t go at all. But retaking it might not be so terrible since she will have had a “practice” test so-to-speak, but again, the test is costly. You need to weigh the pros and cons with her.</p>
<p>She should not be overly concerned about a grad program if she is unsure of what she wants to pursue - as julliet said, it’s a means to an end and not the opportunity to explore various interests (as grad programs are specialized and do not require general ed. courses to round out the curriculum the way undergrad does). They are expensive and time consuming, so she needs to be sure it’s what she wants and that she has the drive to do it.</p>