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If you're taking the GRE next year, I'd hold off on studying until the new test format comes out -- the books that are available now will prepare you for the current test and won't address the different emphasis on material that ETS swears is coming out in 2006.</p>
<p>Seriously, the GRE is not that hard with a little prep work.
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<p>I bought Barrons and honestly, I have no clue what the heck I am looking at.</p>
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If EC's don't matter, then why do people do them?
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Because they enjoy them...?</p>
<p>personal enrichement</p>
<p>Then why do they do them instead of research? The only person I've had a class with that did research was someone gifted. I didn't really know the girl, but she said she was 19 and a senior!!! Maybe I need to meet more people or something....</p>
<p>I'm sure EC's would help in applying for grants/scholarships, at least................Probably mostly outside scholarships</p>
<p>Hey, I do an EC (cheerleading) and research. No need for either/or.</p>
<p>My guess is that some people don't do research because they misunderstand its importance for getting into graduate school, or they go to a school without a strong track record in undergraduate research. I mean, at MIT 80% of undergrads do research. It's not abnormal at schools where a large percentage of people go on to graduate school.</p>
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The only person I've had a class with that did research was someone gifted. I didn't really know the girl, but she said she was 19 and a senior!!! Maybe I need to meet more people or something....
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<p>Well, most students don't intend to apply to graduate school. I didn't know anyone doing research at UIUC, either.</p>
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Hey, I do an EC (cheerleading) and research. No need for either/or.
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<p>There could be if you don't have time...</p>
<p>Eh, make time. :) I mean, there's always time to do the stuff you really care about.</p>
<p>I guess my perspective is clouded by the fact that I'm a double major, was the captain of the cheerleading squad, and work at my lab between 15 and 18 hours a week. And I sleep and stuff... my feeling is that anything is possible given good time-management skills.</p>
<p>When you talk about the importance of research for grad school, is it mostly important if you're trying to get into a doctoral program? I did research my freshman undergrad year but it was so time-intensive that I'm not doing it again so I can focus on my coursework. I want to apply for the masters degree program in a couple years, so how important is research for that?</p>
<p>Research experience is also important for MS programs, especially since most of them involve research and writing a thesis. However, for programs that don't fund MS students, admissions is less competitive than for the PhD, so research is less important in that sense. However, doing a substantial research project is still the best way to get good recommendations, of which you'll need 3 for your applications. For MEng programs which require a project instead of a thesis, industry experience, i.e. internships, will be relatively more important.</p>
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Eh, make time. I mean, there's always time to do the stuff you really care about.
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<p>I care about CSI, but I've missed so many episodes, I have no clue what is going on with the relationships between the people, background stuff, etc. I care about reading the 50+ books I have bought, but..................</p>
<p>EC's really don't mean anything for graduate school...in all honesty they really won't care if you were captain of the intramural basketball team or editor of the college paper. All of my applications never even had a section to mention them. When you're applying for your undergrad, they're important because they exhibit your ability to multitask and show well roundedness and leadership. Graduate schools look specifically for drive in your particular field through experience (ie research, level of classes taken) and ability (GRE's, GPA). </p>
<p>So what should you work on for gaining experience for graduate study? Befriend your professors in your field, get information on internships and research assistantships as well as TA assignments. Look for possible summer research programs, lists of them will be easy to find from campus organizations or professors themselves. Myself, I've been in three research programs totalling over a year of experience, they're not that difficult to find and they're pretty easy to apply for.</p>
<p>Back to the EC's, one thing you'll realize in your undergraduate study is that EC's become a LOT less important in your life...you're not going to be cramming 10 different clubs and organizations into your life...maybe 1-3...your free time will be much more valuable spent on studying then adding another club to your repotoire, trust me :).</p>