University Applications

Free GRE Score Reports

November 3, 2013November 11, 2013doaonline

On the day of the test, after you have completed the test and have viewed your unofficial Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores, you will be asked to specify the names of 4 universities or colleges to which ETS will send your GRE General Test scores free of charge. This will be at the test center itself.

If the institution that you want to send your free GRE score to is not listed, you can ask the test center administrator for a form in which you can specify unlisted institutions. If you want the score to be sent to those institutions free, you will have to fill and hand in the form before you leave the test center. It will not be accepted after you leave the test center.

Free Score Reports for the GRE, GMAT, TOEFL and IELTS Tests

November 2, 2013October 30, 2013doaonline

Each of the major tests that students generally take to get higher education in the United States – i.e. the GRE, GMAT, TOEFL tests – allows you to send you scores to a certain number of universities or colleges free of charge.

GRE – 4 free score reports

names of universities to be specified on the day of the test, immediately after your exam
current fee per score report thereafter $ 18

GMAT

names of universities to be specified on the day of the test, immediately after your exam
current fee per score report thereafter $ 28.00

Deadlines for Spring 2014 in This Month (Nov 13)

November 1, 2013October 16, 2013doaonline

This might come as a surprise, but there are still 16 universities that have deadlines for spring 2014 that fall in this month i.e. November 13. Want to have a look?

By the way, there are also some deadlines for spring ’14 that are coming up in December. You can either wait for next month to see or look at the post on deadlines for spring 2014 below

Related blogs:

Deadlines for Spring 2014 Application Timeline for Fall 2014

The Solvency Certificate

October 30, 2013October 28, 2013doaonline

The ‘solvency certificate,’ which is also known as a ‘capability certificate’ is a letter from your banker stating that you are capable of raising funds equivalent to your tuition fees and costs of living in the United States. Most bankers are willing to give these certificates to their regular customers. This certificate is one of the documents that you will need to send along with your application form to the university that you are applying to.

Note that if the university to which you are applying demands a ‘bank certificate’ indicating the actual funds available in your bank account, then a solvency certificate will not be acceptable.

October-December Alert for Students Applying for Fall 2014

October 29, 2013October 28, 2013doaonline

October-December 2013

For many of you who are applying for admission in fall 2014, the months from October to December will be when several important phases of the application process will draw to a close for you. Here’s what you have to do in that critical phase:

Continue reading →

GRE News: Now Available from ETS The Official GRE App

October 28, 2013October 28, 2013doaonline

Ripples from the smart phone revolution started by technology giant Apple are spreading out everywhere. Apps for mobiles for a variety of organizations and services are being rolled out in increasing numbers. Now, the ETS has got onto the band wagon with its launch of the first-ever official GRE® test prep mobile app on the App Store.

According to the ETS, the app, which is based on the second edition of The Official Guide to the GRE® Revised General Test, gives users access to authentic GRE® test questions from past administrations of the test, answers and explanations by ETS and the ETS’s own tips and strategies for the GRE®.

GRE News: ETS Test Prep Videos Available

October 27, 2013October 28, 2013doaonline

With earlier versions of the test, students would go to the ‘Big Book’ for practice on actual GRE test papers of the past. With the Revised GRE coming in August 2011, A new version of the prep book called the Official Guide came in. Now, the GRE® program also offers ‘GRE® Success Starter videos’ to help you crack the GRE®.

There are two videos:

GRE® Success Starter: Tips & Strategies for the Quantitative Reasoning Section
GRE® Success Starter: Tips & Strategies for the Verbal Reasoning Section

The videos are designed to help you familiarize yourself with the two most important sections of the test: Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning. According to Dawn Piacentino, Director of Communications and Services for the GRE Program at ETS, , “In less than 20 minutes each, these videos walk test takers through examples of the different question types in the test, provide strategies for answering each question type, and share useful tips and strategies.”

GRE News: ETS Opens Customer Support Centers in India

October 26, 2013October 24, 2013doaonline

Here’s an additional bit of good news for GRE test takers in India. The growing number of students taking the GRE® test in this country has pushed the GRE Program to open customer support centers here.

According to the ETS, the new GRE Customer Service Centers will “provide guidance and information for individuals preparing or planning to take the GRE® revised General Test or GRE® Subject Tests. Information about test preparation materials, test centers and dates, score reports and other test-related inquiries can be answered by call center staff.”

News from ETS: New GRE Test Centers Open in India

October 25, 2013October 24, 2013doaonline

Starting in July this year, the GRE program made additional testing available across the country to support the growing demand in India. The cities where additional testing will be available include Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Calcutta, Dehradun, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Vadodara and Vasad. A surprise inclusion is Nasik. Pune is yet, however to get a test center of its own despite the large number of test takers from Pune.

Dawn Piacentino, Director of Communications and Services for the GRE Program at ETS explains that there are two reasons for the increase in the number of test-takers: “Interest in the GRE revised General Test has been steadily growing as more people are choosing to submit GRE scores when applying for an MBA or specialized master’s program. The number of graduate schools around the world who accept GRE scores is also on the rise, giving GRE test takers a lot of options.” The GRE is obviously still aggressively challenging the position of the GMAT a the premiere test for students seeking admission to MBA programs in the United States.

Dr. Harchol-Balter on the Recommendation Letter

October 24, 2013October 21, 2013doaonline

Ideally you would like to make all your letters of recommendation count. Consider the following two letters:

(i) Letter 1: “I highly recommend student X for your graduate program. Student X received an A+ in my undergraduate algorithms class. He was ranked Number 2 out of 100 students. He got the highest score on the ﬁnal. He worked very hard all semester, never missed a class, and was always able to answer the questions that I asked in class. This conscientious attitude makes him an excellent candidate for any graduate program. ”

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