Thanks Bro. This really helps.

Quoran:
Thank you very much.

1) Honestly, anytime simply because Some Professors have their own research grant and they determine when to choose their students. Fall entry is popular though. I think you can mail them from August/September in preparation for next year's Fall. You will always learn something from their reply. Many will ask you to apply first. Others can interview you first before you apply. It all depends. Some won't even answer you. Funding is limited in Spring. May/June might be too early but there is no harm in trying. Professors try to get research grant and once they do that, they start looking for students. Many usually say they will keep your file and let you know when their funding situation changes. Some will bluntly tell you they cannot fund you.
Some Professors will not reply your mail or answer you until you have formally applied to the school and have been accepted. Some will and tell you their situation. For PhDs, funding is key so most of them will tell you their funding situation immediately.
2) I got this from quora.com and I have used it till this date. Just adjust it to suit your own purpose.
Dear Professor XXXX,
I am a XXXX graduate from the University of XXXXX. I have a Second class, upper division from my undergraduate degree and a distinction from my Master’s degree.
My research interests are XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I am contacting you because I am interested in working with you and your research group. I did my thesis in Bleep and I enjoyed it a great deal. I have also spent quality time working as a research assistant in the Thermo-fluids and Thermal energy systems research groups.I have X publications .
I have gone through your research profile and your publications on your website. My interests are in line with the calibre of research you have been doing. I am interested in building upon my degree experience and expanding my research understanding. I have attached a copy of my Curriculum Vitae and transcripts for your review.
I wish to begin my PhD soon and I am interested in researching under your supervision. I would appreciate if you could review my curriculum Vitae and let me know what the possibilities might be.
Yours Sincerely,
XXXXXXXX

3) I did not get any strong commitment though the Professor from Stanford looked more determined to have me. When I mailed him during the admission process, he told me my application is good but that he has stronger applicants in the pool lol. I felt betrayed. Many do not like to assure you of anything prior to your application. If you have been accepted, it is easier and more productive for them to answer you. Some will even contact you on their own.

4) I learned this from some Indians on Quora. Create a pdf of some of the research work you have done and attach it as a supplementary document. It should not be too long but it should be like a powerpoint presentation. It should contain your UG and PG research work. Also add any poster or even lab experiences you have. It should help. If you have submitted a paper, state it. I learned that some Chinese deliberately submit a paper they know won't be accepted. They do it so that they will have something to boost their application. A Professor of CMU talked about it on Quora.
Professors know this tricks I think. Many have what they are looking for. Submitting a paper is not easy and many Professors know this.
EXTRA STUFF
The general admission process looks like this. When you apply, the graduate school checks if you meet the general requirement. They also convert your CGPA to the 4.0 scale. When they are done, they forward them to the department.
The department then sorts the applications according to the different research group and interest. The Professors review them according to their research interest. They make their decisions based on their own criteria. Some select based on the research funding they have. Some select students and also recommend the department to fund you.
Some admissions come with funding decisions. Some do not. TAMU,RPI, Stanford, UCLA come with funding decisions but they are usually in the minority. RPI only funds their top applicants. The rest have to 'hustle' funding .
The more the research labs in a department, chances are that they fund many students. Experts in their fields have more funds too.
Those with rolling admission will most likely give you admission. The graduate school will review your application and then pass it to the department. Then you need to contact lecturers for funding.

I honestly think the first step to improving your verbal score is getting 70percent of the comprehension questions right and that comes with a lot of practice(I find Kaplan and Mahanttan useful here), it good to practice. But then the actual value is gotten from reviewing the questions you failed and those you spent too much time on(they could be a better and simpler way).
I also find skipping the Sentence equivalence questions and going to the comprehension a good strategy. Tricks my mind that I have time to carefully go over the comprehension and return to do SE(6 or 5 of them) in the last 4mins, since it basically depends on choosing 2 similar words which can fit into the context(There is a slim chance you can get it wrong in you have done a enough practice and vocabs).
GRE isn't a test of intelligence but rather a test of how much you can practice and the stamina to stay focus for 3-4 hours during actual test.
#my2cents #TeamFall2019

alex5050:


@quoran, please how do you improve on your verbal section::::i wrote gre lastwk and I was flogged with quant 165 and verbal137:::total 302::: i need so much help on the verbal::::please help

ponpon:
Congrats boss!!!

Congrats Quoran, happy all of the hard work you have put in has paid off. Thanks for sharing your experience with here. The tips you shared are invaluable to say the least.
Would like to ask a few clarifying questions though:
1. When is the right time to start mailing Profs. May, June or when the application window opens ?
2. What should the content of the introductory mail to a POI look like ?
3. For the schools you finally decided to apply to, Which of them did you get a commitment from a POI prior to you application?
4. Lastly, what did you mean by " showed evidence of work in progress" to make up for your lack of publications...
The questions many small, would be really glad if others could help with insights on the above. Thanks and a Big congrats once again. TAMU is a top class school.

Hello House,
Please I am planning to take the GRE in a few months. I need the Magoosh premium access to practice with. I will be really happy if anyone is willing to share. Thanks in advance ��

Nice work everyone.
I have been following this thread for months now, and I find it very fascinating the value of information on this thread and the unfettered willingness to share information and resolve concerns as it relates to grad school admission.
#TeamFall19
Cc: Scholastica16, PonPon, DrHopeful, Quoran, tizentos (Congrats) and to every contributor to this awesome thread