I have tried to follow alot of threads on schooling in the US and i believe alot of people are still unaware of how easy it is to get admission and eventually get your visa if you do certain things right.
I believe there is a general perception that american embassy in Nigeria is very unfair but you can increase your chances of been successful by doing the right thing.
I will like to start by sharing my experience and I will be willing to assist people who have genuine interest in coming to the US for their masters program.
At this point, I will like to say that never never never be tempted to take a fake document for a visa interview because it is one of the worst offences an applicant can ever commit and it will bar any other future attempt to apply for a visa.

my email addy is blackpro2000 at gmail dot come

I am an MBA student here in the US. the first thing you need to consider when applying for a business school is to find out if it is AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business ) accredited.
Apart from the ivy league schools like Harvard, Yale,MIT and stanford. applying to any business school that is not AACSB accredited is like attending an unaccredited university in Nigeria and its implication is that your certificate will not be recognized by reputable employers after graduating.
It is usually advisable to apply to at least 3 schools and have your GMAT scores sent to the schools. Most schools now use online application systems, however some schools still require paper application. Anyway, make sure you fill out the application form correctly, this implies that no lies and submit it before the closing date.

Preparing for the gmat and writing personal statements will be treated later. However, never be discouraged if you don't perform well on the GMAT. Most schools require scores above 500 but you get a score above 400, you still have a chance of getting a good school but you may be given a conditional admission.The full admission will be to you based on your performance in the first semester in the school. I will advise anyone interested in taking the GMAT to spend at least 3 months doing serious preparation in order to perform well in the exams.

Some schools require TOEFL while some other schools waive TOEFL for Nigerian students. It is advisable you send a mail to the school of choice to find out if they require TOEFL from Nigerian students.

I guess a couple of people may want to contribute or ask questions.please feel free so we can all share knowledge

Over the next few weeks i am going to be posting some gmat review materials to assist people preparing for the gmat, please feel free to make your contributions or question some of the answers provided to the questions.
i believe this will be of immense benefit to people preparing for gmat now or in the near future

1. 1. A “calendar stick” carved centuries ago by the Winnebago tribe may provide the first evidence that the North American Indians have developed advanced full-year calendars basing them on systematic astronomical observation.
(A) that the North American Indians have developed advanced full-year calendars basing them
(B) of the North American Indians who have developed advanced full-year calendars and based them
(C) of the development of advanced full-year calendars by North American Indians, basing them
(D) of the North American Indians and their development of advanced full-year calendars based
(E) that the North American Indians developed advanced full-year calendars based


CORRECT ANSWER: E

2. A 1972 agreement between Canada and the United States reduced the amount of phosphates that municipalities had been allowed to dump into the Great Lakes.
(A) reduced the amount of phosphates that municipalities had been allowed to dump
(B) reduced the phosphate amount that municipalities had been dumping
(C) reduces the phosphate amount municipalities have been allowed to dump
(D) reduced the amount of phosphates that municipalities are allowed to dump
(E) reduces the amount of phosphates allowed for dumping by municipalities

CORRECT ANSWER: A


3. 3. A collection of 38 poems by Phillis Wheatley, a slave, was published in the 1770’s, the first book by a Black woman and[b] it was only the second published by an American woman.[/b]
(A) it was only the second published by an American woman
(B) it was only the second that an American woman published
(C) the second one only published by an American woman
(D) the second one only that an American woman published
(E) only the second published by an American woman


CORRECT ANSWER: E

4. A common disability in test pilots is hearing impairment, a consequence of sitting too close to large jet engines for long periods of time.
(A) a consequence of sitting too close to large jet engines for long periods of time
(B) a consequence from sitting for long periods of time too near to large jet engines
(C) a consequence which resulted from sitting too close to large jet engines for long periods of time
(D) damaged from sitting too near to large jet engines for long periods of time
(E) damaged because they sat too close to large jet engines for long periods of time

CORRECT ANSWER:A

5. A controversial figure throughout most of his public life, the Black leader Marcus Garvey advocated[b] that some Blacks return to Africa, the land that, to him, symbolized the possibility of freedom.[/b]
(A) that some Blacks return to Africa, the land that, to him, symbolized the possibility of freedom
(B) that some Blacks return to the African land symbolizing the possibility of freedom to him
(C) that some Blacks return to Africa which was the land which symbolized the possibility of freedom to him
(D) some Black’s returning to Africa which was the land that to him symbolized the possibility of freedom
(E) some Black’s return to the land symbolizing the possibility of freedom to him, Africa

CORRECT ANSWER:A

6. A fire in an enclosed space burns with the aid of reflected radiation that preheats the fuel, making ignition much easier and flames spreading more quickly.
(A) flames spreading
(B) flame spreads
(C) flames are caused to spread
(D) causing flames to spread
(E) causing spreading of the flames

CORRECT ANSWER: D

7. A firm that specializes in the analysis of handwriting claims from a one-page writing sample that it can assess more than three hundred personality traits, including enthusiasm, imagination, and ambition.
(A) from a one-page writing sample that it can assess
(B) from a one-page writing sample it has the ability of assessing
(C) the ability, from a one-page writing sample, of assessing
(D) to be able, from a one-page writing sample, to assess
(E) being able to assess, from a one-page writing sample,

CORRECT ANSWER: D

8. A huge flying reptile that died out with the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago, the Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of 36 feet, believed to be the largest flying creature the world has ever seen.
(A) believed to be
(B) and that is believed to be
(C) and it is believed to have been
(D) which was, it is believed,
(E) which is believed to be

CORRECT ANSWER: C

9. A Labor Department study states that the numbers of women employed outside the home grew by more than a thirty-five percent increase in the past decade and accounted for more than sixty-two percent of the total growth in the civilian work force.
(A) numbers of women employed outside the home grew by more than a thirty-five percent increase
(B) numbers of women employed outside the home grew more than thirty-five percent
(C) numbers of women employed outside the home were raised by more than thirty-five percent
(D) number of women employed outside the home increased by more than thirty-five percent
(E) number of women employed outside the home was raised by more than a thirty-five percent increase

CORRECT ANSWER: D

10. A large rise in the number of housing starts in the coming year should boost new construction dollars by several billion dollars, making the construction industry’s economic health much more robust than five years ago.
(A) making the construction industry’s economic health much more robust than five years ago
(B) and make the construction industry’s economic health much more robust than five years ago
(C) making the construction industry’s economic health much more robust than it was five years ago
(D) to make the construction industry’s economic health much more robust than five years ago
(E) in making the construction industry’s economic health much more robust than it as five years ago

CORRECT ANSWER: C

11. A letter by Mark Twain, written in the same year as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were published, [/b]reveals that Twain provided financial assistance to one of the first Black students at Yale Law School.
(A) A letter by Mark Twain, written in the same year as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were published,
(B) A letter by Mark Twain, written in the same year of publication as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
(C) A letter by Mark Twain, written in the same year that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published,
(D) Mark Twain wrote a letter in the same year as he published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that
(E) Mark Twain wrote a letter in the same year of publication as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that

CORRECT ANSWER: C

12. A little under a million years ago, the briny waters of the Baltic Sea began flooding into the cold North Atlantic: geologists are still debating [b]whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm.
(A) whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm
(B) if the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm
(C) about whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic
(D) whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic
(E) whether the flood was gradual or it created a cataclysm

CORRECT ANSWER: D

13. A majority of the international journalists surveyed view nuclear power stations as unsafe at present but that they will, or could, be made sufficiently safe in the future.
(A) that they will, or could,
(B) that they would, or could,
(C) they will be or could
(D) think that they will be or could
(E) think the power stations would or could

CORRECT ANSWER: D

14. A migraine typically afflicts one side of the head, lasts for hours or days, and may recur as infrequently as once every other month or often, as daily.
(A) as infrequently as once every other month or often, as
(B) as infrequently as once every other month or as often as
(C) infrequently, as often as once every other month, or often, like
(D) infrequently, like once every other month, or often, like
(E) infrequently, like once every other month, or as often as

CORRECT ANSWER: B

15. A new phenomena, which is visible at Managua’s major intersections, are waves of vendors and beggars, which include many children and mob cars at the stoplights.
(A) A new phenomena, which is visible at Managua’s major intersections, are waves of vendors and beggars, which include many children and
(B) Visible at Managua’s major intersections are waves of vendors and beggars with many children, new phenomena that
(C) A new phenomenon visible at Managua’s major intersections is waves of vendors and beggars, many of them children, who
(D) Phenomenally new waves of vendors, beggars, and many children are visible at Managua’s major intersections, which
(E) A wave of vendors and beggars, many of whom are children, are visible at Managua’s major intersections, where they are a new phenomenon and

CORRECT ANSWER: C

16. A number of linguists contend that all of the thousands of languages spoken by the world’s five billion people can be traced back to a common root language.
(A) that all of the thousands of languages spoken by the world’s five billion people can be traced
(B) that the world’s five billion people speak thousands of languages of which all can be traced
(C) the world’s five billion people speak thousands of languages which are all traceable
(D) all of the thousands of languages spoken by the world’s five billion people to be traceable
(E) the ability to trace all of the thousands of languages that are spoken by the world’s five billion people

CORRECT ANSWER: A
17. A patient accusing a doctor of malpractice will find it difficult to prove damage if there is a lack of some other doctor to testify about proper medical procedures.
(A) if there is a lack of some other doctor to testify
(B) unless there will be another doctor to testify
(C) without another doctor’s testimony
(D) should there be no testimony from some other doctor
(E) lacking another doctor to testify

CORRECT ANSWER: C
18. A peculiar feature of the embryonic mammalian circulatory system is that in the area of the heart the cells adhere to one another, beating in unison and adopting specialized orientations exclusive of one another.
(A) beating in unison and adopting
(B) they beat in unison while adopting
(C) beat in unison, and adopt
(D) beating in unison yet adopting
(E) even though they beat in unison and adopt

CORRECT ANSWER: D

19. A President entering the final two years of a second term is likely to be at a severe disadvantage and is often unable to carry out a legislative program.
(A) likely to be at a severe disadvantage and is often unable to
(B) likely severely disadvantaged and often unable to
(C) liable to be severely disadvantaged and cannot often
(D) liable that he or she is at a severe disadvantage and cannot often
(E) at a severe disadvantage, often likely to be unable that he or she can

CORRECT ANSWER: A

20. A prolific architect who worked from the turn of the century until the late 1950’s, Julia Morgan designed nearly 800 buildings in California, perhaps most notably William Randolph Hearst’s monumental estate at San Simeon.
(A) Julia Morgan designed nearly 800 buildings in California, perhaps most notably William Randolph Hearst’s monumental estate at San Simeon
(B) perhaps the most notable of the nearly 800 buildings in California designed by Julia Morgan was William Randolph Hearst’s monumental estate at San Simeon
(C) of the nearly 800 buildings in California designed by Julia Morgan, perhaps the most notable was William Randolph Hearst’s monumental estate at San Simeon
(D) nearly 800 buildings in California were designed by Julia Morgan, of which William Randolph Hearst’s monumental estate at San Simeon is perhaps the most notable
(E) William Randolph Hearst’s monumental estate at San Simeon is perhaps the most notable of the nearly 800 buildings in California designed by Julia Morgan

CORRECT ANSWER: A

questions from other sections of the GMAT will be posted soon

this is a good one and am suprise nobody is contributing to this thread. is the test real GMAT or GRE,am preaparing for september addmission and I dont know much about this GRE. how difficult is it and do i prepare for it. my is also for MSC program.thanks

thanks alot ajile2. i will try to get some practice GRE questions as well. The questions i posted are actually practice GMAT questions drawn from various sources on the internet. GRE is not as difficult as the GMAT, feel free to contact on me via my email address posted above. By the way,

Even if nobody contributes, i will keep on posting questions along with other tips for people who maybe interested in taking the GMAT in near future.

21. A proposal has been made to trim the horns from rhinoceroses to discourage poachers; the question is whether tourists will continue to visit game parks and see rhinoceroses after their horns are trimmed.
(A) whether tourists will continue to visit game parks and see rhinoceroses after their horns are
(B) whether tourists will continue to visit game parks to see one once their horns are
(C) whether tourists will continue to visit game parks to see rhinoceroses once the animals’ horns have been
(D) if tourists will continue to visit game parks and see rhinoceroses once the animals’ horns are
(E) if tourists will continue to visit game parks to see one after the animals’ horns have been

CORRECT ANSWER: C

22. A recent national study of the public schools shows that there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were [/b]four years ago.
(A) there are now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
(B) there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many than there were
(C) there is now one microcomputer for every thirty-two pupils, four times as many as there were
(D) every thirty-two pupils now have one microcomputer, four times as many than there were
(E) every thirty-two pupils now has one microcomputer, four times as many as

CORRECT ANSWER:C

23. A recent New York Times editorial criticized the city’s election board for, first of all, failing to replace outmoded voting machines prone to breakdowns, and [b]secondarily, for their failure to investigate allegations of corruption involving board members.
(A) secondarily, for their failure to
(B) secondly, for their failure to
(C) secondly, that they failed and did not
(D) second, that they failed to
(E) second, for failing to

CORRECT ANSWER: E

24. A recent study has found that within the past few years, many doctors had elected early retirement rather than face the threats of lawsuits and the rising costs of malpractice insurance.
(A) had elected early retirement rather than face
(B) had elected early retirement instead of facing
(C) have elected retiring early instead of facing
(D) have elected to retire early rather than facing
(E) have elected to retire early rather than face

CORRECT ANSWER: E

25. A recent study of ancient clay deposits has provided new evidence supporting the theory of global forest fires ignited by a meteorite impact that [/b]contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs and many other creatures some 65 million years ago.
(A) supporting the theory of global forest fires ignited by a meteorite impact that
(B) supporting the theory that global forest fires ignited by a meteorite impact
(C) that supports the theory of global forest fires that were ignited by a meteorite impact and that
(D) in support of the theory that global forest fires were ignited by a meteorite impact and that
(E) of support for the theory of a meteorite impact that ignited global forest fires and

CORRECT ANSWER: B

26. [b]A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed.
(A) A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that
(B) So secret was a recording system installation and operation in the Kennedy Oval Office
(C) It was so secret that a recording system was installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office
(D) A recording system that was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office
(E) Installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office was a recording system that

CORRECT ANSWER: A

27. A report by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science has concluded that much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed comes from the incineration of wastes.
(A) much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed comes
(B) much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins that North Americans are exposed to come
(C) much of the dioxins that are currently uncontrolled and that North Americans are exposed to comes
(D) many of the dioxins that are currently uncontrolled and North Americans are exposed to come
(E) many of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed come

CORRECT ANSWER: E

28. A representative of the Women’s Bureau of the United States Department of Labor contends that employers who offer benefits which permit that employees can balance home and work responsibilities better, realizing gains in attendance, recruiting, and retention.
(A) which permit that employees can balance home and work responsibilities better, realizing
(B) which permit employees balancing home and work responsibilities better will realize
(C) that permit employees to balance the responsibilities of home and work better will realize
(D) that permit employees a better balance between the responsibilities of home and work, thus realizing
(E) such that employees are permitted a balance between home and work responsibilities, and they will realize

CORRECT ANSWER: C

29. A shy, religious-minded publisher who had married a duke’s daughter, Harold Macmillan’s rise to the position of Prime Minister in 1957 surprised many, though Churchill had since the 1930s been extolling Macmillan’s courage.
(A) Harold Macmillan’s rise to the position of Prime Minister in 1957 surprised many
(B) Harold Macmillan’s rise in 1957 to the position of Prime Minister surprised many
(C) Harold Macmillan’s becoming Prime Minister in 1957 surprised many
(D) Harold Macmillan surprised many by rising to the position of Prime Minister in 1957
(E) the position of Prime Minister attained by Harold Macmillan in 1957 surprised many

CORRECT ANSWER: D

30. A special Japanese green tea called genmai-cha contains brown rice and is considered as a delicacy fit for a gourmet by most Japanese, though it is virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.
(A) A special Japanese green tea called genmai-cha contains brown rice and is considered as a delicacy fit for a gourmet by most Japanese, though it is virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.
(B) Considered to be a delicacy fit for a gourmet by most Japanese, genmai-cha is a special green tea that contains brown rice, virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.
(C) A special Japanese green tea called genmai-cha contains brown rice and is considered a gourmet delicacy by most Japanese, though it is virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.
(D) Most Japanese consider genmai-cha, a special green tea which contains brown rice, as a delicacy virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.
(E) Though virtually unavailable outside Yokohama, most Japanese consider genmai-cha, a special green tea that contains brown rice, a gourmet delicacy.

CORRECT ANSWER: C

31. A star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole after it passes through a red giant stage, depending on mass.
(A) A star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole after it passes through a red giant stage, depending on mass.
(B) After passing through a red giant stage, depending on its mass, a star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.
(C) After passing through a red giant stage, a star’s mass will determine if it compresses itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.
(D) Mass determines whether a star, after passing through the red giant stage, will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.
(E) The mass of a star, after passing through the red giant stage, will determine whether it compresses itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.

CORRECT ANSWER: D

32. A study commissioned by the Department of Agriculture showed that if calves exercise and associated with other calves, they will require less medication and gain weight quicker than do those raised in confinement.
(A) associated with other calves, they will require less medication and gain weight quicker than do
(B) associated with other calves, they require less medication and gain weight quicker than
(C) associate with other calves, they required less medication and will gain weight quicker than do
(D) associate with other calves, they have required less medication and will gain weight more quickly than do
(E) associate with other calves, they require less medication and gain weight more quickly than

CORRECT ANSWER: E

33. A substance derived from the Madagascar periwinkle, which has proved useful in decreasing mortality among young leukemia patients, is cultivated in China as part of a program to integrate traditional herbal medicine into a contemporary system of health care.
(A) A substance derived from the Madagascar periwinkle, which has proved useful in decreasing mortality among young leukemia patients,
(B) A derivative, which has proved useful in decreasing mortality among young leukemia patients, of the Madagascar periwinkle,
(C) A Madagascar periwinkle derivative, which has proved useful in decreasing mortality among young leukemia patients,
(D) The Madagascar periwinkle has a derivative which has proved useful in decreasing mortality among young leukemia patients, that
(E) The Madagascar periwinkle, a derivative of which has proved useful in decreasing mortality among young leukemia patients,

CORRECT ANSWER: E

34. A wildlife expert predicts that the reintroduction of the caribou into northern Minnesota would fail if the density of the timber wolf population in that region is more numerous than one wolf for every 39 square miles.
(A) would fail if the density of the timber wolf population in that region is more numerous than
(B) would fail provided the density of the timber wolf population in that region is more than
(C) should fail if the timber wolf density in that region was greater than
(D) will fail if the density of the timber wolf population in that region is greater than
(E) will fail if the timber wolf density in that region were more numerous than

CORRECT ANSWER: D

35. According to a panel of health officials, there has been a great deal of confusion in the medical profession about whether obesity is a biological disorder posing serious health risks or a condition more related to appearance than to health.
(A) about whether obesity is a biological disorder posing serious health risks or a condition more related to appearance than to
(B) with respect to obesity being a biological disorder posing serious health risks or if it is related more to appearance than
(C) over whether or not obesity is a biological disorder posing serious health risks or it is a condition more related to appearance than to
(D) about obesity and if it is a biological disorder posing serious health risks or a condition related to appearance more than to
(E) concerning whether obesity is a biological disorder posing serious health risks or it is a condition related to appearance more than

CORRECT ANSWER: A

36. According to a recent poll, owning and living in a freestanding house on its own land is still a goal of a majority of young adults, like that of earlier generations.
(A) like that of earlier generations
(B) as that for earlier generations
(C) just as earlier generations did
(D) as have earlier generations
(E) as it was of earlier generations

CORRECT ANSWER: E

37. According to a recent study by Rutgers University, the number of women in state legislatures has grown in every election since 1968.
(A) the number of women in state legislatures has grown
(B) the number of women who are in state legislatures have grown
(C) there has been growth in the number of women in state legislatures
(D) a growing number of women have been in state legislatures
(E) women have been growing in number in state legislatures

CORRECT ANSWER: A

38. According to a recent study, the elderly in the United States are four times more likely to give regular financial aid to their children as to receive it from them.
(A) the elderly in the United States are four times more likely to give regular financial aid to their children as
(B) the elderly in the United States are four times as likely to give regular financial aid to their children as it is for them
(C) the elderly in the United States are four times more likely to give regular financial aid to their children than
(D) it is four times more likely for the elderly in the United States to give regular financial aid to their children than they are
(E) it is four times as likely that the elderly in the United States will give their children regular financial aid as they are

CORRECT ANSWER: C

39. According to a ruling by the state supreme court, the owner of polluted land is liable for the cleanup of the property even if the owner did not have the responsibility that pollution occurred before the title changed hands.
(A) the owner did not have the responsibility that pollution
(B) the owner is not responsible for pollution that
(C) it was not the owner’s responsibility that pollution would have
(D) the responsibility of the owner is not that pollution
(E) the responsibility was not the owner’s that pollution would have

CORRECT ANSWER: B

40. According to a study by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, companies in the United States are providing job training and general education for nearly eight million people, about equivalent to the enrollment of the nation’s four-year colleges and universities.
(A) equivalent to the enrollment of
(B) the equivalent of those enrolled in
(C) equal to those who are enrolled in
(D) as many as the enrollment of
(E) as many as are enrolled in

CORRECT ANSWER: E

Thanks very much for the insightful post.

Please is it possible to gain admission with a score of 490?

Also is there anyway you can help with the admission process incase i want 2 meet this year's admission

Thanks

@BLACKPRO Really, u are a pro!thanks so much for this effort,your contribution will be highly appreciated especially as schooling in the UK is no more yielding the expected opportunity .expect my email

@tantolu and @freelance
i look forward to receiving your mails

@freelance
you can get admission with a score of 490 from an AACSB accredited business school.
your gmat score is not the only factor considered during the admission process. Other factors are also considered such as your resume, your statement of purpose and your undergraduate CGPA.
your statement of purpose is very important because it gives you an opportunity to sell yourself and also explain why your gmat score should not be used to judge you or write you off.

41. According to a study published by Dr. Myrna Weissman, only one percent of Americans born before 1905 had suffered major depression by the age of seventy-five; of those born since 1955, six percent had become depressed by age twenty-four.
(A) only one percent of Americans born before 1905 had suffered major depression by the age of seventy-five; of those born since 1955, six percent had become depressed by age twenty-four
(B) only one percent of Americans born before 1905 suffer major depression by the age of seventy-five; if they are born since 1955, six percent become depressed by age twenty-four
(C) of Americans born before 1905, only one percent of them have suffered major depression by age seventy-five, but six percent of those born since 1955 do by the age of twenty-four
(D) major depression is suffered by the age of seventy-five by only one percent of Americans born before 1905, and by age twenty-four by the six percent born since 1955
(E) Americans born before 1905 suffer major depression by the age of seventy-five only one percent of the time, but six percent of those born since 1955 did so by age twenty-four

CORRECT ANSWER: A

42. According to a survey of graduating medical students conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges, minority graduates are nearly four times more likely than are other graduates in planning to practice in socioeconomically deprived areas.
(A) minority graduates are nearly four times more likely than are other graduates in planning to practice
(B) minority graduates are nearly four times more likely than other graduates who plan on practicing
(C) minority graduates are nearly four times as likely as other graduates to plan on practicing
(D) it is nearly four times more likely that minority graduates rather than other graduates will plan to practice
(E) it is nearly four times as likely for minority graduates than other graduates to plan to practice

CORRECT ANSWER: C

43. According to Booker T. Whatley’s recent analysis, planting the same crops as are planted on large farms will lead to economic disaster for the small farmer, who should plan a succession of high-value crops that will provide a year-round cash flow.
(A) planting the same crops as are planted on large farms will lead to economic disaster for the small farmer, who
(B) it will lead to economic disaster for the small farmer to plant the same crops as on the large farms; they
(C) economic disaster will result from planting the same crops as large farms to the small farmer, who
(D) economic disaster for the small farmer will result from planting the same crops as on the large farms; they
(E) the small farmer planting the same crops as are planted on large farms will lead to economic disaster; they

CORRECT ANSWER: A

44. According to Henry David Thoreau, the reason a majority is allowed to rule is not that it is more likely to be right, but because it is stronger.
(A) the reason a majority is allowed to rule is not that it is more likely to be right, but because it is stronger
(B) a majority is allowed to rule not because it is more likely to be right, but because it is stronger
(C) the reason for majority rule is not because they are more likely to be right, they are stronger
(D) the majority is allowed to rule because of its strength, not because it is more likely to be right
(E) the reason why the majority rules is that it is strong, not because it is likely to be right

CORRECT ANSWER: B

45. According to his own account, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, modeled the face of the statue like his mother’s and the body like his wife’s.
(A) modeled the face of the statue like his mother’s and the body like his wife’s
(B) modeled the face of the statue after that of his mother and the body after that of his wife
(C) modeled the face of the statue like his mother and the body like his wife
(D) made the face of the statue after his mother and the body after his wife
(E) made the face of the statue look like his mother and the body look like his wife

CORRECT ANSWER:B

46. According to Interstudy, a nonprofit organization that studies health maintenance organizations (HMO’s), they estimate that, in comparison to last year, when only 36 percent of the nation’s 607 HMO’s was profitable, this year 73 percent will be.
(A) they estimate that, in comparison to last year, when only 36 percent of the nation’s 607 HMO’s was profitable, this year 73 percent will be
(B) compared to only 36 percent of the nation’s 607 HMO’s being profitable last year, they estimate 73 percent would be this year
(C) only 36 percent of the nation’s 607 HMO’s were profitable last year; it estimates that this year 73 percent will be
(D) it estimates 73 percent of the nation’s 607 HMO’s would be profitable this year; last year that was only 36 percent
(E) only 36 percent of the nation’s 607 HMO’s last year were profitable, whereas they estimate it this year to be 73 percent

CORRECT ANSWER: C

47. According to scientists at the University of California, the pattern of changes that have occurred in human DNA over the millennia indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who lived in Africa sometime between 140,000 and 280,000 years ago.
(A) indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who
(B) indicate that everyone alive today might possibly be a descendant of a single female ancestor who had
(C) may indicate that everyone alive today has descended from a single female ancestor who had
(D) indicates that everyone alive today may be a descendant of a single female ancestor who
(E) indicates that everyone alive today might be a descendant from a single female ancestor who

CORRECT ANSWER: D

48. According to some analysts, whatever its merits, the proposal to tax away all capital gains on short-term investments would, if enacted, have a disastrous effect on Wall Street trading and employment.
(A) its merits, the proposal to tax
(B) its merits may be, the proposal of taxing
(C) its merits as a proposal, taxing
(D) the proposal’s merits, to tax
(E) the proposal’s merits are, taxing

CORRECT ANSWER: A

49. According to some economists, Japan is in danger of plunging into a depression that, with double-digit unemployment, could severely strain a society that regards lifetime employment as a virtual right of citizenship.
(A) that, with double-digit unemployment, could severely strain
(B) that, because of double-digit unemployment, could be a severe strain for
(C) with double-digit unemployment, and it could severely strain
(D) with double-digit unemployment and could be a severe strain
(E) with double-digit unemployment and could severely strain

CORRECT ANSWER: A

50. According to some economists, the July decrease in unemployment so that it was the lowest in two years suggests that the gradual improvement in the job market is continuing.
(A) so that it was the lowest in two years
(B) so that it was the lowest two-year rate
(C) to what would be the lowest in two years
(D) to a two-year low level
(E) to the lowest level in two years

CORRECT ANSWER: E

51. According to surveys by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 20 percent of young adults used cocaine in 1979, doubling those reported in the 1977 survey.
(A) doubling those reported in the 1977 survey
(B) to double the number the 1977 survey reported
(C) twice those the 1977 survey reported
(D) twice as much as those reported in the 1977 survey
(E) twice the number reported in the 1977 survey

CORRECT ANSWER: E

52. According to the Better Business Bureau, [b]if you fail to advertise the highest price in a range of prices for a service or product as prominently as that of the lowest, it [/b]violates the New York Consumer Protection Law.
(A) if you fail to advertise the highest price in a range of prices for a service or product as prominently as that of the lowest, it
(B) if one fails to advertise the highest price in a range of prices for a service or product as prominently as the lowest price, it
(C) failure to advertise the highest price in a range of prices for a service or product as prominently as the lowest
(D) failure to advertise as prominently the highest price in a range of prices for a service or product as the lowest
(E) failing to advertise as prominently the highest price in a range of prices for a service or products as that of the lowest

CORRECT ANSWER:C

53. According to the National Pasta Association, per-capita consumption of pasta in the United States, which has already been approaching 19 pounds a year, will achieve 30 pounds a year by the twenty-first century.
(A) According to the National Pasta Association, per-capita consumption of pasta in the United States, which has already been approaching 19 pounds a year, will achieve 30 pounds a year by the twenty-first century.
(B) Already approaching 19 pounds a year in the United States, the National Pasta Association predicts that per-capita consumption of pasta will reach 30 pounds a year by the twenty-first century.
(C) The National Pasta association predicts by the twenty-first century that per-capita consumption of pasta in the United States, which is already approaching 19 pounds a year, will reach 30 pounds a year.
(D) By the twenty-first century, the National Pasta Association predicts that per-capita consumption of pasta in the United States, having already approached 19 pounds a year, will reach 30 pounds a year.
(E) According to the National Pasta Association, per-capita consumption of pasta in the United States is already approaching 19 pounds a year and will reach 30 pounds a year by the twenty-first century.

CORRECT ANSWER: E

54. According to the professor’s philosophy, the antidote to envy is one’s own work, always one’s own work: not thinking about it, not assessing it, but simply doing it.
(A) one’s own work, always one’s own work: not thinking about it, not assessing it, but simply doing it
(B) always work; because you don’t think about it or assess it, you just do it
(C) always one’s own work: not thinking about or assessing it, but simply to do it
(D) not to think or assess, but doing one’s own work
(E) neither to think about one’s own work nor to assess it, it is always simply doing it

CORRECT ANSWER: A

55. According to United States Air Force officials, a cannon shooting dead chickens at airplanes has proved helpful to demonstrate what kind of damage can result when jets fly into a flock of large birds.
(A) shooting dead chickens at airplanes has proved helpful to demonstrate
(B) shooting dead chickens at airplanes has proved itself helpful as a demonstration of
(C) shooting dead chickens at airplanes proves itself helpful as demonstrating
(D) that shoots dead chickens at airplanes proves itself helpful to demonstrate
(E) that shoots dead chickens at airplanes has proved helpful in demonstrating

CORRECT ANSWER:E

56. Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids.
(A) with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids
(B) with atmospheric water vapor producing highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids
(C) and atmospheric water vapor which has produced highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids
(D) and atmospheric water vapor which have produced sulfuric and nitric acids which are highly corrosive
(E) and atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

CORRECT ANSWER:E

57. Added to the increase in hourly wages requested last July, the railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(A) Added to the increase in hourly wages requested last July, the railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(B) Added to the increase in hourly wages which had been requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(C) The railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits added to the increase in hourly wages that were requested last July.
(D) In addition to the increase in hourly wages that were requested last July, the railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(E) In addition to the increase in hourly wages requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.

CORRECT ANSWER: E

58. Adult survivors of child abuse traditionally have had little or no chance t[b]hat they could get their symptoms recognized and treated.
(A) that they could get their symptoms recognized and treated[/b]
(B) to recognize and treat their symptoms
(C) of getting their symptoms recognized and treated
(D) of recognizing and treating symptoms
(E) of getting his or her symptoms recognized and treated

CORRECT ANSWER: C

59. Affording strategic proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco was also of interest to the French throughout the first half of the twentieth century because they assumed that if they did not hold it, their grip on Algeria was always insecure.
(A) if they did not hold it, their grip on Algeria was always insecure
(B) without it their grip on Algeria would never be secure
(C) their grip on Algeria was not ever secure if they did not hold it
(D) without that, they could never be secure about their grip on Algeria
(E) never would their grip on Algeria be secure if they did not hold it

CORRECT ANSWER: B

60. After a few weeks’ experience, apprentice jewelers can usually begin to discriminate, though not with absolute certainty, genuine diamonds from imitation diamonds.
(A) genuine diamonds from imitation diamonds
(B) genuine diamonds apart from imitations
(C) between genuine diamonds and imitation diamonds
(D) among genuine diamonds and imitation diamonds

CORRECT ANSWER: C

Writing the Statement of Purpose (aka the Letter of Intent)
Information provided by The Princeton Review


What To Talk About

Schools phrase their prompts for the statement of purpose in a variety of ways. They even name them differently; what is a statement of purpose at one school is a letter of intent or a personal statement at another. Some schools will even call it an autobiographical statement. These prompts will also impose different restrictions on length, and some will give you more guidance than others will. Nonetheless, they're all asking for pretty much the same four pieces of information:
1. What you want to study at graduate school.
2. Why you want to study it.
(3. What experience you have in your field.
4. What you plan to do with your degree once you have it.
These four points provide an accurate sketch of an admissions committee's interest in you. They want to read about a candidate with clear, well-defined research or career interests based on academic or workplace experience in the field. They seek someone who has a specific degree goal and who understands what's involved in getting that degree. They want a candidate whose ambitions don't end with the attainment of the degree, but include a career afterward that has some relationship to the degree earned.
It takes considerable dedication to earn a master's degree, and earning a doctorate requires still greater commitment and focus. Admissions committees know this quite well, and they examine candidates carefully, looking for indications that applicants have the right stuff. They want to hear that you care deeply about your chosen discipline; they ask why, not because there's a right or wrong answer, but to find out how deep your commitment runs. They'll examine your reasons for undertaking graduate work to see how badly you want it and how well you know what you're getting into.
Your job is to tell the committee about any experience that helps to establish you as a dedicated student of your field. Use the statement to prove that you are a diligent researcher capable of working hard and a consistent individual able to stick to a difficult task for a long time. Your job is also to avoid bringing up topics of no interest to a prospective admissions committee.

What Not to Talk About

There are a few things you should avoid discussing in your personal statement. Remember, they have to read hundreds, or even thousands, of essays. A paragraph that wastes the reader's time will annoy your committee -- something you obviously want to avoid. It may also cause the committee to wonder how well you really understand the academic world that you are trying to enter.
Applicants commonly make the error of including an undergraduate-style paragraph about how well-rounded they are: They're avid ultimate-frisbee players, they write science fiction short stories, or they love to cook. Colleges are interested in this stuff, since they're trying to build communities of creative, interactive individuals, but this is not true of graduate schools. Grad schools are looking for the best minds in one subject area that they can round up and are trying to build a department of at least a few people working in every major field.
The activities that interest admissions committees are strictly those that speak to your suitability for graduate work in that specific subject area, be it engineering or archaeology. As a graduate student, you'll be called upon to do difficult coursework, and unless you're in a professional degree program, you'll do extensive research. You'll need to write up your results precisely and clearly. You may have to teach undergraduate classes within your field and conceivably even design a course. And you'll have to get along with a diverse group of colleagues who will sometimes work very closely with you. Any experience in school, work, or your extracurricular life that speaks to those abilities is worth talking about.
You've got a lot of latitude in your essay. You can talk about whatever you want to, within certain constraints. The most important constraint is the need to answer the questions asked in the essay prompt. Whatever you do, don't ignore those four pieces of information. You can be sure that the administration phrased its questions carefully, and no matter how creative or flashy your essay is, the committee will notice if you don't give them the information they've requested.

Making Your Statement of Purpose Unique

If you're applying to a Ph.D program, why not make the effort to differentiate your essay from the others? You won't write a very memorable essay if you simply list the facts of your academic life. Most applicants write very similar, straightforward essays, and march through the basic topics in the order they're listed in the prompt, which produces a huge pile of essays that all sound the same:
"I studied yadda yadda as an undergraduate at XYZ University. There, I had the opportunity to take part in the yadda research project, where I became fascinated with the questions of yadda yadda and their implications for society. I am pursuing doctoral study in yadda yadda in order to deepen my understanding of these topics and extend my research further into the area of yadda yadda yadda."
To distinguish your essay, add something unique to it without throwing in irrelevant information that will annoy your readers. One of the best ways to do this is to discuss, briefly, an idea in your field that turns you on intellectually. It's an effective essay-opener, and it lets you write about something besides yourself for a bit. There are other benefits as well. The idea you choose to talk about, and your comments on it, often tell an admissions committee more about you than your own self-descriptions can.
Discussing an idea will catch people's attention and give your readers a reprieve from people writing about themselves. That "me-me-me" stuff can get irritating after a while, even though it's what the prompt asks for. A discussion of an idea demonstrates your interest in your field, rather than just describing it. Ultimately, that's more convincing.

A Few Last Words of Advice

No matter how difficult this may be, be sure to show your statement of purpose to someone you respect, preferably the professors who are writing your recommendations, and get some feedback before you send it in. Pay attention to what they say. It's absolutely vital to get an external viewpoint, since you'll often find yourself too close to your own writing to see it clearly. If you need to revise it, do so and then ask for another opinion.
Also, make sure you have someone else proofread your essay. A fresh set of eyes often picks up something you might miss. Better yet, if you have enough willing friends, have a couple of people proofread each statement.
Finally, don't just reuse the same statement of purpose for each school you apply to. You can recycle the same information, but make sure you tweak it for every school. Your statement will sound stale and the admissions committee will notice if you don't do this.

(article culled from princeton review)

Knowing Your Chances

The admissions process is inevitably arbitrary, and admissions committees often make surprising decisions. You can, however, get a rough idea of your chances of getting into a certain program. Find out the GRE/GMAT score and college GPA of the average grad student; these figures are usually available, and they're the only way to compare yourself to a large number of other people.

Your Numbers

If your numbers are substantially better than a program's average numbers, then your chances look pretty good, as long as the rest of your application materials are consistent with your scores. If your numbers are close to a school's average, they work neither for you or against you, and the rest of your application will determine your competitiveness in the application pool. If your numbers are substantially lower than a school's average numbers, consider that school a long shot.

The Rest of Your Application

Your complete application includes your essays, transcript, recommendations, work experience, awards and activities, writing sample, and publications, if any. There's another, "invisible" part of your application: your conversations with professors at certain schools and the impressions you left behind -- both vitally important. All of these factors affect your chances of admission. Even your ethnicity or region of origin can help you.

Your best source of information about your chances of getting into a school is a well-informed professor -- one who knows you and the programs you're interested in. Such professors can give you straightforward answers about how impressive your credentials look to someone in the field. They can also advise you about how best to present yourself and what questions to ask. These professorial insights are crucial to deciding how hard-hitting your applications are going to be.

If you have any kind of relationship with a professor at one of your prospective schools -- or if you get to know any in the course of your research -- then that professor is an ideal resource. Most professors can generally give you some idea of your strength as a candidate. The responses of professors at your prospective schools are more than just guesses; these professors may be able to influence admissions decisions directly.

Talk to Them

It's impossible to overemphasize the importance of talking to the professors at the schools you're considering. Admission to graduate school isn't about standardized tests or GPAs. It's about people: the people in the academic community you're trying to join, and the people you've worked with in the past. The opinions of the professors in your prospective graduate program, together with the recommendations you receive from professors you've worked with, are the most significant determinants in the admissions process. When you're trying to gauge your chances of success in applying to a program, nothing tells you more than the opinions of the professors involved.

(article culled from princeton review)

Graduate School Personal Statement Secrets by Geoffrey Cook, Founder EssayEdge.com

The best way to approach your personal statement for graduate school is to imagine that you have five minutes with someone from the admissions committee. How would you go about making the best case for yourself while holding the listener's interest? What would you include and omit in your story? Figuring out the answer to these questions is critical to successfully preparing an effective statement.

To arrive at these answers, you should begin by asking yourself two specific questions:

* Why have I chosen to attend graduate school this specific field, and why did I choose to apply to this particular school's program?
* What are my qualifications for admission?

The answers will not necessarily come easily to you, but this exercise will have great practical benefit in readying you to write an outstanding personal statement. By answering each question thoroughly, you will have given much thought to yourself, your experiences, and your goals, thereby laying the groundwork for formulating an interesting and persuasive presentation of your own personal story.

As the founder of EssayEdge.com, the Net's largest admissions essay prep company, I have seen firsthand the difference a well-written application essay can make. Through its free online admissions essay help course and 300 Harvard-educated editors, EssayEdge.com helps tens of thousands of student each year improve their essays and gain admission to graduate schools ranging from Harvard to State You.

Having personally edited over 2,000 admissions essays myself for EssayEdge.com, I have written this article to help you avoid the most common essay flaws. If you remember nothing else about this article, remember this: Be Interesting. Be Concise.

Why Graduate School?

Graduate school is a serious commitment, and it may have been your goal for a long time. Describing your early exposure to a field can offer effective insight into your core objectives. Watch out, however, that you do not your point in such a cliched, prepackaged way as to make your reader cringe. For example, you should not start your essay, "I have always wanted to" or "I have always known that _______ was my calling." Instead, you should discuss specific events that led to your interest in the field.

Graduate school is, of course, a means to an end, and admissions committees prefer students who know where they're going and to what use they'll put their education (though the occasional soul-searcher, who may exhibit exceptional raw potential, is welcomed). For many people, the long-term goal is to work in academia, and to differentiate yourself in such cases, you can stress more specific objectives such as your research interests.

Note: Read the instructions carefully. Sometimes schools will ask for a statement of purpose describing your specific research interests in lieu of, or in addition to, a personal statement that emphasizes your character and qualities. For these types of essays, you can assume that a faculty member will be reading your statement, but it should still be accessible enough for a non-specialist to understand. Remember that such essays should also still aim to engage the reader in a way that conveys your own enthusiasm for the subject matter.

Avoid mistakes like discussing the school's rank or prestige, or simply offering generic praise. Instead, mention faculty members by name and indicate some knowledge of their work. Consider contacting faculty members first and discussing their current research projects and your interest in studying under them. Then refer to these contacts in your essay.

Why Am I Qualified?

The way to prove your qualification is not to list attributes you believe you possess but to discuss concrete experiences that show your abilities and qualities. As always, details are paramount. The rest of your application has already summarized your accomplishments and your activities. Show the reader what you did in concrete terms, and again, highlight your active roles.

The experiences that demonstrate your qualification are not necessarily distinct from those that explain your motivation. You shouldn't plan on dividing the essay into two separate sections for each, but rather organize the structure by topic and extrapolate insights as they develop. It's important that you think of the essay as an integrated whole, not as a checklist of questions you must answer.

Focus on research experience, since research will be your main job for the duration of your studies. Be specific about what you did. If you worked for a year under a professor, you might consider emphasizing one particular project and exploring that in depth. The experience does not have to have been a major undertaking: Any practical experience can be used as long as you demonstrate your enthusiasm and aptitude for the field of study.

Remember to keep the discussion personal. Do not get bogged down in minute details and jargon. Ultimately, the focus of the story should remain on you and your growth or success.

TOP 10 GRADUATE SCHOOL ESSAY WRITING TIPS

1. Don't Write a Term Paper.
As a prospective graduate student, you may be tempted to try to impress your reader with an already tight grasp of academic style. Resist this temptation! You will have plenty of time to produce labyrinthine sentences and sophisticated vocabulary. Your reader will have seen too many essays to appreciate bewilderingly advanced prose. Write clearly and personably.

2. Don't Bore the Reader. Do Be Interesting.
Admissions officers have to read hundreds of essays, and they must often skim. Abstract rumination has no place in an application essay. Admissions officers aren't looking for a new way to view the world; they're looking for a new way to view you the applicant. The best way to grip your reader is to begin the essay with a captivating snapshot. Notice how the slightly jarring scene depicted in the "after" creates intrigue and keeps the reader's interest.

Before: I am a compilation of many years of experiences gained from overcoming the relentless struggles of life.

After: I was six years old, the eldest of six children in the Bronx, when my father was murdered.

3. Do Use Personal Detail. Show, Don't Tell!
Good essays are concrete and grounded in personal detail. They do not merely assert "I learned my lesson" or that "these lessons are useful both on and off the field." They show it through personal detail. "Show don't tell," means if you want to relate a personal quality, do so through your experiences and do not merely assert it.

Before: If it were not for a strong support system which instilled into me strong family values and morals, I would not be where I am today.

After: Although my grandmother and I didn't have a car or running water, we still lived far more comfortably than did the other families I knew. I learned an important lesson: My grandmother made the most of what little she had, and she was known and respected for her generosity. Even at that age, I recognized the value she placed on maximizing her resources and helping those around her.

The first example is vague and could have been written by anybody. But the second sentence evokes a vivid image of something that actually happened, placing the reader in the experience of the applicant.

4. Do Be Concise. Don't Be Wordy.
Wordiness not only takes up valuable space, but also confuses the important ideas you're trying to convey. Short sentences are more forceful because they are direct and to the point. Certain phrases, such as "the fact that," are usually unnecessary. Notice how the revised version focuses on active verbs rather than forms of "to be" and adverbs and adjectives.

Before: My recognition of the fact that the book was finally finished was a deeply satisfying moment that will forever linger in my memory.

After: Completing the book at last gave me an enduring sense of fulfillment.

5. Do Address Your Weaknesses. Don't Dwell on Them.

The personal statement may be your only opportunity to explain deficiencies in your application, and you should take advantage of it. Be sure to explain them adequately: "I partied too much to do well on tests" will not help your application. The best tactic is to spin the negatives into positives by stressing your attempts to improve; for example, mention your poor first-quarter grades briefly, then describe what you did to bring them up.

6. Do Vary Your Sentences and Use Transitions.

The best essays contain a variety of sentence lengths mixed within any given paragraph. Also, remember that transition is not limited to words like nevertheless, furthermore or consequently. Good transition flows from the natural thought progression of your argument.

Before: [/b]I started playing piano when I was eight years old. I worked hard to learn difficult pieces. I began to love music.
[b]
After: I started playing the piano at the age of eight. As I learned to play more difficult pieces, my appreciation for music deepened.

7. Do Use Active Voice Verbs

Passive-voice expressions are verb phrases in which the subject receives the action expressed in the verb. Passive voice employs a form of the word to be, such as was or were. Overuse of the passive voice makes prose seem flat and uninteresting.

Before: The lessons that have prepared me for my graduate studies were taught to me by my mother.

After: My mother taught me lessons that will prove invaluable as I pursue my research interests.

8. Do Seek Multiple Opinions.

Ask your friends and family to keep these questions in mind:

* Does my essay have one central theme?
* Does my introduction engage the reader? Does my conclusion provide closure?
* Do my introduction and conclusion avoid summary?
* Do I use concrete experiences as supporting details?
* Have I used active-voice verbs wherever possible?
* Is my sentence structure varied, or do I use all long or short sentences?
* Are there any cliches such as "cutting edge" or "learned my lesson?"
* Do I use transitions appropriately?
* What about the essay is memorable?
* What's the worst part of the essay?
* What parts of the essay need elaboration or are unclear?
* What parts of the essay do not support my main argument?
* Is every single sentence crucial to the essay? This must be the case.
* What does the essay reveal about my personality?

9. Don't Wander. Do Stay Focused.

* Many applicants try to turn the personal statement into a complete autobiography. Not surprisingly, they find it difficult to pack so much information into such a short essay, and their essays end up sounding more like a list of experiences than a coherent, well-organized thought. Make sure that every sentence in your essay exists solely to support one central theme.

10. Do Revise, Revise, Revise.

* The first step in an improving any essay is to cut, cut, and cut some more.

if you want to write a Statement of Purpose, dont go about copying from the net or ones you got from the search engine,

pips in the US have crazy software for checking this, its an automatic disqualification, plagiarism is a serious issue in US

@sayhi2ay
thanks alot for your short and meaningful contribution
readers should please take note that all my postings are just to serve as a guide

Engineering: Tips on Getting In
Information provided by U.S. News & World Report


SCORE WELL
Undergraduate grades and GRE scores are the only objective ways that applicants from different schools can be compared, so scoring well is key. The bar for graduate admissions, though, is higher than for undergrad, and showing steady improvement won't always cut it. If your grades are not at the top of the class, getting an outstanding letter of recommendation from a professor who knows you and your work well may be a saving grace.

RESEARCH HELPS
Most undergraduates have had some research experience, which is a good thing. Graduate programs value such experience highly. If you somehow managed to get your B.S. without spending time in a lab, doing some engineering-related work between undergraduate study and grad school can help, admissions officers say.

DO A LITTLE HOMEWORK
Do some research about the people with whom you'd like to do research. Graduate students spend a good deal of time with individual faculty members. Check out what other students are researching and which professors they are working with. Visit the campus, and take a stroll around the laboratories. A few hours on campus can tell you more about the place than days spent reading glossy admissions brochures.

RANKINGS AREN'T EVERYTHING
If you already have a particular field in mind, look at schools that have a strong track record of placing graduates in jobs in that area. Don't let a school's overall ranking discourage you from applying if one of its individual programs is particularly strong.

I have got some useful materials on preparing for GMAT and GRE that i found online but am unable to load it on the thread because they are too heavy, if u r interested, leave ur email on the thread and i will send it to u

@ Blackpro

Please do i need to write toefl to gain to again admission for MBA in the US?

Thanks

some schools do not require TOEFL exams to gain MBA admission, but you will need it for your visa interview,

like i posted in this forum sometime ago, 3 of my friends got an MBA admission WITHOUT TOEFL and GMAT but were refused visa cos they didnt have TOEFL score even after I-20 was shown to the consul, oh! you wouldn't get an interview date anyways without them confirming your I-20 first.

This happened March,2008

61. After crude oil, natural gas is the United States second biggest fuel source and supplied almost exclusively from reserves in North America.
(A) After crude oil, natural gas is the United States second biggest fuel source and supplied almost exclusively from reserves in North America.
(B) Natural gas, after crude oil the United States second biggest fuel source, supplied almost exclusively from reserves in North America.
(C) Being supplied almost exclusively from reserves in North America, natural gas, the United States second biggest fuel source after crude oil.
(D) Natural gas, the United States’ second biggest fuel source after crude oil, is supplied almost exclusively from reserves in North America.
(E) Natural gas is supplied almost exclusively from reserves in North America, being the United States’ second biggest fuel source after crude oil.

CORRECT ANSWER: D

62. After gradual declension down to about 39 hours in 1970, the workweek in the United States has steadily increased to the point that the average worker now puts in an estimated 164 extra hours of paid labor a year.
(A) After gradual declension down
(B) Following a gradual declension down
(C) After gradual declining down
(D) After gradually declining
(E) Following gradually declining


CORRECT ANSWER: D

63. After July, anyone disposing of or servicing refrigerators must capture the chlorofluorocarbons in the refrigerant chemicals.
(A) anyone disposing of or servicing
(B) those who dispose or service
(C) anyone disposing of or who services
(D) the disposal or repair of
(E) someone who disposes or repairs


CORRECT ANSWER: A

64. After Queen Isabella asked Admiral Columbus to describe the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), which was newly discovered, he had reached for a sheet of paper, crumpled it, and said, “It looks like that—beyond the mountains, more mountains.”
(A) After Queen Isabella asked Admiral Columbus to describe the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), which was newly discovered, he had reached
(B) On being asked to describe the new discovery of the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti) by Queen Isabella, Admiral Columbus, reaching
(C) Queen Isabella asked Admiral Columbus to describe the newly discovered island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), then he reached
(D) When asked by Queen Isabella to describe the newly discovered island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), Admiral Columbus reached
(E) After Queen Isabella had asked Admiral Columbus to describe the discovery of the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti), he had reached


CORRECT ANSWER: D

65. After suffering $2 billion in losses and 25,000 layoffs, the nation’s semiconductor industry, which makes chips that run everything from computers and spy satellites to dishwashers, appears to have made a long-awaited recovery.
(A) computers and spy satellites to dishwashers, appears to have
(B) computers, spy satellites, and dishwashers, appears having
(C) computers, spy satellites, and dishwashers, appears that it has
(D) computers and spy satellites to dishwashers, appears that it has
(E) computers and spy satellites as well as dishwashers, appears to have


CORRECT ANSWER: A

66. After the Arab conquest of Egypt in A.D. 640, Arabic[b] became the dominant language of the Egyptians, replacing older languages[/b] and writing systems.
(A) became the dominant language of the Egyptians, replacing older languages
(B) became the dominant language of the Egyptians, replacing languages that were older
(C) becomes the dominant language of the Egyptians and it replaced older languages
(D) becomes the dominant language of the Egyptians and it replaced languages that were older
(E) becomes the dominant language of the Egyptians, having replaced languages that were older


CORRECT ANSWER:A

67. After the Civil War, contemporaries of Harriet Tubman’s maintained that she has all of the qualities of a great leader, coolness in the face of danger, an excellent sense of strategy, and an ability to plan in minute detail.
(A) Tubman’s maintained that she has
(B) Tubman’s maintain that she had
(C) Tubman’s have maintained that she had
(D) Tubman maintained that she had
(E) Tubman had maintained that she has


CORRECT ANSWER: D

68. [b]After the Colonial period’s 50 percent mortality rate, life expectancy improved for children, but [/b]as late as the nineteenth century about one child in three died before reaching the age of six.
(A) After the Colonial period’s 50 percent mortality rate, life expectancy improved for children, but
(B) Even though children’s life expectancy, which improved over the Colonial period’s 50 percent mortality rate,
(C) Although life expectancy for children improved after the Colonial period, during which the mortality rate was 50 percent,
(D) While there was an improvement in life expectancy for children after the 50 percent mortality rate of the Colonial period, still
(E) Despite children’s life expectancy improvement from the Colonial period’s 50 percent mortality rate,


CORRECT ANSWER: C

69. After the Vietnam war Bettye Granther, a U.S. Army nurse, continued her efforts on behalf of injured Vietnamese children, providing medical care, helping to reunite estranged families, and the establishment of a fund for the children’s future education.
(A) the establishment of a fund for the children’s future education
(B) the establishing of a fund for the future education of children
(C) establishing a fund for the children’s future education
(D) establishing a fund for the childrens’ future education
(E) the establishment of a fund for the childrens’ future education


CORRECT ANSWER: C

70. After this year’s record-shattering January performance in Madison Square Garden, the ensemble were touted as the country’s best new group in decades; no critic or reviewer had anything but praise for the young musicians.
(A) the ensemble were touted as the country’s
(B) the ensemble was touted as the country’s
(C) the country touted the ensemble like the
(D) touting the ensemble as the country’s
(E) they were touting the ensemble as the country’s


CORRECT ANSWER: B

71. Aging is a property of all animals that reach a fixed size at maturity, and the variations in life spans among different species are far greater as that among individuals from the same species: a fruit fly is ancient at 40 days, a mouse at 3 years, a horse at 30, a man at 100, and some tortoises at 150.
(A) among different species are far greater as that among individuals from
(B) among different species are far greater than that among individuals from
(C) among different species are far greater than those among individuals of
(D) between different species are far more than that between individuals of
(E) between different species are greater by far than is that between individuals from


CORRECT ANSWER: C

72. Aho, a Kiowa matriarch, held festivals in her home, they featured the preparation of great quantities of ceremonial food, the wearing of many layers of colorful clothing adorned with silver, and the recounting of traditional tribal jokes and stories.
(A) Aho, a Kiowa matriarch, held festivals in her home, they featured
(B) Festivals were held in Aho, a Kiowa matriarch’s home, which featured
(C) Aho, who was a Kiowa matriarch in her home, held festivals featuring
(D) In her home, Aho, a Kiowa matriarch, held festivals that featured
(E) Aho, a Kiowa matriarch, held festivals in her home that featured


CORRECT ANSWER: D

73. Alaska regularly deposits some of its profits from the sale of oil into a special fund, with the intention to sustain the state’s economy after the exhaustion of its oil reserves.
(A) fund, with the intention to sustain the state’s economy after the exhaustion of its oil reserves
(B) fund, the intention of which is to sustain the state’s economy after they have exhausted their oil reserves
(C) fund intended to sustain the state’s economy after oil reserves are exhausted
(D) fund intended to sustain the state’s economy after exhausting its oil reserves
(E) fund that they intend to sustain the state’s economy after oil reserves are exhausted


CORRECT ANSWER: C

74. All-terrain vehicles have allowed vacationers to reach many previously inaccessible areas, but they have also been blamed for causing hundreds of deaths, injury to thousands, and seriously damaging the nation’s recreational areas.
(A) deaths, injury to thousands, and seriously damaging
(B) deaths and injuring thousands, and serious damage to
(C) deaths, thousands who are injured, as well as seriously damaging
(D) deaths and thousands of injuries, as well as doing serious damage to
(E) deaths, thousands are injured, and they do serious damage to

CORRECT ANSWER: D

75. Along with the drop in producer prices announced yesterday, the strong retail sales figures released today seem like it is indicative that the economy, although growing slowly, is not nearing a recession.
(A) like it is indicative that
(B) as if to indicate
(C) to indicate that
(D) indicative of
(E) like an indication of

CORRECT ANSWER: C

76. Although all the proceedings of the Communist party conference held in Moscow were not carried live, Soviet audiences have seen a great deal of coverage.
(A) all the proceedings of the Communist party conference held in Moscow were not carried live
(B) all the Communist party conference’s Moscow proceedings were not carried live
(C) all the Communist party conference Moscow proceedings have not been carried alive
(D) not all the Communist party conference Moscow proceedings have been carried alive
(E) not all the proceedings of the Communist party conference held in Moscow were carried live

CORRECT ANSWER: E

77. Although aspirin irritates the stomach, it can be avoided if the aspirin tablet is given a coating that will not dissolve until the tablet reaches the intestine.
(A) Although aspirin irritates the stomach, it
(B) The irritation of the stomach caused by aspirin
(C) The fact that aspirin causes irritation of the stomach
(D) Aspirin causes stomach irritation, although it
(E) Aspirin irritates the stomach, which

CORRECT ANSWER: B

78. Although dozens of New York’s small museums are either devoted to local history or various ethnic groups, there are many one-of-a-kind museums from Manhattan to the Bronx that are open for exploration on summer weekends.
(A) Although dozens of New York’s small museums are either devoted to local history or various ethnic groups, there are
(B) Although dozens of New York’s small museums are devoted to local history or various ethnic groups,
(C) Dozens of New York’s small museums are devoted to local history or various ethnic groups, but there are
(D) Dozens of New York’s small museums are devoted to local history or various ethnic groups, and there are also
(E) Devoted to local history or various ethnic groups, dozens of New York’s small museums and also

CORRECT ANSWER: D

79. Although early soap operas were first aired on evening radio in the 1920’s, they had moved to the daytime hours of the 1930’s when the evening schedule became crowded with comedians and variety shows.
(A) were first aired on evening radio in the 1920’s, they had moved to the daytime hours of the 1930’s
(B) were first aired on evening radio in the 1920’s, they were moved to the daytime hours in the 1930’s
(C) were aired first on evening radio in the 1920’s, moving to the daytime hours in the 1930’s
(D) were aired first in the evening on 1920’s radio, they moved to the daytime hours of the 1930’s
(E) aired on evening radio first in the 1920’s, they were moved to the 1930’s in the daytime hours

CORRECT ANSWER: B

80. Although films about the American West depict coyotes as solitary animals howling mournfully on the tops of distant hills, in reality these gregarious creatures live in stable groups that occupy the same territory for long periods.
(A) films about the American West depict coyotes as solitary animals howling mournfully on the tops of distant hills
(B) in films about the American West coyotes are depicted to be solitary animals that howl mournfully on the tops of distant hills
(C) coyotes are depicted as solitary animals howling mournfully on the tops of distant hills in films about the American West
(D) films about the American West depict coyotes as if they were solitary, mournfully howling animals on the tops of distant hills
(E) films about the American West depict coyotes to be solitary and mournfully howling animals on the tops of distant hills

CORRECT ANSWER: A

good job bro,

Hi Blackpro,

Thanks for all your contributions, I'm amazed that there are some Nigerians who still do things for free without any,

Please, do send me the [b]GMAT [/b]materials you have.

I'm trying to take the MBA but not looking at the US. I'm looking at a few European schools largely because I feel the US is myopic in it's view of the world.
I think the US schools are largely a reflection of the US culture. I'd recommend a number of good European schools also that have very good background and give a broader perspective to both business and life. I think this would be particularly good for us as future leaders especially since we are coming from a not too "civilized" society and our country's future largely depends on the kind of thinking it's younger generation develops now.

Prosit, if you really wanna get value for your money, US school is the best, I have friends taking MBA in US and UK, no basis for comparison at all,

coming to a US school would be worth your time and money, trust me on that,

since LBS is rated top 50 in the world, the visa consul might see no reason for you to travel abroad for your MBA, just thinking aloud though,

you may wanna go in for a course that's not too common, very easy to switch once you get here,

Hi Sayhi2ay,

I appreciate your views and I want you to accept that there is always another perspective to things if you care to look at it from those perspectives. But if you refuse to accept other ways of doing things, then I have a problem with that.
Professionally, I think Americans are the best people I have worked with. I have friends in the IFC and IMF who schooled in the US, I've visited some of your schools - Virginia Tech and George Washington University, interacted with a few students but trust me, if you are attending a school in America and you tell be they are the best, I'll just like to roll up my sleeves and have a nice and healthy discussion with you.

America doesn't recognize some countries as legitimate, tags the same Pakistani govt a terrorist organization and turns around and calls them a legitimate govt when they are ready to help the US. Apply this kind of thinking to business and leadership and you'll understand what I'm saying.

The MBA world is bigger than the UK and the US, save a few schools, the best european schools are not even in the UK. If you can visit Insead - http://knowledge.insead.edu, IESE and IMD.

I respect America for it's policy on the freedom of acquisition and dissemination of knowledge, but trust me brother, I'm not too down with the US teaching me Leadership, Politics and Business.

Thats how politics are being played,

Very educative thread. Black pro keep it coming.

Thanks

A very helpful thread . . .

BTW: how long do you guys think it will it take a 'working-class lagosian' to prepare and pass the GRE excellently? especially if most of the reading will have to be done on weekends

if most of your reading will be done on the weekends, maybe 2 months,

depends on your vocab skills,

you really have to practice hard and regularly so you dont forget the formulas in the maths section,

you can get Barron and Kaplan textbook,

(you can use the week to learn the english vocabs, and the weekends for the maths), you should do well,