Friday, July 29, 2011

Soul Sucker

Hello Everyone!

I am glad to report I am alive and well.

Where was I, you ask?

I was off getting my soul sucked by a little thing called the GRE.

GRE = Graduate Records Examination

Basically, I had to take it to get into graduate school.

I studied for about a month using 2 books and learning over 500 new words.

I don't know about you, but I am not much of a test taker. I am the kind of person who can narrow down my options to A and C... Pick C and it turns out to be A. My guessing is shoddy and my testing just isn't really a great representation of my understanding of materials. I am the kind of person who would rather take an essay or short answer test any day over multiple choice or true/false!

Well the GRE does has a writing component, but the rest is multiple choice.

Another test taking quirk I have is jumping around. I will usually start at the end of the test and work my way forward. I love skipping around. The GRE... No. No way. It is part of it's soul sucking personality. It only lets you see one question at a time. In order to move on, you have to answer and confirm that question without the option to come back at a later time. Lame. And strike three on my chances to be super successful.

Last Friday, I went in at 8 am to see if my test skills were good enough to get into graduate school. I had dressed for success and was prepared to dominate.

As the test went on, I began to wear out. I felt confident through the writing and the math section, but I struggled through verbal... Which is strange because I pre-tested really well on that parts.... Not to mention I learned 500 words people! 500!

At the end, the GRE wanted me to take another math test. It was make the test better for future takes. Screw that! They can fend for themselves. And the people who make the GRE are such big shots that they should be able to figure that out on their own! I was done. I wouldn't be their guinea pig. I had to know my scores. I was freaking out. I thought I did well... But you never know...

400 Verbal
610 Math

I didn't know what I needed.... All my graduate program said was "acceptable GRE scores." As my brain raced, I thought back to what others had said to me... Didn't I needed 800 on each part? Oh dear... I tried not to panic and hyperventilate. There were others still taking test. I needed to exit before I puked.

I had just put my heart and what was left of my soul into this and I scored only 1/2 of what I needed on verbal?!?! Oh. M. G.

I immediately grabbed my stuff from the locker room and dashed to my vehicle. I started to look up acceptable GRE scores for schools on my iPhone. The first few sites I found said a combined score of 1250 was on the lower end. Usually schools want 1600-1800.... Oh no. I just screwed my chances of ever getting into a grad school! This can't be possible! I thought I studied hard and I didn't think I had done that bad...

Cue the tears and dramatic sob story to my mother. I am never getting into graduate school! I am graduating in the fall and will just go out into the job field! I don't need a stupid MS degree! This is sooooooo tragic! I have ruined my LIFE!

Once I pulled myself together, I started texting friends asking what kind of scores they got....

Turns out I must have been looking at websites for people applying to Harvard and Princeton.... Who were interested in chemical and molecular engineering graduate programs.... Not Ag Ed at OSU. Whew! What a relief!

Unfortunately, I only found this out after I sent ridiculous emails to my advisors asking if I needed to retake the GRE or if I needed to apply elsewhere because I was so incapable....

Needless to say, I felt dumb. Lesson learned. Don't panic until you know the facts.

So, I am back to regular summer life. I have regained my soul, which is great. Plus there is no panicked, guilty feeling when I am watching TV at home or when I am at work and reading a book. The GRE is over and I am so glad I don't have to retake it!

In other news, I got LASIK surgery on both of my eyes yesterday.

It hurt. It still kind of hurts. Basically, they cut a flap on my eye and then sculpted the part underneath the flap and smoothed my cornea out. This was all done using lasers.

I used TLC and they had the LASIK thing down to a science. It seems like they herd people through there like cattle, doing the surgery over 20 times every Wednesday and Thursday. It is a well-oiled machine!

Yes. I did take Valium and No. It didn't help with pain or nerves. I think it actually hit me in the post-op room after everything was said and done! I have to use 3 types of eye drops, 4 times a day for a little while. It is funny.... You pay oodles of money for this procedure, but when you get your "take home" package, they tell you... "Oh yeah... Those fake tears that you need to take all the time, well we gave you a starter kit with 5 single-use droppers, but you are definitely going to need more."

Cool. I am blind, but thanks for the heads up on the errand I will need to run later on today!

One thing I will tell you, is that the eye drops go into my eye and some how end up in my throat. They taste terrible and it fascinates me every time I take them and get the nasty taste in the back of my mouth. Why didn't I learn that in biology? More importantly, why didn't I learn about that in my quest to study for the GRE? It seems like an interesting science passage for the verbal part... I'm just saying.

Overall, I am pumped that it is done! I can see and I don't have contacts in or glasses on! What a simple, yet amazing concept.... Hands down --The Best Part-- getting to wear my Vera sunglasses all the time now!

Final update is my newest tenant. He is a 5-week-old blue heeler puppy named Doc. I am trying to find him a home!




Precious, right?!