
Next Stop: George Mason University!
My journey begins! Thrilled to start my studies in Computer Science at George Mason University. This is just the beginning of an exciting adventure!
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Fall intake deadline
Hi all, I am planning to apply for MS in IT for fall intake in USA, but someone told me most of the courses are closed, is this true? what is the deadline usually for fall intake? #masters #ms #USA #usafall2023 #deadlines
Home-based tests or tests at the centers, which to prefer?
Home-based tests were introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, due to the unavailability of the test centers. Right now, GRE and TOEFL can be taken at home. IELTS on the other hand, has increased the number of test centers for easier accessibility. Home-Based Tests: The at home test is identical to a test taken at a test center and is taken on your own computer at home. All at home tests are monitored by a human proctor online through ProctorU. At home testing is available around the clock, seven days a week. Requirements: * You must be alone in a room with no one else entering during the test. * You must close all doors in the room before beginning the test. The room must be quiet and well lit. Surroundings should be clear. Your table and chair are positioned so that the door to the room will be visible to the proctor. Your computer and keyboard must be on a desk or other tabletop surface. * Notes can only be taken on a small desktop white board with erasable marker or a sheet of paper inside a transparent sheet protector, with an erasable marker. Pencils and pens are not permitted. At the end of the test, you will need to show the proctor that all notes have been erased. * You need to be dressed appropriately with your ears visible to the proctor throughout the exam. Avoid wearing any jewelry or other accessories. Face masks may not be worn during check in or any part of the at home testing experience. * For any technical issue, you can wave to your proctor and get it clarified. Pros: * You can take the test anytime. If you are a night owl, you can take it at 2 AM and if you are an early riser, at 4 AM! * All you need is a strong internet connection and some privacy. You can take the test in the comfort of your home. Anxious students can relax and prepare. * You can avoid travelling to and from the test center. Cons: * Need to make sure your table, surroundings are clearly visible to the proctor. In case you have pets or young children at home, it would be difficult to cultivate a silent room. * You will need to have the right equipment and uninterrupted internet connection throughout the test duration. At center Exams: Pros: * You need not worry about the equipment for taking the test or the internet connection. Best choice for aspirants who don't have proper connections or coming from a place where internet stability is still a major concern. Cons: * Tests are available only at slots of time, as they have only a limited number of seats and the tests must be scheduled at the daytime. * Unfamiliar environment and equipment: The PC might be older, and the keyboards might be jerky. Also, sometimes the AC might be blasting off and other times it would be hot. So, if you are taking the test at the test centers, do remember to dress in layers to tackle any situation. To pick the right one between the GRE at home and the testing center for study abroad, it is necessary for you to start with giving practice tests. If you have a proper internet connection with the required exam equipment and the privacy of your own room, then go for the home test. And if you don't have the proper equipment and won't have much time to buy it, or if you have young children at home, then the regular test is the best option. At home results should reach you 10-15 days from the date of the exam. There are many students asking if GRE at home test scores are being cancelled. That should not be the case, as the scores are cancelled only if there has been misconduct, plagiarism or testing irregularities. If ETS cancels your score, they would be sending the reason why so. If they don’t, you can always email them and request for the reason. Sometimes, the scores might take longer than 15 days to reach because of the number of students taking up the tests. If one does not receive their scores by 20 or more days, they would need to send in an email raising concern to ETS. Important thing to remember is that you need to give ample time for the tests. Do not try to give them only a month before the start of the application process. Give 1-2 months spare in case you might need to give the test again, or if there has been a discrepancy in the scores. #examprep #GREprep #TOEFL
Is it safe to take the GRE test at home??
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM:- ETS has been canceling many GRE scores which are taken from the home. The worst part is that they DO NOT mention the exact reason for the said cancellation. Most of the time, it could be because of intended malpractice during the test. But there could be cases, where your test scores might be canceled due to technical faults (like VPN fault, alternating tabs by mistake, faulty cache, and so on). That being said, you are investing a huge amount of time and money in your abroad education, if your GRE scores get canceled after you have completed your entire application process(which itself costs a lumpsum amount), and even worse, if they are canceled after you have secured your admits and paid the deposit, this could become your worst nightmare. So, choose wisely. Think about the pros and cons. Decide if taking a home-based GRE is absolutely necessary for you. Having said that, What are the factors that determine your choice of taking the test at home or waiting for centers to become operational? There are many questions that need to be considered before opting for a home-based GRE. Q1: Do you have computers, connectivity, and an ambiance that meet GRE home requirement? The requirement is not uncommon. Computing Requirement: Any good laptop that runs Windows 7 or 8 or 10 should be sufficient. Conversely, if you have a desktop PC, you should have access to an external microphone, webcam, and a speaker. WFH with office laptops: If you have taken your work laptop home for WFH, visit GRE’s website and check whether you are able to install the ETS browser. In many companies, the sysadmin would have disabled the ability to install any external software on the official laptops. Check and verify that you will be able to use the software on your machine before registering for the GRE. Connectivity Requirement: Any decent broadband connection should do the job. If you have a 2 MBPS plus broadband connectivity that is usually stable, it should tick the box as far as connectivity goes. However, if you live in a place where wired broadband is not available and you depend on mobile Internet, I will recommend that you find an alternative. It could be getting wifi access from a neighbor who has wired broadband for the duration of the test. If such an alternative is not possible because you have moved back to your hometown (during lock down) where decent broadband is not available, wait for the test centers to become operational. Or, at least, wait till you get back to your college or workplace where connectivity is better. Ambiance: Do you have a reasonably silent room that is clutter-free with a desk and chair to take a 4-hour exam? If so, the home-based testing will work for you. On the other hand, if you live in a shared paying guest accommodation, you should probably not think about taking the GRE at-home version. If you live in a comfortable house with an independent room for yourself, I think you should complete your GRE at home before the test centers open up and the option to take the GRE at home ceases to exist. You are unlikely to get any better ambiance in any test center that matches your own independent room. Q2. Are there any game-changing differences between the two formats? Yes, there are a few differences in the test administration process based on which format you choose. However, the fact is that there is not a single game-changing difference in the way GRE has opted to offer the GRE at home. You still have to complete two sections each of Analytical writing, verbal, and quantitative reasoning in the home-based version. You get to do all calculations either on a transparent paper and a marker or on a whiteboard with a marker (you need not choose the whiteboard option). So, to that extent the test experience is almost the same as you will find in a center - only made better without any potential annoyance from another test taker next to you. You have the option to take a retest should the first attempt result in a lower score. So, I do not see any point in not opting for the GRE at home if you checked the boxes about the system and ambiance requirement. That's it, folks! Hope this article helped you. All the very best for your application process! #studyabroad #greathome #greprepare #masters #ms #USA #Canada #universityselection #applicationprocess #community_mentor #CM #CommunityMentor #studyguide
Question to the people on yocket
As you can see lots of questions are regarding American universities on your yocket feed. Despite some other countries offering better immigration/PR laws, cheaper education people tend to go to the US more. Why is that? What factor makes the US more desirable as compared to other countries? Would really like to know your thoughts on this. #USA #CANADA #UK #GERMANY #CM
