And I can't believe I survived it. This morning I was feeling absolutely terrible! I actually thought I was going to throw up! Looking back on it, I think it was just nerves, but you really can never tell with me. (My tummy issues are another story entirely). So I stopped at Walmart on my way to the test to get some Pepto, and by the time I got to the actual testing center I was feeling pretty okay.
But oh my gosh, just getting into the place was a process. There are SO MANY rules for taking this thing! I felt like I was going to jail or something! They made me take off my sweatshirt and my watch, spit out my gum, and turn my pockets inside out before they would even let me in the room! They take your picture before you go in and they video you the entire time. It was weird. Future GRE-takers, be warned. For me it was especially troublesome because they wouldn't let me take my water bottle in, and I take my water bottle everywhere! I feel naked without it! And a lot of times, especially during exams, when I get nervous my throat will get real dry and sometimes even feel like it's closing up, and I need water! So it was a little scary not having it. Alas, I survived.
The first section (writing) went well. I actually enjoyed the prompts and didn't have trouble coming up with things to write about. Then there was a quantitative section, which went fine, and then the dreaded verbal. I don't know what was going on, because this has never happened to me during any of the practice tests, but I felt rushed! I guess I just couldn't focus enough so reading the passages took me longer than it should have, but I glanced at the time I had left, and I felt like I had to hurry to get done! Then I was paying more attention to the clock than the actual test, so that section did not go well, at all. Fortunately after that it was break time, so I walked around a little, got a drink, and was ready to go for the rest of the test. There were two more quantitative sections and a verbal, all of which went pretty well. I guess they have one section that's ungraded for research purposes or something. I was just glad it was math and no more reading/vocab guessing haha.
Then, the scariest part, is that they give you your scores right away, and you have to decide right then if you want to send them to grad schools for free or wait and pay to have them sent. I wasn't happy with my verbal score (like I said, I choked during that first section), but I decided to have them sent anyway. I really didn't want to have to retake it. Plus, I got a 158 on the math, so I thought that was pretty good, at least.
I drove home crying, thinking I did horribly and that my studying all summer didn't even pay off, but I decided to call Milligan (my dream school) and ask them what kind of scores they were looking for. The admissions director for the OT program is so so nice (I've talked to her before) and she asked me what I got, so I told her, and she said "Oh, honey! Don't retake it! Take a deep breath, you should be celebrating your good scores!" Apparently, she thinks I'm qualified! I hope everything works out!
I am honestly just glad this is over. I've been stressing about it for so long. Now, I feel like I can finally enjoy my summer (good thing there's a whole 3 weeks left! hahaha). So that's what I'm going to do: get some peach iced tea and a book, sit by the pool, and just RELAX!
Hope everyone is having a great day!
- Jamie
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