[nabs-l] Questions related to Grad School

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Liz and all,

What field are you planning to go into in grad school?

The schools you are applying to should have Websites for each graduate
program which will detail all the requirements and instructions for
applying, deadlines, etc. That should be your first source of
information. You can also talk to an academic advisor or professor in
your field of interest at your current school (or former) to get a
feel for what is required in your field for graduate study, what
factors influence decisions, etc.

Most programs will require the GRE to be taken before applying even if
it doesn't weigh heavily on admissions decisions. You can find a lot
of GRE info at
www.ets.org/gre
including the form that you will need to fill out to request testing
accommodations. Definitely work with ETS first before contacting
anyone local as they can tell you where you can test and when. It
takes them a while to approve testing accommodations so start as soon
as possible. The form is really pretty simple if I remember correctly,
but if you have questions or run into trouble definitely call the ETS
main number and ask to speak with Nora Hallenbeck or Ruth Loew. Both
are very nice and Ruth has done a lot of work with NABS in the past.

If Braille is your primary reading medium you can call ETS and ask
them to send you a Braille test book. It's not as comprehensive as the
print one, but does include a practice test so you can see where your
strengths and weaknesses lie. There may also be accessible online
resources, but I'm not familiar with them--others please chime in.

I personally wouldn't recommend talking to disability offices at your
school of choice at least until you get accepted, and even then, it's
probably not necessary. Grad programs are typically small enough that
accommodations can easily be negotiated with professors on a
one-on-one basis. For example, my stats prof had no problem emailing
me exams--end of issue. Also if it's a small class readings are more
likely to be available online.

Hope this is helpful and others please chime in if you have had
different experiences or additional advice.

Arielle

On 5/11/09, rachel Jacobs <oceanrls at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Liz. I would definitely contact the person at the schools who work with
> the disabled. Maybe ask that person whether or not to apply first and then
> do the GRE. I would guess that since you would have to have it at either
> school that it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and just do the GRE first.
> Definitely begin the process of applying though. Grad school seems to take a
> little longer with the applying process. At least it did for me! If you have
> any other questions, feel free to ask.
> Rachel
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Liz Bottner" <liz.bottner at gmail.com>
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2009 7:09 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Questions related to Grad School
>
>
> Hi Rachael,
>
> I'm almost positive that both of the schools I'm looking at do require
> taking the GRE. Should I apply beforehand anyway, in spite of this fact?
>
> Thanks for the advice,
>
> Liz
>
> email:
> liz.bottner at gmail.com
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> http://unsilenceddream.livejournal.com
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> http://twitter.com/lizbot
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> for Independence:
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> m&fr_id=1050
>
>
>
>
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