Murrghh. If I don't get into graduate school this time around, I think I'm going to work for roughly 2-5 years and save up before giving it another shot. I'm pretty good at saving up and holding off on things in order to pursue a greater goal. This is also one small side benefit of being legally unable to drive - until my fainting has cleared up in full for a minimum of two years, getting my license and a car (and therefore car payments, gas, and insurance) are not happening.

Preparing for the GRE is frustrating because there's just so much vocabulary and math to study for, and so many essay topics you can possibly have to write about (there's 250 of each type of topic). At least I feel like I'm preparing better this time around than last time. I started earlier, I've been making flash cards...main thing I need to do is get some math tutoring. I even set up a test date that was early enough to be able to schedule another 2 months later and still have it completed well in advance of my application deadlines.

All I can do is try my best, I suppose.

@__@ Oh man. Studying for the GRE subject test is driving me BONKERS. I think part of it is a sense of futility - I've been informed that the letters of acceptance already went out before I even had the chance to submit my test scores. So the only way I'm getting in to the only place I haven't been rejected from is if there aren't many people on the waiting list and some of the accepted people decline or fail to reply by April 15th.

Well, fuck. I did account for the possibility of not getting into any grad programs when I was planning things out, but that does mean plans A, B, and C are shot now, and D is more than likely shot, too.


I'm going to have to focus on getting my health under control, studying to take the GRE general test again (I already know I do need better scores there)...and if my scores aren't good enough on the subject test I'll have to take that again too.

The GRE book says that at least a year of preparation in advance is required for doing the GRE and getting into grad school. What pisses me off is that none of my university course advisors even fucking MENTIONED the GRE or how much preparation had to go into taking it. I believe in personal responsibility and all...but considering that these are people that I made appointments with for advice on how to achieve specific academic goals, and I explained that I wanted to get into grad school, I really think they should have bloody well mentioned this stuff during my appointments with them. >_< At the very least, they should know what the requirements are for their own university's grad programs.

ARGH.

Well, I just called the graduate office of psychology at York and it looks like they start sending out their admission letters at the start of March approximately.

EEEEE. SO NERVOUS.

The good news is that the secretary said I will more than likely know if I got into my program of choice well before my subject GRE test on April 10th. I'm going to start studying just in case, but since the social and personality psychology program at York was my first choice...yeah, if I get into it, then I'm not going to bother with the subject GRE for psychology.

Granted, I won't get all my money back for the test, but I'll lose less money than if I go take the test. Particularly since it's in Hamilton at 8:30am on a Saturday and I'd have to get a hotel room the night before, as a 6am drive down there = so not happening. Although my parents did say they'd come get me afterward if I have to take the test since the bus that can easily reach Hamilton in my area doesn't run on the weekends.



I do feel a little better now that I've got set dates for some things and an estimate for others, now. I'm fairy sure uncertainty has been contributing to my stress levels of late.

At my parents' place right now, going to meet up with Tiffany later to do stuff today. My allergies are driving me crazy so I hope the anti-histamene I took will kick in before I go over to her place. Her cat Tamahome is a sweetie but I am allergic to him.

The new anti-inflammatory medication I'm on seems to work better than either ibuprofen or naproxen. I'm not pain free but it's more uncomfortable pain rather than "holy shit ow" pain when I'm taking it. (For example, doing the dishes doesn't leave me hurting and not wanting to use my hands or arms for the rest of the evening now) I don't even need it at the 3 times a day dose, either. (The doctor did say I could take it less if I didn't feel I needed it). 1-2 times a day seems to be doing the trick.

I'm going to have to book GRE stuff ASAP. Unfortunately, they seem bent on making the process obnoxious. Instead of just booking it through the university, I have to go online, pay for the privilege to take a highly stressful test on one site, and then book on yet another site. I understand that I'll have to pay regardless because you have to pay for this kind of stuff all the time...but couldn't they at least make it so that part of what you're paying for is the convenience of enrolling, paying, and booking all in one place?


I have received some very good news. My adapter was shipped out just the other day. :D If all goes well and there are no substantial delays I should have it by next weekend.

*whimper* I emailed the company I ordered the adapter from. It's on backorder. Now, the person who emailed me back said they're expecting it to ship on Thursday or Friday and they will give me tracking information but...I just really want my adapter and to not have to depend on my brother's adapter anymore. He uses the computer a lot and it's hard to find a time when he doesn't need it.

Saw the doctor today, she said my hands and wrists were quite inflamed so she got me to do an x-ray so that could be forwarded to the rheumatologist.

I had hardly any energy the past couple of days...so when I was at the pharmacy I took my blood pressure, and uh. Wow. O.o Small wonder. 89/53 was the rating. Healthy blood pressure, for those unfamiliar with blood pressure ratings, should be anywhere from 110/70 up to 120/80. sephirajo, I think we need to combine our collective blood pressures. The average between the two would probably be pretty close to ideal.

I bought a few books to prepare for the GRE. One had 5 practice tests, one was psychology specific (as I'll have to write the subject test as well as the general GRE). One was for math prep for the GRE...which I really need. I suck at math and have sucked at math since high school. So do both my parents and my brother. Hard work is probably the only reason that we have all passed the subject at all. Definitely not a strong point in this family. To put things in perspective - my parents praised me for getting a C+ in Statistics as opposed to the A I got in a writing course because they knew I'd busted my ass a lot more to get that C+.

I think I might see about either signing up for a GRE prep course or getting a math tutor. I want a good GRE score.