GRE

I got my results back for the test. I already had the math and verbal scores and I did well there. But I was worried about the analytical writing section. And rightly so. I got a 4.5 out of 6 on their holistic grading scale. That was at the 58th percentile. So really not good at all. I should have done some actual prep work for it.

For completely separate reasons, I've been considering not entering graduate school next fall. That would give me time to retake the test to raise the writing score. But I'm not all that worried about it. Just disappointed that I didn't prepare well enough for it. Well at all really. I didn't do any practice essays. I didn't even fully grasp what the writing section was until a couple days before when I finally read a description and started looking at the topic pool. I was hoping I would edge by with a 5 which doesn't look quite so bad I don't think. But oh well. Better luck next time.

By the way, I'm trying to do better about keeping in touch with family and friends back home. So if you haven't heard from me in a while, please leave a comment, send an email, find me on skype (usually on in the evenings Eastern Standard), or call me on my cell phone (which might be a bit expensive for you, unless you use skype where it's only about 2 cents a minute) - you can email me for the number.

Staying in Touch

Well school is out for the summer and I have about 2 months until I leave for Japan. (Check out the nifty countdown clock I added! Yeah I’m a dork, but ya’ll already knew that.)

Well anyway, I tried to make sure that everyone got my contact information before I left school, but I forgot about my seniors. They were already gone by the time I had everything set up. If you’re friends with one of the recent graduates, pass along my blog address and my email to them. You can find my email address on the profile page for my blog. Here it is if you can’t find it on the profile page. I’ll be using that from now on including in Japan.

The school already cancelled my email account for them, so don’t bother with that address anymore. This means that I lost a lot of addresses that I had stored with it. I actually just sent out a mass email to everyone I had an email address for. If you didn’t get it, that means I don’t have your email address now (either it was deleted with the school account, or I never had it). So if you want to be sure I have your address, send an email along.

I haven't been very successful in the past with staying in touch over time and distance, but I'm trying to set everything up before I go, seeing as how I have 2 months of freedom until my departure date. While, I plan on keeping up with email, I decided that this here blog would be the best way for keeping everyone informed of what I'm doing over in Japan. I know that I haven't been writing much of late, but I plan on writing 3 or 4 times per week until I leave and almost every day while I'm in Japan to chronicle my experiences. If you have a thought on something I write in the blog, feel free to leave a comment for me. If you just want to say “Hey Jad” or give me your email address or webpage, please send an email along and I’ll be sure to get it.

Also, I’m moderating the comments. That means that your comment won’t appear right away, but usually within a day or so.

Thanks everyone for the supportive emails that I’ve gotten so far.