Remember Words Synonyms (useful for GRE GMAT and SAT) by reading this story Synonyms - Story 1

Synonyms:
Abandon, renounce, maroon, leave in the lurch, forfeit, disown, waive, ditch, abdicate, jilt, forsake, abjure, repudiate: Cast off or disown, Lose or lose the right to by some error, offense, or crime, Leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

Story using the above synonyms:

I was left in a lurch when my so called friend-cum-business partner accused me of invading his private space and being a hurdle in his professional career. So much so that he even repudiated the fact that he was friends with me.

Fresh from graduation in Computer Science, I decided to open my own IT business solutions company with one of my high school friends John, some 5 years back. Then, little did I know that during the test of times, I would be disowned by him. It happened in following manner. 5 years back, the Federal government agency passed a law saying that if you open a business in partnership with someone else, each one of you is liable to pay some sort of tax. In order to get ourselves waived off from that tax, we decided to register the company only in name of John. John convinced me into renouncing the tag of joint CEO of our company. He made me believe that this move is just to jilt the recently laid tax reforms law and that we still are partners with both having equal share. Then, I did not realize that this move was actually meant to ditch me, not the tax laws. I happily abdicated the title of joint CEO of our company.

But, lightning struck when 6 months back, after burning midnight oil and taking the company to new heights and profits never seen before, John abandoned me and forsake me by refusing to accept me as his business partner. The move by John to abjure me was so well timed and well planned that even our employees refused to recognize me.

I almost forfeited to the activities of John and decided to move on. It was only after legal proceedings and moral support by my family that I accused John of ditching me and finally truth triumphed. John is now serving his sentence of 5 years and I am the undisputed CEO of our company.

Last week before your exam? Read these Dos and Don'ts

Here are some of the dos and don’ts which should be followed prior to a week before the examination:

Dos:

• Last week is only meant for revising and growing in confidence. Practice the things which you tend to forget and concentrate on the important topics.

• Eat healthy and nutritious food which will help you in keeping your mind active and alert. Include lots of leafy vegetables and fiber rich foods in your diet. The food items like fruits, salads, protein rich foods, almonds and cashew nuts help you to keep up with the pressure and be active. Try eating six small meals a day rather than 2 full stomach meals.

• Getting full quota of sleep during the last week is as important as revising your concepts. Ideally, one should sleep for at least 8 hours. This will help you to keep yourself fresh and revitalize you energy.

• Many even prefer listening to soothing music. This helps in de-stressing and keeping your senses and presence of mind alert. If music does not suit, you can find any other medium to de-stress yourself but this is a vital step. Play some light games which require utilization of your grey matter and helps you relax.

• Try some exercise or yoga. It is a proven fact that such activities keep your mind focused and body active.

• Seek advice from teachers and experts; go through last year’s paper patterns and type of question asked.

Don’ts:

• There is no point in starting with new topics all together. What you could not achieve in last couple of months, it is unlikely that you would achieve that in a few days. If at all anything, it will make you more apprehensive and this could be detrimental.

• Don’t eat junk foods; they tend to make you lethargic. Avoid energy drinks, tea and coffee and also avoid heavy meals.

• Don’t reduce your sleep and don’t try to stay awake at night before exams as they tend to make you lethargic during the entire day which is of no good.

• Do not exert yourself during exams by means of playing outdoor games. It can take a toll on your body and can cause physical injuries.

• If you are someone who loses confidence easily, don’t discuss much with friends as it can lead to confusion and affect your flow of study.

TOEFL: Myths vs Facts

Some of the misconceptions surrounding TOEFL are:
Myth: The pattern of the paper is fixed and is the same for everyone.
Fact: The pattern i.e. the number of questions in each section may vary. All that is decided is that there are 4 sections. Other things will vary from time to time.

Myth: You can’t change your test center once it is assigned.
Fact: You can choose your location and time of the test as per the schedule. Once you are allotted a center, you can still change that. You cannot change your test date once it is assigned.

Myth: Without a good TOEFL score you won’t find a college.
Fact: The TOEFL score is only the test of English language. So, if you score badly, you can still get into a good college provided you make up for that by taking a course in English.

Myth: There is no validity period of the score.
Fact: Just like GRE, even TOEFL has a validity period. Its validity period is 2 years. Thus, you at least have to get rid of application process within these 2 years.

Myth: The CBT-TOEFL and the Paper TOEFL are exactly the same.
Fact: There are quite a few differences between these two. In CBT-TOEFL, apart from the normal sections as in the TOEFL, there is also an essay section where in the applicants have to write essay based on the given argument. Also, there is a difference in the paper pattern.

Appeared for GRE, what next?

Do not let your emotions dictate terms, whether emotions of joy or disappointment. Here are a few things that are equally necessary.
1. TOEFL: it is compulsory for applicant from non-English speaking countries. Try to get that out of your way as soon as possible after the GRE. Almost all universities in the US require TOEFL.

2. Admissions: you can send your GRE/TOEFL score free to 4 universities online. If your preparation is good, choose some ranked universities. Or else, choose some universities in the lower half. Make this application count because for every other application, you will have to pay.

3. University selection:
• First and the foremost, know what your budget is. If your score is not too good, may be less than 2500, avoid applying to top universities. You won’t be getting there and thus you will be wasting your applications. Even if you get, you would not be getting any grants or scholarships. Be realistic and prudent while choosing the universities.
• Make sure that the university you are applying for has your specialization. Even if you have a good score and a good GPA but the university does not have the specialization you have opted, your application will be rejected.
• Scan each university in terms of its scholarship module, locations, placement, jobs within the campus and other such parameters. Your selection process should even take these into account.
• Some universities like the University of Arizona give high importance to your graduate scores. Thus, even if you have a good GRE but poor graduate performance to back that, your application could well be rejected.

4. Recommendations: almost all universities require 2-3 recommendations to back your application. Get it done from your college professors. Make sure all your achievements and good performance are mentioned in the recommendations.

5. Transcripts: all the universities require transcripts sealed by your respective university. Do avoid any complications ahead, it is better that you have your transcripts sent by the college themselves.

6. In a nutshell: Form a packet which comprises of following documents:

• The statement of purpose (SOP). It must indicate your field in which you want to do your majors.
• Transcripts
• Recommendations
• Financial statement
• All the related documents showing your work experience and extra achievements if any.