Financial Problems setting me back
Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 8:41 pm
I had full intentions to take the PGRE in November, apply to schools and get going with school after taking a year off. Unfortunately, for lack of a better phrase, *** hit the fan. I lost my job about 2 months ago and with the current economy I couldn't manage to get a new one. I've run through just about all of my savings and I am still struggling to find a job, mind you I am even applying to silly entry level food service jobs. As it stands I'm not really in a great position to spend a few hundred dollars on the General GRE and PGRE let alone visit any prospective campuses, pay for fees to send my scores etc. My two options then are two postpone grad school for one more year and spend the time preparing for the GRE/PGRE, trying to get some real research experience in and, if possible, finishing up my B.S. in Math (as I am only 1 semester away from the second degree). My second option would be to grab a credit card, pay for the two tests with that and cross my fingers that I can get some sort of steady income soon.
I suppose my real question is whether or not a stronger portfolio is worth earning despite having two years of delay between undergrad and grad school.
As a bit of a side question, a job that I recently interviewed for and have some hope of getting is as a quality control specialist at microbiology lab. It really isn't physics related in any way but I am kind of curious if lab experience, even microbiology experience, would be considered beneficial by admissions committees.
I suppose my real question is whether or not a stronger portfolio is worth earning despite having two years of delay between undergrad and grad school.
As a bit of a side question, a job that I recently interviewed for and have some hope of getting is as a quality control specialist at microbiology lab. It really isn't physics related in any way but I am kind of curious if lab experience, even microbiology experience, would be considered beneficial by admissions committees.