Balancing Work and GRE Preparation: Shyam’s fight against all odds to get a 315 in GRE
Getting beyond the 315 score mark in GRE is not an easy task. Being engaged in a full time job makes it even harder. Not able to take time out of a busy schedule and failing to follow the study plan, this is the story of every working professional.
Meet Shyam, he is an Oracle Administrator at Wipro. Shyam, like every other working professional was tired juggling between work and GRE preparation. He didn’t have enough time to prepare on his own or go to a coaching class. He was looking for an online platform and found it in AdmitEDGE. Shyam went on to score 315 in his GRE and took a step closer to realizing his dreams.
We requested Shyam to come and share his experiences and provide some tips and tricks that could help the GRE aspirants. Shyam was more than happy to oblige. On the evening of 14th November , Shyam visited our office premises in Chennai and had a candid discussion with our senior GRE expert Vishnu. So, here is how the discussion went –
Full Transcript of the Interview with Shyam
Why MS in US?
Vishnu: Shyam, thank you for being with us this fine evening. Can you tell us why you chose the US to pursue your Masters?
Shyam: Sure, Vishnu. First of all, Thank you for having me here. I hope my experiences and preparation techniques can help a lot of the GRE aspirants. Now the answer to your question, I was not much interested in the idea of Master’s during the initial days of college. I thought l would get a job and start earning money. But only after getting into the job did I understand the importance of higher education and the skill one develops through constant hard work. I chose US because it is a tech hub for various fortune 500 companies like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft. Every one of those companies are headquartered in the US. Being a techie, I would like to go there and showcase my skills. I also want to innovate something life changing.
Motivation for MS in US?
Vishnu: That’s very thoughtful on your part Shyam. Can you tell us more about your motivation for MS in US?
Shyam: I have a few of my friends who studied there, have completed their course and currently working there. They shared the experiences they had, the professors they studied under and the people they met, it was pretty much interesting. This is what made me push harder for MS in US .
Shyam Sundar, Oracle Administration, Wipro
Specialization
Vishnu: So, Shyam have you decided upon the specialization for your Masters?
Shyam: I want to pursue my Masters in Business Analytics. Being a working professional, I get to talk with lot of teams and I see there’s a niche skill called analytics which not many people are experts in. Today the companies are bestowed with a lot of data and they are looking for people with certain set of skills to improve their business overall. Considering all these factors, I decided to go for Masters in Business Analytics. I’m also looking for MS in MIS.
What after Masters?
Vishnu: Shyam, have you any thought about your life after Masters?
Shyam: Well after my Masters I want to get into a good position in companies. I want to contribute something to the industries because there you get to solve complex problems, be it a startup or an established one. these companies/industries need people with skills. I see myself in the position of analyst in the next two years.
Plans for PhD?
Vishnu: That’s great to hear Shyam. Do you have any plans for Ph.D anytime soon?
Shyam: Not as of now. But maybe somewhere down the line. Although I’m a bit more inclined towards MBA. I have a desire to go pursue an MBA from Stanford/Harvard.
How did you plan for GRE?
Vishnu: Shyam, can you share with us your preparation techniques and study plan for GRE?
Shyam: Why not, Vishnu. Actually plan of going for GRE came up in Christmas 2014. I thought about going to a class but it was not feasible since I’m a working professional. I work through the week and relax on the weekends. So I needed an online platform, and googling brought me to AdmitEDGE. I started reviewing and looking out for your presentations and attended a few webinars. I was satisfied with your initial preparation strategy and tips. I had undergone demo sessions for 2-3 months. This improved my confidence and increased the trust on you guys.
“I see myself in the position of analyst in the next two years”
Quant Preparation
Vishnu: Can you elaborate about your Quant Preparation?
Shyam: To be frank, Quant was difficult for me. Two years out of college I lost the touch, formulas were simple but it’s been a long time, taking pen and paper and solving sums. My SFA Jamuna ma’am helped me a lot in this. Starting with basic concept, structured a proper schedule which I couldn’t follow the rules/couldn’t follow the schedule because of less time I started sincerely studying mid-May-June.
Verbal Preparation
Vishnu: How did you prepare for the Verbal section?
Shyam: I booked dates in June. Started my preparation from April. SFA drafted a careful plan and on approaching deadlines I studied while traveling as it takes up 3 hours of my time. extensively. can’t used wordbot while traveling, start before a week and end up remembering 3500 words one week before. start with 25 words every day remember the synonym and meaning of the word and usage in a sentence pretty soon you will be able to see the word and understand what it means or at least get a clear idea,increase from 25-100 gradually words. Catch on to similar sounding words.10-15 words you’re not familiar write it down and take the test later on. Coming to RCs I wasn’t an avid reader so I made it a habit to read newspapers. Regularly reading newspapers and editorials will help.
D-day Experience
Vishnu: Shyam, now that we know about your style of preparation. Can you tell us about your exam day experience?
Shyam: I was little nervous but not to the extent that I would mess up the exam.
“I was a little nervous but not so much, that i would mess up the exams”
Role of SFAs
Vishnu: What do you have to say about the SFA/Personal Trainer support?
Shyam: I will use the word “catalyst” for the AdmitEDGE SFAs because we as Indian students tend to do our work only when someone pushes us from the back. and tells us about deadlines, upcoming assignments. SFAs used to call me every now and then. They customized the time table according to my schedule and priorities. this helped me a lot. The SFAs tried improving my abilities to learn, a lot.
Tips for Aspirants
Vishnu: I’ll extend the courtesy to your SFAs, Shyam. Do you have any tips to share with our GRE aspirants?
Shyam: To start off with, just research about all the options. where do you want to see yourself in 10 years time. As yourself questions like: Will I be leading a company or will I be a manager. Work out your priorities, if your interests lie in the business side of things try looking for an MBA course. Just because my friends are pursuing MS, I’ll have to do it! Please do away with those thoughts, don’t give into peer pressure. Analyze the course and the university you want to pursue the course in.
Experience with AdmitEDGE
Vishnu: Shyam, How would you describe your experience with AdmitEDGE?
Shyam: AdmitEDGE played an important role. Even after appearing for GRE there’s a lot to be done. AdmitEDGE brought me closer to my dream. My SFAs Jamuna and Catherine ma’am helped me improve my abilities. There are other SFAs who helped me solve many other doubts. You can call them anytime and they’ll help you out with everything.
Shyam is one such working professional who has not given into the pressure caused by hectic schedule and strict deadlines. He worked his way out of it. He properly utilized whatever time he could take out of his timetable. He used WordBot by AdmitEDGE to learn the GRE words. He made it a point to improve his vocabulary so much so that he used to practice while commuting. And the result yielded is right infront of you. Achieving a GRE score of 315 despite all the odds stacked against him.
Shyam and 25,000+ students like him have benefited from our programs. Shyam prepared with Complete GRE Compact, in his journey to achieve a GRE score of 315. You too can prepare with us, achieve a high GRE score and reach a step closer to your dream of pursuing higher education abroad. To know more about the program Shyam prepared with, please check out Complete GRE by AdmitEDGE.
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