[PhDGirl]

I took the GRE and used the Kaplan workbooks to practice. Get the ones which have a lot of question sets because that will give you the practice you need. I think I spent $20 for them.

As for the thesis versus non-thesis, it depends on your goals. If you are getting a terminal masters where you'd go into the workforce, it doesn't really matter. If you'd like to do a Ph.D. later or go into a field where you'd be doing research, then a thesis is better. That being said, my masters was a professional terminal masters (so no thesis) and it didn't hurt me in the Ph.D. process since I've never had to do TA or RA work to be funded. So, it's really field-specific. The same goes for rankings - something could be ranked 80 overall, but #1 in a particular field. So you have to do your homework. Have you looked at the US News list for your particular program? You can also ask potential programs what their graduates are doing now. That should give you some indication.

Best of luck!