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I thought I'd touch on your post because I attended Cincinnati for undergrad and MS as well as being accepted to Florida State and Sam Houston. GREs can hurt you, if too low, but if the rest of your app package is decent then GREs are almost moot (again, if *good enough). Most schools use them as a cut-off tool or for scholarship decisions. Your letters, experience, statement and GPA are more important in the long term. TL;DR: get as high of a score as you can, but not at the expense of other application materials. If you have a non-existent statement of purpose, your GRE will be irrelevant.

I would estimate a safe score, assuming an equally acceptable GPA as well as good/great LoRs would be around 155 for both verbal and quant with a minimum if a 4 on the AWA. I studied for a couple of months; I am horrible at standardized tests. I would suggest truly studying for a couple of months and taking many practice exams. Try a real GRE when you feel your scores are sufficient but I would caution you to leave enough time for a retake or two if need be. I do not believe there is an option to view your score without officially submitting it. With that being said, unless you know you've done horrible I would not cancel the scores, I would submit them but be sure to show an increase during any subsequent testing. I believe schools *can access any of your scores, but most only accept the most recent/your best (within their given time frame). I hope this helps and good luck! P.S. You'll be fine! The real stress begins when you start applying and interviewing.

You may want to make sure that certain schools have a strong area of study which you are interested in. This will undoubtedly cut this list into a third of the size, or less. I would recommend researching that as it is not only easier on your wallet (it's expensive to apply), you want to get accepted to a school where you feel comfortable and they support your research ideas. With this being said, you missed Florida International which has a Ph.D. focusing on international crime if that sparks your interest (it's a very new program if I recall). Best of luck.

I had much lower score than you (151v and 146q with a 4.5 AWA) and I was offered admission to several schools, including Florida State. You have plenty of time to retake your GRE (I did not). I would retake it if you plan on studying and obtaining higher scores. With that being said, I was told by every school I got into, as well as those I did not, that my GRE was not the reason for their respective decisions. Experience, GPA, and references have a higher weight. Some schools may use the GRE as a "cut-off" but that wasn't a factor for my applications. I was rejected by schools because they did not have an advisor open that was related to my field of study (Biosocial). You have plenty of time before application season so I would advocate trying to get the highest score possible. With that being said, please do not focus solely on the GRE. It is one facet of your app and will not make or break your future by its lonesome.

I would strongly oppose living in the gaslight district. I lived there for most of my undergrad and part of my grad and unless you are drinking all the time or don't mind loud and crazy people until the wee hours of the morning, avoid it like the plague. Apartments off campus, namely Hyde Park (close to school and great area), would be a much better option. Of course this is my $.02. I've been in Cincy for 29 years but as always, your mileage may vary.

No problem at all. You'll do great!

The length of a phd at cincy is dependent on you. It can be done in 4 with a masters, and I know someone that took 7 years to get it without one. If you have an MA I would not suggest retaking classes as you'll learn everything again your first year.

It has been rather quiet.

The field of Criminology/Criminal Justice is pretty vast, you are correct. That being said, the easiest way to find a research topic is to ask yourself what you really care about. What would you enjoy learning more about in our field? You mentioned you're a corrections officer. Would you be interested in researching recidivism? Responsivity? Whether a new program for the incarcerated would be appropriate? These are just a few examples, but if you follow what you are interested in it makes this decision much much easier. Best of luck. PS I'm interested in pretty much everything as well, but there are a couple of topics and sub topics that spark my interest even more. Find those and you'll be set!

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it. You're obviously a caring person, seeing as you wouldn't feel right visiting a school if you had no intention on accepting an offer. Schools appreciate the honesty, and while they may lose out on a great student, I'm sure they understand it's a two way street. It's definitely their loss, but at the end of the day you have to do what you feel is right.

I would definitely contact them if it has been a month. All PhD programs must adhere to the April 15 deadline (students must give intent by then unless given permission to extend the time). Since that's only a little over a month away I would think the students that were going to decline would have done so; though a few schools may still be ironing out financial details and they may be waiting to hear back from all schools before committing. Keep your head up!

So have the vast majority of us heard back from our schools/made the decision?

Congrats! That's awesome news and now you can (hopefully) relax a little!

You got this! Interview day? More like acceptance day!

I want to thank each and every single one of you for sending good vibes/thoughts for my interview (and, let's not kid, the airplane ride!). I can say now that I will accept Sam Houston's offer (full funding for four years) and will decline the others. Hopefully those of you waiting will hear good news soon. Networking is key, and closer to when classes begin I would like to get everyone's thoughts about giving our personal email/number so we can keep in touch and hopefully work together down the road. Thanks again!