nikkimx

Hi again!
I had a phone call with my potential advisor at UW last week. The purpose of the phone call was to offer an opportunity for me to ask questions, and the conversation was entirely unofficial and did not discuss the status of my application. It sounds like they are making final decisions soon, and then official letters will be sent out in 3-4 weeks. However, my potential advisor said that once final decisions are made, professors are allowed to individually contact applicants to give them unofficial notification of their acceptance.
Congrats on your acceptances! That's awesome! Sorry to hear Cambridge doesn't have any funding for you... It was my understanding that all research-intensive Ph.D. programs offered funding packages, so that's surprising to hear. Washington State is requiring a decision by March 1st?! I thought every program gave until April 15th for applicants to make decisions?
Good luck to you with UW! Hopefully decisions will be made by March 1st!

Hi all!
I applied to the PhD programme in Curriculum and Development at UW. I received an email on 31 Jan letting me know that my application was sent to the committee to review and that the target date for decisions is 10 March. It's only been 8 days, but I'm eager to hear from them soon! My POI hasn't reached out to me, and I'm not sure if interviews happen at all - but not too worried yet cos again, it's only been 8 days since my stuff was sent for review! Fingers crossed and best of luck to everyone!

Great topic @Espeon. I read everything I could on the general interview thread on GC; that was pretty helpful.
I also made a list of questions based on what other GC'ers recommended. It's a Google doc so if anyone wants it, PM me and I'm happy to share the link. Then, before each conversation, I reviewed it and reviewed the interviewer's bio as well as any work I could find of theirs.
This was helpful although still a nerve-wracking experience!
Interested in others' advice as well.

Update: Had my phone interview (Friday--I'm late updating). Went super well! No official offer of admission yet, but the professor with whom I spoke was very optimistic and excited. Some of the questions she asked me include what I liked about the program/what attracted me to the program, why I thought I'd be a good fit for the program, and why I am choosing this path at this point in my life. After that she asked some kind of informal ones, like what I want to do after getting a PhD (I say "informal" because she said I wouldn't be held to it and that she was just curious) and if I've ever visited the campus. I feel really good about it! Some of my anxiety about having imposter syndrome myself/getting accepted has subsided. But only some. Lol. 
@nikkimx good luck in your interview! Just be yourself! The more genuine, the better. ? 
Good luck everyone! Decisions will start rolling in soon! 

@day_manderly I'm ROFL. I'm queen of self doubt so I guess I fit in here. It's Friday! Can't imagine we'll hear anything over the weekend. 

Don't worry, imposter syndrome is actually this special mark on the psyche of all future doctoral degree holders.

Awesome @Espeon! That sounds very promising.
I only applied to five schools, and four of them won't be sending out admissions until March-ish. My top choice (an education program) typically contacts potential admits for interviews around January 20th. I'm not really expecting any contact until then, and even then I'm not expecting anything (i.e. trying to be pragmatic) because it's an insanely competitive program. 
I'll be checking this thread constantly, though, because I love hearing about people getting interviews/admits.
The one thing (above all else) that really gets me about this whole graduate school thing is the near-mystical aura around every stage of the process. I'll have my B.A. in May, so this is obviously my first application season, but it's been a rollercoaster. One day I'm floating on clouds, feeling incredibly confident about my prospects as a top-tier candidate... and the next I'm mocking myself for thinking I ever had a shot. I'm all about suspense, but I really can't wait for this whole thing to be over. I've got an awesome job offer waiting for me if I don't get in anywhere, and that takes a bit of the edge off of things... I can't imagine what others (who don't have that luxury) must be going through. Such an incredible weight/unease.

Excellent news! I'm sure you'll nail the interview--just remember they contacted you for a reason, just be yourself.

I haven't had any correspondence with any of my schools and I'm already feeling the same way. I think it's pretty natural. It's a huge shift, a huge change, and for many of us it's the first time we've been faced with such a monumental opportunity. I know everybody's different, and people's circumstances all vary, but for me, it's unnerving knowing that the very course, direction, and ultimate outcome of my life may very well rest on how appealing an admission committee finds my stack of papers. You got the interview though, which means your stack was good enough; now all you have to do is show them you're the person on the paper. : )

I got an email on Dec. 21st asking to schedule an interview for the Ph.D. program at the University of Cambridge. The interview will be via Skype later this month.  
I haven't heard anything yet from UW or WSU. These are the only three schools to which I applied. 

@Kilos Thanks! I am experiencing a bit of imposter syndrome, so I really appreciate your words!

@Kilos Thanks! I am experiencing a bit of imposter syndrome, so I really appreciate your words!

I haven't had the interview yet, but it was an extremely positive email from one of the professors I mentioned in my statement and whose interests match really closely with mine. She mentioned that I seemed like a strong fit on paper and she just wanted to make sure with a phone call. I feel really good about it!