Just Submitted Application for Ph.D. program at UGA in Educational Policy Studies

[indorichai]

Hey everyone, 

I just submitted my Ph.D. application for the University of Georgia and I'm already feeling anxious. I really want to get into this program and I think I'm a good fit (I've tried to argue why I'm a good fit as much as I could in my SoP). However, I did horrible on the GRE (147Q; 151V; 4.0 AW) and did not have enough time to re-take it. I do have a 3.96 GPA in my master's program in education at FSU (Florida State) and I made sure to submit a strong paper I wrote on a policy, but I still have the weight of my GRE score and my undergrad GPA (it was a 2.51). 

What can I do in the meantime to get ready for an interview if I ever do get one? I just purchased a book that one of the faculty members (who I'm interested in working with) wrote and plan on reading it over Christmas break. What else could I do? 

Thanks in advance!

[AP]

One thing you can learn early on is to accept that *many* cogs in the admission process are not up to you. There are many parts moving when admitting a new cohort: the size of the cohort, availability of funding, need for TAs/RAs, faculty on leave/thinking of leaving/new searches, program needs, the cohort as a whole, other cohorts, etc etc etc etc. 

Acknowledging that your part is done and enjoying your break is not only advisable but needed. Throughout graduate school you will be in similar situations, where the moment you click "submit", your part is (momentarily) over. This is a hard thing to learn because people attending graduate school, like you and me, tend to be overachievers. 

I'd say give yourself a break. Enjoy the winter time. 

When you return, work on possible interview questions. Practice over and over and over again. Record yourself. Listen to your recording, practice again.