Many applicants to graduate school find that February is a month of waiting to learn the outcome of their applications. Some applicants will have received rejection letters. Others will be invited to interview. If you have not yet heard anything, don't fret. Not all graduate programs conduct interviews. Waiting is the hardest part of the graduate admissions process. You've done your part, gathered experiences, made contacts, obtained recommendation letters, taken admissions exams, written admissions essays, and more. It's easy to avoid worrying when you're busy, but at this point in the process you're likely to be simply waiting.
What to do while you wait?
- Focus on your classes.
- Maintain and improve relations with faculty.
- Take some time to yourself. Have fun. Read. Play video games. Do nothing.
- Exercise. The best way to rid yourself of the physical manifestations of anxiety is to get yourself moving.
An important way of managing the anxiety that comes with the unknown is to plan. Consider the ugly what-if's. What if you don't get accepted at your first choice? What if you don't get funding? What if you are wait-listed? What if you aren't accepted anywhere? These are the nagging questions you don't want to consider but if the wait is interminable, focus your attention to considering a Plan B.
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