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My bit about being a first gen and having a low undergrad GPA: I could only afford to take the GRE one time, I didnât know about app waivers at all. I applied to 6 schools, I got in to 2, one being where I was a technician. When I reached out many schools said:
âYour GPA and GRE scores are not competitive enoughâ I had at this point 6 years of research experience, it was devastating. I couldnât decided if I should wait another year. I decided to accept at UT Austin! A few weeks later I got the NSF GRFP.
This felt pretty miraculous given what I had just been told from schools that I didnât get in to. All this to say, you are SO MUCH MORE than numbers, your passion and enthusiasm are beyond value. Now in my 4th year of my PhD when grant reviews mention my grades I know
that is not a full picture of who I am as a scientist by any means, it feels like it is just something easy to nitpick. I am lucky to have mentors to lean on and validate that fact. Find mentors that look beyond GPA and encourage your growth 
Wow, thank y'all for sharing your stories with me! I wanted to add the form you fill out from ETS for a fee reduction for the GRE, just in case anyone seeing this thread needs it! https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_fee_reduction_request_form.pdf
