johnnycomelately

I somewhat agree. Knowing that someone turned down an offer in no way guarantees that you will be the one picked to take their spot. It can even add to frustrations, especially if you are then not offered that funding/admission. 
Also, try not to hold it against those of us who have offers to more than one program and are still figuring out where we will be going. I realize that being wait listed is probably very frustrating and anxiety inducing, but know that for some-read: myself-being admitted to some of the programs was unexpected and has made the decision making process very difficult, and visiting the programs is a big part of that process   
That being said, I don't feel I have the right to declare something to be universally "unhelpful," and will post once I've finalized my decision and informed the programs. 

I somewhat agree. Knowing that someone turned down an offer in no way guarantees that you will be the one picked to take their spot. It can even add to frustrations, especially if you are then not offered that funding/admission. 
Also, try not to hold it against those of us who have offers to more than one program and are still figuring out where we will be going. I realize that being wait listed is probably very frustrating and anxiety inducing, but know that for some-read: myself-being admitted to some of the programs was unexpected and has made the decision making process very difficult, and visiting the programs is a big part of that process   
That being said, I don't feel I have the right to declare something to be universally "unhelpful," and will post once I've finalized my decision and informed the programs. 

I somewhat agree. Knowing that someone turned down an offer in no way guarantees that you will be the one picked to take their spot. It can even add to frustrations, especially if you are then not offered that funding/admission. 
Also, try not to hold it against those of us who have offers to more than one program and are still figuring out where we will be going. I realize that being wait listed is probably very frustrating and anxiety inducing, but know that for some-read: myself-being admitted to some of the programs was unexpected and has made the decision making process very difficult, and visiting the programs is a big part of that process   
That being said, I don't feel I have the right to declare something to be universally "unhelpful," and will post once I've finalized my decision and informed the programs. 

Of course it does, I just wouldn't guess it to be statistically significant (unless it is one of ours! ), though I never learned how to count countless.

I am just curious as to what the possible upside of emailing is? Everyone has the same deadline to accept admission (though when I was in the process of applying to law schools and my MS program I did say 'no thank you' as soon as I knew I wouldn't accept something). I did have the urge to reach out to people, but I ignored it. I guess I just don't see the upside. "Oh SMITH! Thank heavens you emailed! I would have never realized that I didn't send your response!" If anything, during this crazy busy time for them I would think that if it had any effect it would be detrimental. If there are 3 folks left for one spot and someone just can't stand to let the process happen without emailing, maybe it makes it easier to say there are 2 folks for one spot. I have no idea, but it does seem like a possibility or at least as possible as it having a positive effect.
I know the waiting is no fun and I hope you get a positive result. Any suggestions on what the possible benefits of email are, other than making us feel like we are being proactive in some fashion when in reality the die has been cast?

I still haven't heard anything from any of the schools I've applied to. It is maddening. If one more person asks me if I have heard back I'm going to explode.
The good news: A new time-wasting game has released today and I sunk 10 hours into it already. It is called Stardew Valley. It is a indie farming simulator on PC inspired by Harvest Moon. If there are any video game nerds out there, check it out! 
The other good news: I'm doing a final check of the article my professor and I worked on and then it will be ready to submit for possible publication. We submitted once and they gave us feedback and asked us to resubmit because they were interested. Hopefully it works this time! 
The other other good news: I leave for Disneyland on Sunday! 

I completely agree! Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in life, and dealing with some not so pretty weather for 5 years of your life can sometimes be a necessary evil in order to attend a program that you think will lead to the most success, not to mention your future happiness!

Graduate students are happy to be honest because, well, they know that the PhD is tough.  They do want to support people who want to give it a shot but offer plenty of warnings.  We all know that there are opportunities beyond the PhD that pays far more than what graduate students make.  So why be unhappy and make $15,000 when you could be making $75,000 elsewhere instead?
Listen carefully to graduate students-- ask them point-blank how they're being funded in order to finish.  Some will be ashamed to admit to taking out loans because we ALL know that we aren't supposed to be paying for a humanities PhD and will not admit anything.  Ask them good questions about their expenses (there is a huge difference between having a car and not, having kids and not, and having a roommate and not!).   If you hear a lot of students talking about fellowships/grants, then you know the department has a good track record (though just pay attention to their fields-- some fields are better funded than others).
Ask grad students which faculty members they love and why.  Ask them who to avoid for seminars and why (believe me, we are opinionated in this as it's already torturous to sit for 2 1/2-3 hours).  Ask them what they like about the city and recommend some favorite venues/restaurants/etc.  If they seem "meh," ask them where they lived before (I lived in big cities before coming to my PhD program so I don't have the *best* view of my current city ).  Get to know them. 
Yeah, definitely ask about their teaching responsibilities and the undergrads they work with.  There is nothing like being a TA that will rouse conflicted feelings out of them....

Lets make a black list of grad advisers haha

Congrats to everyone who's been admitted, and our fingers are crossed for those of you waiting to hear back from programs! 
I am relieved to know that this season is probably done for me, with a mix of a few acceptances at programs that are a good fit, a few rejections, and a waitlist. I've really appreciated being able to check in with other people during this process to know what's going on out there. Now it's time to make some decisions and get back into the habit of reading all day everyday... 

I had a similar "chat" prior to being accepted at a program. The conversation was mostly about what I liked about the program/advisor's research, and whether or not I would accept if offered a spot.  

Finally received my first admit (UCSD History / Science Studies)! My research fit is pretty phenomenal and I'm super pumped about my potential committee (2 other scholars whose work I love are in different departments). No more Plan B office job for me!

Huh, there was so much I've could've learned if I only found gradcafe sooner. In any case, I got accepted to Vanderbilt with 5 years funding. From my conversation with my POI there, Vandy is a perfect fit with my research interests. 
I fully expect to be rejected from UT-Austin, Minnesota, and Rice. But whatever, just happy I got in

Yeah, no, I'm coming down super hard on this nonsense. People are allowed to be unironically happy, and talk about their success and the choices they have in this space. And many people who are just admitted to or are currently attending top-ranked programs got shut out in their first (or second) go-around. If you feel like their success is hurtful to you, that's definitely not their problem.
No one here owes you their silence, and this post makes you sound like a petulant five year old. Grow up and get over it.

I disagree with this statement.  I doubt that people are bragging about acceptances. Rather, they are genuinely excited and want to share.  The bragging is more in the perception than in the intent.
I am a firm believer in that people should not have to walk on eggshells for someone else's sake.  I'm not saying that people have the right to be a-holes or purposefully do hurtful things, but they are allowed to rejoice in their accomplishments without being chastised for it.  There are always people who have it better and people who have it worse, in all ranks of life and all situations.  If only misery, as it were, was the accepted shareable feeling, it would be a grim world indeed.

I'm not sure about your discipline specifically, but you might ask to look at graduate student handbooks if you have not already. I've learned really interesting logistical and structural tidbits about programs by looking through their handbook.
Might help sway your thoughts one way or another.

I'm in the same position you are, having been admitted to four programs but only seriously considering two. Being a fan of tables, I made a pro-con chart that considers:
location, including distance from friends/family cost of living availability/cost of housing near campus program ranking school ranking outcomes of conversations with current students how well advisors' methods match my research interests my impression of how well-defined and cumulative the advisors' lines of research are advisors' years of experience, number of publications/citations number of students advisor has had in the past, including their outcomes (types of institutions they end up at, # of publications / year, # citations / year after graduation) funding my impression of advisors' personalities overall culture of the program With that chart in hand, what was a difficult and anxious decision now seems obvious!

Go to recruitment visits. If you're considering all those factors and still don't have a clear idea of which to choose, visiting the programs will help immensely.

I had a wild dream that all four of my remaining schools made me offers, but they all asked me to make a decision only after visiting. However, dream-logic was that I HAD TO VISIT THEM ALL IN A WEEK. So, I bounced between Oregon, Arizona, and Colorado, only to say "screw it" and ended up staying in the Rocky Mountains and avoiding civilization.
Waiting does weird things to your dreams.

Relevant link: http://www.theonion.com/article/report-today-the-day-they-find-out-youre-a-fraud-35133

Congrats!  To everyone!

I got in to Chicago!!!!!!!

I got in to Chicago!!!!!!!

I got in to Chicago!!!!!!!

Downvote the haters into oblivion, Chicago is awesome.