Hello, folks.
I'd like to begin by thanking you all for participating in discussion here, as you've all provided me with some relief throughout this application process. It's always nice to know that there are others processing the same questions.
And so, I thought I'd try to get some of your insights on something else that took me a while to process, and something that will certainly impact my choosing to pursue or pass on graduate school. I believe the issue is embodied nicely by this article (from 2009, though I believe still relevant):
https://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846/
Though there may be those of you that disagree with some of what Mr. Benson has to say, I would like to know primarily what drives you to pursue graduate school despite what may be happening in academia, and despite the difficulty that may await you upon completion (in other words, I'd be curious to know how you would act assuming that what Mr. Benson states is true, though I would also like to know how you may disagree). I know this will vary among applicants, since those accepted to top-20 institutions will presumably hold a sort of advantage if and when they graduate, but I'm sure this is something we all need to process to some extent.
So I offer this to you for discussion, and I graciously thank you all again for taking the time to contribute to this forum. I'm a top-notch lurker.
