Warelin

I rejected a school ranked in the 20s for a school in the 30s. I think the difference is terms of rankings was also around 9? I felt the school ranked in the 30s was in a better location for me, had a better stipend, had faculty I was more interested in working with and their placements looked better to me. The school ranked in the 30s seemed was very open about their placement and the cohort vibe was ambitious and collegial.

I rejected a school ranked in the 20s for a school in the 30s. I think the difference is terms of rankings was also around 9? I felt the school ranked in the 30s was in a better location for me, had a better stipend, had faculty I was more interested in working with and their placements looked better to me. The school ranked in the 30s seemed was very open about their placement and the cohort vibe was ambitious and collegial.

Some schools that make up the "top 20" will change every time the list is completed. A program in the top 20 might be there now, but might not be on the next list. A lot of the programs on the top 20 have been around for longer which helped them establish early presences in research-focused institutions. However, I think it's important to realize that your adviser is important and the "best" adviser for you might be at a school not in the top 20. There are some programs that aren't in the top 20 but are known for certain subfields. A top 20 might be given preferences at certain research institutions but that's not always the case. Placements might be the best indicator on where and how well a university places. I think it's equally as important to realize cohort size differences between colleges. More placements does not necessarily mean better if one cohort size is 4 and the other is 20.

This board also has some good resources on how to address canceled conferences in different formatting styles.
I think from what I've been told is to be careful of using "Invited Presentations" or "Invited Conferences" because it implies that the organizer(s) actively solicited you and that you didn't submit to a call for papers.

According to https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution:

Several CGS members have asked whether the April 15 Resolution will be changed to account for the impact of the coronavirus disruption on educational testing and student mobility issues. CGS’s position is that the April 15 deadline should continue to remain in effect for 2020. Because signatory institutions and programs may be affected differently by COVID-19, and may adjust their admissions and funding decision timelines accordingly, we believe that it is not feasible for the community to agree to a different deadline this year.
 We provide a few additional points of clarification based on questions we have received:
If an offer of financial support is made prior to April 15, applicants have until April 15 to accept it and the program should honor that commitment through April 15. Extension of this deadline beyond April 15 is up to the individual program or institution. Programs and/or institutions are free to make offers of admission and of financial support after April 15 if they choose to do so. They may set any deadline for acceptance of the offer, as long as the deadline is after April 15.  Programs and/or institutions may choose to offer conditional admission and offers of financial support to students with incomplete applications (e.g. lacking test scores) or to wait until all requirements can be satisfied.

According to https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution:

Several CGS members have asked whether the April 15 Resolution will be changed to account for the impact of the coronavirus disruption on educational testing and student mobility issues. CGS’s position is that the April 15 deadline should continue to remain in effect for 2020. Because signatory institutions and programs may be affected differently by COVID-19, and may adjust their admissions and funding decision timelines accordingly, we believe that it is not feasible for the community to agree to a different deadline this year.
 We provide a few additional points of clarification based on questions we have received:
If an offer of financial support is made prior to April 15, applicants have until April 15 to accept it and the program should honor that commitment through April 15. Extension of this deadline beyond April 15 is up to the individual program or institution. Programs and/or institutions are free to make offers of admission and of financial support after April 15 if they choose to do so. They may set any deadline for acceptance of the offer, as long as the deadline is after April 15.  Programs and/or institutions may choose to offer conditional admission and offers of financial support to students with incomplete applications (e.g. lacking test scores) or to wait until all requirements can be satisfied.

Due to someone deleting information, I had to roll the spreadsheet back to a version from a few days ago. Please do not delete information unless you're updating information for that school.

If you added information in the past day or two, please feel free to re-add your information.

I think it's important to remember that you're applying to the program instead of individual professors. The sciences work differently because grants can be tied down to specific labs or professors. At most colleges, English doesn't expect you to talk beforehand with a professor.
 
Talking with prospective students isn't an inconvenience. It's part of their job and I imagine most enjoy talking with potential students. There's a reason they accepted you over other qualified applicants.
 
I think it's important to remember that most people have different topics they're interested in exploring. Progress for each person can look vastly different. Continuing to find ways to make each year better than your last is important.
 
There are a lot of factors at play here. There might be a policy against mailing students who applied but are not currently admitted. Professors might have been on vacation. E-mail could have landed in spam because the e-mail address wasn't recognized. It could have gotten lost in a pile of other e-mails. Often, the DGS is a good starting point for e-mails since they can often make introductions.
 
Would a hotel still be cheaper if your school requires or encourages participation in events outside of class time?

WashU for me this Fall!

As of last night, I have officially heard back from all of my schools! 3a/2w/11r/infinite exhaustion

I looked over my previous SOPs.
One of the schools I was accepted by no longer has my POI working there.
At my current university, I've decided that other professors are better fitted for my project.
One of the professors I'm interested most in working with previously taught at a "top 20" university. They start next semester.
My current university also recently hired someone who I think would work very well with my interests.
Grad School can see a lot of changes within a relatively short amount of time. Best of luck with making your decisions.

I looked over my previous SOPs.
One of the schools I was accepted by no longer has my POI working there.
At my current university, I've decided that other professors are better fitted for my project.
One of the professors I'm interested most in working with previously taught at a "top 20" university. They start next semester.
My current university also recently hired someone who I think would work very well with my interests.
Grad School can see a lot of changes within a relatively short amount of time. Best of luck with making your decisions.

Thank you to all of those who have contributed to these threads in the past few days. I've  run some calculations to update the COL index for all numbers and have them sorted automatically with as many current figures as I could find. In terms of how far your stipend can go in a city, the top 15 schools ranking are as follows:

1. Duke University
1. Princeton University
3. University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
4. Emory
5. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)
6. Johns Hopkins University
6. University of Chicago (UChicago)
6. Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL)
9. Rice University
9. Yale University
11. University of Chicago
12. University of Michigan
13. Brown University
13. Southern Methodist University (SMU)
15. University of Notre Dame

While there are other programs that might pay more in stipends, the cities they're located in are very expensive. However, that shouldn't stop you from applying if it's great fit.

Due to someone deleting information, I had to roll the spreadsheet back to a version from a few days ago. Please do not delete information unless you're updating information for that school.

If you added information in the past day or two, please feel free to re-add your information.

I think this is the first time I've read about an application being forwarded to a different department and getting funding from that department. Congratulations; that's absolutely terrific news!

I was rejected from Cornell's Comparative Literature program but had my application forwarded to Medieval Studies and ROSE FROM THE ASHES LIKE A MF PHOENIX, LADIES AND GENTS WITH THAT ACCEPTANCE FROM THEM! Super thrilled about this offer even though I made the DGS uncomfy by sobbing on the phone at him when he told me. 

If I recall correctly, the UC system allows you to take classes at any nearby UC colleges that have a PHD program.

If I recall correctly, the UC system allows you to take classes at any nearby UC colleges that have a PHD program.

By chance, did you e-mail PSU about this concern? Sometimes, departments only need two letters and are willing to overlook the third. Not all departments are willing to do so but some are happy to oblige as long as you have two letters submitted. In the past, Penn State required its MA applicants to reapply to continue to to PHD program.I think they mentioned that their acceptance rate for MA to PHD was 80-85 percent or so. The remaining spot or two would go to outside PHD applicants.

I'm in at Northeastern???

In at Irvine!

The Johns Hopkins acceptance letter was the most well-written among the personal acceptances I received. Holy shit.

In at UNM! Also offered a teaching assistantship! 

I think how universities decide how to respond to the job market will ultimately decide the success of a program. Different universities have responded in different ways. I think one of the best ways they can respond is by decreasing cohort sizes and increasing the number of resources they have to put everyone in the best possible position they can be in. Decreasing the sizes also allows for more time for committees to spend with each individual that they're trying to mentor.

Found out this afternoon that I'm in at Penn State!! I was nearly crying when I got off the phone with the DGS. I am still in shock.