raduan

I respectfully disagree with sloth_girl. I agree that would be nice to have the tetters on your side. But, imagining myself in the admission committee, I would pay much more attention of what you have to say on the matter at your statement of purpose

I don't really understood your question. If you are trying to get a letter from an US-based professor that you don't know, don't do it. I will be very surprised that you will get any reply, much less a recommendation letter. If you want to ask to a professor that you know - American or otherwise, but there is no culture of letter of recommendation in your home country,, your situation is simple. You have to keep in mind that it is only worth to get a letter from a professor that either got the PhD from an American university or it is well-known by American academic community. Any professor that fit any of these criteria is familiar with American's culture of letter of recommendation and it is not going to be an issue . You just have to talk with them that you seek to study in the US and they will understand

@huevo1991 Trump just declare that no foreigner that have been in Brazil in the past 14 days will be allowed in the US. I already though the possibility of going to Buenos Aires , doing the visa process there. At least, I would be able to eat some good meat

The American embassy still closed here. Considering that here (Brazil) seems to be the next epidemic center, I don’t know whether I will be able to get the visa to the Fall semester. On the plus side, if the classes go online and I stayed here and receive my stipend, I will be rich due to our currency value is diminishing to the dollar.

I ask this by pure curiosity, It was a mix of my boredom and anxiety. I still think it is strange to receive a positive answer so many months before the begin of the classes. I haven't received at the time any info to be afraid of receiving any bad news. Last week, I got the news that will get some extra money. I was very surprised. My assumption is that they were conservative in accepting people on the waiting list and the real issue with money will happen next cycle.

Going along @2020PhD question, does anybody know whether is it normal for programs to change what they offer to you initially?

@kestrel18 Is the American Embassy / Consulate issuing visas where you are?

@Richelieu20 I am very sorry to hear that.

I am Brazilian, born and raised. My biggest fear right now is everything reasonably returning to normal to have classes in the Fall, but am still not allowed to enter the US because, as the curves are shown, we are still in the beginning of the COVID crisis.

I think that the impact will happen next cycle(s). I would not be surprised if universities decreased the umber of admits. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I took for granted that the number of application will rise sharply. Admits this year, however, are "safe", including internationals (like me). I can't image anyone being reject after being admitted. The issue that really concern me are: Short-term: I really want to go the US asap. Here in my country the situation was precarious before covid and the all indications that the virus will hit us hard. Also, to be honest, I need the stipend and health insurance. I am afraid that they postpone next semester and I have to be more months without any income and afraid of using the public health system. Long-term: We will enter uncharted waters. We don't know what will be the "normal" after this crisis. We might be the first generation that online teaching will be mainstream. What would be the consequences to the professor labor market? Will that lead to even less TT positions? .

My two cents: I am not that familiar with the American academic reality, but from what I heard from a professor (Stanford alumni) that below rank ~ 15, 20 the difference is marginal and your chances become minimal to get a TT in a good American uni. However, I would say that almost everywhere else in the globe would happily welcome a professor with a PhD from virtually any American university. I think I would follow @Theory007 suggestion, but I think is worth to keep in mind that your options are not only small liberal colleges in the middle of nowhere if you are willing to consider options beyond American borders. The corona pandemic, as a worldwide crisis, will definitely affect academia as a whole in ways that we say for sure right now. Not only more Americans will try to join a PhD program, but internationals as well. I am assuming will get harder to be accepted in the following cycles.

@og_al Another international student here. I would be very surprise if the universities do not find a way to accommodate our cases. The universities need internationals either for the tuition (undergrads) or for the labor (grads) I can tell you that from the uni that I will join the program that they told me that the documentation is ready, bur they will not send it until American embassies/consulates start to do visas again.

I don't know whether everybody is familiar with this article, but I found it very interesting, and I am basing all my questions on it. https://thepoliticalmethodologist.com/2014/01/18/student-advice-should-i-go-to-graduate-school-if-so-where-should-i-go/

I will very surprise if any accepted international student is totally incapable of joining at some moment his or her chosen university due to this crisis. There are a lot of undergrads and graduate international students in pretty much every university in America that neither the uni nor the American govt can be radical to entirely suspend the entrance of international students I might be exaggerating, but I think that without international students, there is a significant chance of a collapse in the American university system. Nevertheless, it will generate some impact. I think it is more likely than not that classes will begin online, or the Fall semester will be delayed a few weeks. For example, I was supposed to be in the US to do a math course during the summer. However, the American embassy released a statement yesterday that they will not make new visas in the foreseeable future. I am increasingly skeptical that I will be able to be in the US in July already.

Also, I don't think that having online classes next fall is out of the question. All American uni has a lot of the international students. Here, for example, it is virtually impossible to buy a ticket to the US. I don't think it is any different in Europe and Asia. Even if the Covid-19 recede in the spring, it will take some time to a lot of things to normalize. For example, I need to receive documentation from my uni to start the process for the visa. I have no idea how long this process is going to take considering the current air traffic chaos.