toad1

I'm not going to post a whole thing, but just want to share my one biggest piece of advice after having gone through the process: *** Apply VERY broadly *** ...At least as broadly as humanly possible without sacrificing the quality of your applications. The more applications, ceteris paribus, the better. There was very little rhyme or reason to my application season and I suspect I am not alone. I will be going to a top program but was denied from many programs that were in the 10-40 range.

Seconded

What schools do we expect to roll out decisions this week? Still waiting on a few myself. Also wondering if we can expect Monday to be a lost day since the work week for US universities will start on Tuesday due to President's Day.

Another thing I could add to this is for those of you with significant others. If you're fortunate to have one that is willing to relocate for you, the least you can do is include them in on the decision process and gain an awareness of the consequences the decision will have on their life. If you were accepted to two comparable schools, one in a big city where finding new work would be relatively easy and the other in an obscure town in the middle of nowhere, that's something to take into account for their sake. Having a supportive significant other is going to be important to your success and you don't need "rank absolutism" to instigate an underlying sense of resentment in the relationship. I don't really disagree with anything @Comparativist said, other than the "nothing else really matters" bit.

That could be an appropriate approach with your personality, as maybe you're someone that could "bite the bullet" and deal with being in an incompatible environment for 6+ years, but I am absolutely certain there are people out there that need to very seriously consider abstract factors as well. Tons of students drop out of graduate school before finishing. A while back my undergrad advisor sent me a Chronicle of Higher Ed article that stated approx. fifty percent of doctoral students drop out before finishing. I'm not sure what the current number is today, but I guarantee it's more than we'd like to think. If you don't take into account these abstract factors, I'd posit that your chances of being among those that drop out are drastically higher.

"Will I succeed here?" is a question I will keep in mind on my visits. This includes rank/placement, funding, geographic preferences, but also takes into account more abstract qualities like happiness and how well your personality fits into the university's culture. I heard over and over again throughout the application stage that universities take a "holistic" approach to admissions decisions -- I think we should similarly take a holistic approach to our decisions as well.

Hmm.. maybe it just feels like every day/week takes a bit longer then.

Is it me or was there a lot of action during the last week of January and we're now in the eye of the hurricane? These forums have been relatively calm the past two weeks or so.

I promise you, those were trolls.

Hoping to get an idea where everyone stands on this: If you've been lucky enough to have been admitted to more than one program, is it typical to attend more than one school visit or is it more common to pick your top choice beforehand and attend only that one? How does this change as the preference for your top choice grows/diminishes relative to your other choice(s)?

I've noticed that some people on this board have expressed some thoughts of depression after still not hearing back from any schools. Without sugarcoating anything, I'd like to remind you that it's not over until each school has rejected you. Each and every school reviews applicants with different eyes, and different eyes have a knack for seeing different things. Don't let one or even a few schools discourage your prospects at other places. But in the case you don't get into any schools, please acknowledge that in the grand scheme of life, your story is not over here--far from it. Where one door closes another opens, so make sure you're looking for that next door too or you could miss it. I'm not experienced with meditation by any measure but I've provided a link below. It's a guided meditation for over-thinking, anxiety, and depression. I have some very close friends that say this helps them tremendously. Best of luck to everyone still waiting for that first acceptance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vx8iUvfyCY

Luckily I am fortunate enough to not care too much. I am in the peculiar situation of having been accepted to one of my reach schools, denied from one of my safety schools, and ghosted from a school in the middle ground. So I am just confused more than anything. So far, the process has made very little sense for me.

When it comes to schools that have already sent acceptances, rejections, and waitlists... what does one make of being ghosted entirely?

Little Caesars or bust

Does anyone have expected timeline for remaining CHYMPS programs?