clinamen

I don't think it's a necessary step, but I do think that in some cases it can be helpful. I tried to contact a POI at each program I applied to -- every email exchange went very well, the professors were kind and helpful -- and that could be a reason I am having a successful application season. However, the emails took a lot of time and preparation (ie. reading the POIs work very closely and -- very briefly -- drawing connections between my work and theirs) so I never got around to emailing anyone at BC and I've been accepted there, so it's definitely not a prerequisite for a successful application.  

Just wanted to pop in and say: Yay!!! Congratulations and welcome!! ???

Thank you! I'm so excited!

Just wanted to pop in and say: Yay!!! Congratulations and welcome!! ???

Hi everyone! Current UW student here! I went through this process a few seasons ago and I can't imagine not having had the opportunity to make visits -- they were so crucial to my decision. I'm genuinely sorry to hear that many of you are being faced with a "site-unseen" decision. I offered my email through the grad assistant at UW but I want to say here that am happy to talk with anyone on here or over email who is considering UW! 

To address your questions about professionalization, @tinymica there is a committee assigned to professionalization and there are meetings that I've been to dedicated to developing materials for students going on the job market. I am pre-exams so I will say I have not participated in "extensive" preparations for the job market at this point. That said, I'm sure that professionalization early on is something UW could improve. I don't know the standard, but I don't get the feeling that UW is significantly behind other programs (at least the ones I was able to visit). I'm happy to talk more about this or teaching or whatever if you want to pm me

It seems like you have possibly already made a decision, but just to toss another couple of pennies into the pile:  I've always had a dog, and I don't know how I would live without one. There are a lot of things that you need to adapt to in order to have one, but after a while, you don't even notice.  Some things to consider:
 
-Having a dog means asking potential landlords "Do you allow dogs" as your FIRST question.  The answer will eliminate at least half of the potential rentals.
-Dogs are expensive. In addition to regular vetting, there is food, toys, damage, grooming, emergency vetting, etc.  Having a dog means that the dog's needs come before your own.
-With the above two details in mind, a lot of it comes down to budget and location. I have always lived in areas (including during grad school) where the cost of living/income ratio allowed me to properly care for my dog. I did not consider moving to places where that would not be the case (because when I adopt a dog, it's for life).  While you want to do what's best for this dog, you need to look at your financials and see if you'll be able to properly take care of it.
 
-As far as schedules and other such details, you will soon have a community of folks, MANY of whom are pet people. Other grad students have dog-sat for me. I've dog (and cat, and chinchilla etc) sat for them.  Professors end up in this cycle as well, though usually they do more "getting grad students to watch their pets" than vice versa.
 
I will say this--as someone who has had at least one dog for about 95% of my life--it's worth it. Especially in grad school. When imposter syndrome strikes, that dog believes in you. When you don't want to leave the house, that dog makes you. Having a dog is GREAT for mental health. Even when they do obnoxious things, like having a better professional head shot than you (see below, haha).
 

I’ve done some serious thinking about USC, and while it’s a fantastic program, I’ve realized that there are not enough (if any ☹️) faculty there for me to work with in my field. I had worries about fit there when I was applying, and looking back to the visit, it was the one school where I almost didn’t meet any faculty one on one and I find that alarming. I met one professor because I reached out after the visit but I’m not sure if his and my work gel. My friend in the program at USC had a talk with me as well that was very much an “I don’t know who you’d work with” talk. There are over ten professors that are in my field at UW. I think that at the end of the day finding professors to work with and to be in your corner is what will make a program great or not so great. I’d rather have more options than not. The chance to take classes in Geography on theorizing the city is also something that UW has that USC does not and I would say that the city is the cornerstone of my work. So I think that’s that! Thanks guys ?

Traveling back from a lovely campus visit, wearing a UNC hoodie! Planning on giving my formal response as soon as I get home!! ?

I'm traveling back from a wonderful visit at UNC Chapel Hill, and will be turning down my offers at U of Alabama (Strode),UGA, and TAMU. I'll also likely be taking my name off the OSU waitlist. Hope this helps someone here!

I totally get that! I did a one-year MA program which finished last June, and I've pretty much thought of nothing but PhD applications from the moment I graduated. So, to basically pour my entire life into these applications and then end up not committing to a program this round was definitely a wake-up call for me, and was the first time I really started to think about life outside of academia. Not to say that academia shouldn't be a huge part of your life. For me, when I went to Bloomington and talked to other graduate students, they basically indicated that they do nothing but go to work and then go home because there's not much else to do in the town. While I realize that being busy is a necessary part of a PhD program, I think I unconsciously was gravitating towards programs in larger towns/cities because I want to know that I can get a break from academia if I need it, whereas in a place like Bloomington you don't really have that option. While you can't pick a school solely based on location, I'm starting to realize that it is really important to consider your life outside of school; at the end of the day, it's important that you overall feel fulfilled by the program you choose, whatever that means for you.

Can I just jump in and complicate this by saying that the winter in Minnesota sucks but it's not always like that. It's the land of 10,000 lakes and those lakes aren't always frozen. Fall, spring, and summer are great in Minnesota. The people are the nicest you'll ever meet. It's a great school. Minneapolis actually has a lot of culture. 
The faculty/course work/funding at Washington seem like huge red flags to me (no matter how much you like Seattle). 
I think it should come down to Minnesota and USC. In that case, the funding is better at USC and your main reason to not pick that school is that you're bored with LA.
My two cents as an observer with absolutely no consequences.

Double post: That said, when my husband had the choice of a fellowship offer at UCLA or a TAship with on campus housing at UCSD, we chose UCSD because we hate LA and the traffic/higher rent.
I guess I'm team Minnesota.

I was born in raised in Minneapolis and did my undergrad at UMN.  While yes, it is cold, I'll go to bat for it every time. It rates at or near the top in every major quality of life survey. It has world class theaters, museums, concert venues, parks, and natural resources.  It's also a clean, green city with walkable neighborhoods and the best biking culture in the country. And even in the winter, believe it or not, people still go out and take advantage of these things.
I really wouldn't let climate play too huge a role in where you end up going. My fiancé was born and raised in southern California, when she first moved to our current (northern, cold-weather, midwestern) city it was a freezing, cold, wet, rainy day and she says she almost vomited because she didn't see how she could live here.  She's been here for 10 years now between undergrad, masters and PhD and she loves it here and would prefer not to leave (fortunately for me, her experience here has made her amenable to possibly moving to Minneapolis one day if we're lucky enough to get jobs there).
All of our major cities have their charm and their benefit, I wouldn't rule any of them out based on the weather.  If you don't get a good vibe from UW (not trying to convince you to attend is a big red flag) and don't see yourself fitting in at USC, these should be just as important.  Being cold for a few years but thriving academically is one thing, being warm but in a bad work environment seems much much worse to me.

So, I second what @Melvillage_Idiot says about UMN - it sounds like USC and UW are becoming the final two for you. As far as those two go, I empathize with you regarding your concerns about location. Granted, I just decided to decline the only offer I received this round because I was really unhappy with the location of the school (and there were some issues with the program as well). 
I'm one of those people who strongly believes that, even though PhD is a huge commitment, you aren't defined solely by being a PhD student. Or, to put it another way, you're a person outside of your PhD work. To me, it's really important to consider your overall happiness when committing to a program; life can be unpredictable, and committing to a program in a location you aren't happy with might be a big risk. That's not to say that committing to a program that you aren't 100% sure about (in the case of UW) is any less of a risk. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it's perfectly okay to consider factors outside of your program. Although you might not be super happy with UW itself, do you think having your friends/partner/the city will make up for some of the issues with the program? Having a good support system outside of school could make up for a lot. 
I hope this helped at all! 

Anybody else still having a tough time making a decision? 

Yes I have heard the horror stories as well about no funding the first year, and luckily that is not the case here. I have it guaranteed the first four years.. so I am hoping that it isn’t difficult to secure funding beyond that! Thank you all, these comments are very encouraging ?

Officially accepted to UW off the waitlist!! But my funding offer is for fewer years than I expected... 

I feel this so hard. I just got off the waitlist at top choice and the funding package is only four years.. whomp whomp. God help me is right. This was not meant to be an easy decision process for me apparently! 

Congratulations! I have heard that some universities will only officially guarantee something like four years, with a "possibility for an additional year" so that they have something in place if you don't progress--but that most people in the program end up getting that last year. Maybe that's what going on with UW? You could ask a grad student what the likelihood of an additional year of funding is. 

@clinamen @melian517 My people! I'd narrowed it down to three with an ever shifting rank until last week. Now I'm 80% sure it's two, but don't ask me which one is in the lead. God help me if I get off of a waitlist.
 

Anybody else still having a tough time making a decision? 

I didn't either! Keeping my fingers crossed that you hear from the waitlist soon and that your choice becomes easier!

Yesssssss. I have one school that I think would be the best for my career but the city would make life and finances more difficult for us, and another that is lower ranked but the cost of living is soooo cheap and I know my partner would be happier there. Trying to choose has honestly been the most stressful part of the process for me.

Lol yes

I have had really detailed responses from simply asking if they can give me information on how the waitlist works (e.g. is it ranked or is it by field). I’ve asked this twice and on both occasions I was told where I was on the waitlist, how it works, and how likely an offer of admission is. Good luck!