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I just got into Columbia!!!!! I actually did not post on the board, so that must be another. I have been rejected from all 7 of my other programs, and this was the last place I was waiting on, and I just got accepted. Oh my god. I am beyond happy, grateful, and shocked. I've been looking at options for next year assuming I'd have to apply again for another round. YOU GUYS. 

Finally heard back from Florida State- accepted with funding, which means my husband and I finally both have acceptances to the same school!

Congrats @theburiedgirl815!!

I will for sure! I'll PM you when I get back!

Thank you!!
I keep thinking I have a direction I'm leaning, but then something tips me the other way. Right now, I really need funding info from Madison and I need to know if I get this fellowship at OSU; I think that's going to end up playing a very big role in my decision. 

Congrats on the Pitt waitlist! And for having all your results in. Do you know which way(s) you're leaning?
Perhaps one of us should start a decisions thread...

I think it's important to be aware that those applying this cycle are your fellow academics and scholars. These are the people who you'll be interacting with at conferences.. These are the people you'll have the opportunity to form early connections with. These are the people who very well may help one of your future students get into their program and vice versa. These are the people who would be the most willing to copublish together. These are the people who will be serving on similar committed as you. Build love, not hate.

Seriously. Bug off if you don't like it, dude. I've really valued my interaction here. It gave me an outlet to focus my energy while waiting and nearly every encounter I've had here has been positive and encouraging. 

They do have a point that GC can be anxiety-inducing. But I've also found people to be wonderfully supportive. Also the board has helped prepare me for inevitable rejections. 
So basically they can get off their yale high horse. 

Aaaand that's a waitlist for University of Pittsburgh! 
I'm accepting Stanford as a rejection (tbh, I knew when I applied it was a bad fit), so that means all the results are in! (Well, except for funding offers...) 
Now, just to decide...

Got into University of Georgia! I think, anyway. No email, just an update on the portal that says "Offer of admission." 
 
The user who got an error from U-Mich breaks my heart and awakens all my worst fears! I'm so scared of getting an email that says, "Oops, sorry, not you. Our bad." 

Halfway through the first year of my PhD, and thought I'd throw in a few other things. I know y'all are thinking about the basics like funding and placement records, but I think people often overlook the "life" part of being in a PhD. It's a long haul, and so thinking about what is likely to make you relatively happy and stable during that time is just as important (or maybe more) than some perks like extra conference funding:
1. Union activity. Is there a grad student union? How active is it? What is the administration's relation to the union? (For instance, if anyone is considering UIUC this year, I'd do a quick google search and see what's going on there right now... it's a nasty fight!)
2. How much do "life" factors matter to you? Some people are totally happy putting their head down and just working, but how much do you want to be able to do outside of school? Will the location/price of living allow this? (For instance, when I was applying, a mentor gave the illustration that even though someplace like Columbia will offer a generous stipend, it still isn't much to live on in NY. A stipend at UVa, though smaller on paper, would allow you to have your own place, etc. If you don't want to do much in NY beyond work, that's fine. If you want to be able to go out to dinner with friends sometimes and not stress about it, or take a vacation now and then, probably not.)
3. How friendly are the other grad students? Is sociability a big factor for you? Do the students seem competitive, or constructive? How often to faculty and students spend time together less formally?
4. What's the insurance package like? Do you have health concerns of any kind that might be impacted by this? I know at least two students in my program who've had to switch off the provided insurance because medicines they needed weren't covered. With the state of the ACA always up in the air, this is more important than ever!
5. Is there a lot of hands-on guidance? Most PhD students I know, in a wide variety of programs, wish their programs gave more structure or guidelines about when to do what. 
 
Hope this stuff might help some of you! "Feel" is definitely important, and money is incredibly important, but don't forget that you have to be a person, too! Depression and burnout rates amongst grad students are incredibly high; staying balanced outside of school is so important for preventing this!

I was at a conference this weekend and talked with some phd kids at a few schools about what advice they had. The first thing they all said was FUNDING. Go where the money is, they said. Inquire if the stipends increase as you get further along the program/with inflation.
One person said they wish they had other people in their field in their cohort—something which I found super valuable for my masters.
The other thing was faculty engagement, for which they said to ask current students about.
This is all very repetitive, but hearing these from current students from various schools hammers in what we need to be thinking about!
Personally, I'm thinking a lot about money, as one place is offering me a substantial amount more. It's throwing me off!

I probably should call CUNY an implied rejection, but I'm stubborn. CUNY is going to have to reject me themselves. I'm not doing it for them. 

CONGRATS @Warelin, @Crow T. Robot, @chouette, and @colin_cloute!!!! What a cool Friday!

I've gotten three myself! Happy Friday! 

Been an absolutely ridiculous last three hours: I'm in a strange time zone for vacation right now and I got a call from my top top top favourite program Princeton at 3 in the morning, subsequently can't fall back asleep, then checked email and found out a UPenn rejection in the next hour, tried to fall asleep again, and was waken up by a call from Rutgers, and now it's 6 in the morning. 

I moved with my two cats to France two years ago, and will be returning with them to the U.S. this summer. I moved here for work, and leaving them behind was never an option. I found this website and this blog post to be very helpful, while I was trying to figure this out. Definitely start talking to your vet, so they can be prepared and can get your cat chipped (if they aren't already).
In preparation for moving, I'd suggest two things: first, start giving your cat bottled distilled water -- the tap water in the U.K. might taste different, so it would be good to be able to transition them from distilled to tap slowly once you get there. Also, look and see what brands of cat food are available over there, and try to find something that's also available in the U.S. and start feeding that now. For example, I switched my cats to Royal Canin, as it was one of the few decent brands available both in the U.S. and France. International travel is enough of a stress without forcing your cat to adapt to strange water/food right away.
For the actual travel, I got both my cats the TSA Fast Pass harness/leash (they need to be metal-free, obviously), and the Sleepypod Air carrier. My older cat is very strong, and I was worried that he would panic and tear through the Sherpa carriers. The Sleepypod is pricey ($150 two years ago), but I'm really glad I went for it. Both my boys will sleep in them even now. 
I carried some jerky cat treats to give them while we were in the air, to help with their ears popping. (Maybe it helped, who knows.) 
I don't know if you will find a vet who will let you sedate your cat, as the altitude/air pressure (?) makes reactions to sedatives unpredictable. You can try some kind of calming spray. I just put a t-shirt I had slept in for about a week in the carrier, and that seemed to work okay. 
My older cat has always been a pretty good traveller, while my younger cat always used to scream the moment he was near a car. I am still amazed at how well they managed flying (three separate flights, and two decent layovers, and they were calm and quiet almost the whole time), and I can only hope they'll do as well going back. Obviously the process depends on the country you're coming from/going to, so I can't give you specific advice about moving to the U.K., but if you have any questions about the process, or need some tips, I'm happy to help! 

UConn for me as well! First notification at all! I had a really great fit there and will probably end up there. I am an  older applicant so I was worried about not getting in-so thrilled!

Congrats
 
Also accepted at UConn!

Just got accepted by Connecticut.

I'm right there with you. I don't have any confirmed funding info yet, but at one school I've been nominated for a pretty decent fellowship and I know that if I get it, it's going to be really hard to say no. I'm feeling really torn about my choices right now (and I don't even have all my responses yet), but I feel kind of weird knowing that funding will probably be the deciding factor. (I know it's a legitimate reason to accept/decline, but it feels...idk, weird.)
Same! I've had really good contact with several people at the school I might end up rejecting. It seems so strange that they seem to genuinely want me there?? I know it won't hurt their feelings or anything, but it feels so nice to be wanted (womp womp) that I am feeling hesitant to decline.
 
I was totally shut out 2 years ago and I applied this year with zero expectations; being able to choose is incredible, but also so stressful!

@chellyfish_ lol! It is nice to be courted, as opposed to the rest of the app process, which feels more like throwing yourself at the feet of a bunch of aloof, beautiful people who don't return your texts.

I am losing my mind waiting for my last two schools. It could be any minute now, and I just can't take it. 

Congratulations @Mellowyellow and @littlelotte!!!!