gradqs

I've worked with a lot of PhD's that did not go to academia (and even interviewed a few for jobs). If you are angling for an industry position, or just want to prepare for it as a plan B, I think there are two main tips:
1) Cultivate quantitative research skills (modeling; statistics; computer learning; using R, Python, SPSS, or Stata). Your hard skills matter much more than your pedigree in Industry jobs. Industry will take the person who can build them a model from Middle of Nowhere University over a Yale graduate who can't. 
2) Cultivate your teamwork skills and be able to talk about them in a compelling way. Academics (and by extension PhD students) can sometimes get a bad reputation in industry circles for being overly focused on their own goals and interests and being difficult to work with. 

Two things:
1. This process is absolutely brutal. I don't know any person who would go through this and not have the very same feelings. It's one thing to understand on an intellectual level all the things we know about how admission decisions can be arbitrary, how lots of extremely impressive applicants get denied every year, etc. It's a whole other thing to get there emotionally. After all, we are pouring out our thoughts and ideas and shiniest accomplishments onto paper for the purpose of being judged. That's a really hard thing not to take personally.
2. Something that has been helping me deal with rejections (in addition to all the stuff about it being arbitrary and what not) is that the people making these decisions are looking at a much reduced version of you. You can only glean so much from some stats and a personal statement. If you have racked up all the signifiers that told you you'd be a good fit for those schools, you were probably right and just got unlucky. Trust the sense of self you had when picking schools to apply to. I was really spiraling after getting two rejections in the same afternoon and then picked myself back up the next day thinking that it's a shame I wasn't accepted because I am going to be an awesome grad student and I'm sure they would love me if I was there. Can't say I always feel that way, but it's a start. 

Two things:
1. This process is absolutely brutal. I don't know any person who would go through this and not have the very same feelings. It's one thing to understand on an intellectual level all the things we know about how admission decisions can be arbitrary, how lots of extremely impressive applicants get denied every year, etc. It's a whole other thing to get there emotionally. After all, we are pouring out our thoughts and ideas and shiniest accomplishments onto paper for the purpose of being judged. That's a really hard thing not to take personally.
2. Something that has been helping me deal with rejections (in addition to all the stuff about it being arbitrary and what not) is that the people making these decisions are looking at a much reduced version of you. You can only glean so much from some stats and a personal statement. If you have racked up all the signifiers that told you you'd be a good fit for those schools, you were probably right and just got unlucky. Trust the sense of self you had when picking schools to apply to. I was really spiraling after getting two rejections in the same afternoon and then picked myself back up the next day thinking that it's a shame I wasn't accepted because I am going to be an awesome grad student and I'm sure they would love me if I was there. Can't say I always feel that way, but it's a start. 

Two things:
1. This process is absolutely brutal. I don't know any person who would go through this and not have the very same feelings. It's one thing to understand on an intellectual level all the things we know about how admission decisions can be arbitrary, how lots of extremely impressive applicants get denied every year, etc. It's a whole other thing to get there emotionally. After all, we are pouring out our thoughts and ideas and shiniest accomplishments onto paper for the purpose of being judged. That's a really hard thing not to take personally.
2. Something that has been helping me deal with rejections (in addition to all the stuff about it being arbitrary and what not) is that the people making these decisions are looking at a much reduced version of you. You can only glean so much from some stats and a personal statement. If you have racked up all the signifiers that told you you'd be a good fit for those schools, you were probably right and just got unlucky. Trust the sense of self you had when picking schools to apply to. I was really spiraling after getting two rejections in the same afternoon and then picked myself back up the next day thinking that it's a shame I wasn't accepted because I am going to be an awesome grad student and I'm sure they would love me if I was there. Can't say I always feel that way, but it's a start. 

Two things:
1. This process is absolutely brutal. I don't know any person who would go through this and not have the very same feelings. It's one thing to understand on an intellectual level all the things we know about how admission decisions can be arbitrary, how lots of extremely impressive applicants get denied every year, etc. It's a whole other thing to get there emotionally. After all, we are pouring out our thoughts and ideas and shiniest accomplishments onto paper for the purpose of being judged. That's a really hard thing not to take personally.
2. Something that has been helping me deal with rejections (in addition to all the stuff about it being arbitrary and what not) is that the people making these decisions are looking at a much reduced version of you. You can only glean so much from some stats and a personal statement. If you have racked up all the signifiers that told you you'd be a good fit for those schools, you were probably right and just got unlucky. Trust the sense of self you had when picking schools to apply to. I was really spiraling after getting two rejections in the same afternoon and then picked myself back up the next day thinking that it's a shame I wasn't accepted because I am going to be an awesome grad student and I'm sure they would love me if I was there. Can't say I always feel that way, but it's a start. 

Two things:
1. This process is absolutely brutal. I don't know any person who would go through this and not have the very same feelings. It's one thing to understand on an intellectual level all the things we know about how admission decisions can be arbitrary, how lots of extremely impressive applicants get denied every year, etc. It's a whole other thing to get there emotionally. After all, we are pouring out our thoughts and ideas and shiniest accomplishments onto paper for the purpose of being judged. That's a really hard thing not to take personally.
2. Something that has been helping me deal with rejections (in addition to all the stuff about it being arbitrary and what not) is that the people making these decisions are looking at a much reduced version of you. You can only glean so much from some stats and a personal statement. If you have racked up all the signifiers that told you you'd be a good fit for those schools, you were probably right and just got unlucky. Trust the sense of self you had when picking schools to apply to. I was really spiraling after getting two rejections in the same afternoon and then picked myself back up the next day thinking that it's a shame I wasn't accepted because I am going to be an awesome grad student and I'm sure they would love me if I was there. Can't say I always feel that way, but it's a start. 

Two things:
1. This process is absolutely brutal. I don't know any person who would go through this and not have the very same feelings. It's one thing to understand on an intellectual level all the things we know about how admission decisions can be arbitrary, how lots of extremely impressive applicants get denied every year, etc. It's a whole other thing to get there emotionally. After all, we are pouring out our thoughts and ideas and shiniest accomplishments onto paper for the purpose of being judged. That's a really hard thing not to take personally.
2. Something that has been helping me deal with rejections (in addition to all the stuff about it being arbitrary and what not) is that the people making these decisions are looking at a much reduced version of you. You can only glean so much from some stats and a personal statement. If you have racked up all the signifiers that told you you'd be a good fit for those schools, you were probably right and just got unlucky. Trust the sense of self you had when picking schools to apply to. I was really spiraling after getting two rejections in the same afternoon and then picked myself back up the next day thinking that it's a shame I wasn't accepted because I am going to be an awesome grad student and I'm sure they would love me if I was there. Can't say I always feel that way, but it's a start. 

Two things:
1. This process is absolutely brutal. I don't know any person who would go through this and not have the very same feelings. It's one thing to understand on an intellectual level all the things we know about how admission decisions can be arbitrary, how lots of extremely impressive applicants get denied every year, etc. It's a whole other thing to get there emotionally. After all, we are pouring out our thoughts and ideas and shiniest accomplishments onto paper for the purpose of being judged. That's a really hard thing not to take personally.
2. Something that has been helping me deal with rejections (in addition to all the stuff about it being arbitrary and what not) is that the people making these decisions are looking at a much reduced version of you. You can only glean so much from some stats and a personal statement. If you have racked up all the signifiers that told you you'd be a good fit for those schools, you were probably right and just got unlucky. Trust the sense of self you had when picking schools to apply to. I was really spiraling after getting two rejections in the same afternoon and then picked myself back up the next day thinking that it's a shame I wasn't accepted because I am going to be an awesome grad student and I'm sure they would love me if I was there. Can't say I always feel that way, but it's a start. 

In my experience, every school I've gotten into provides some type of travel arrangements or reimbursement for travelling, as well as having you stay nights at a hotel or with grad students, and it almost universally seems like it's enough to make it across the country spending $0-$100 out of pocket. I wouldn't be surprised if some less-well-funded schools are not able to offer support, however.