AnachronisticPoet

Began applying to teaching jobs in case I don't get into a PhD
Started watching old seasons of America's Next Top Model (I know...)
Refresh GradCafe a thousand times
Refresh my email a thousand times
Add another source to my thesis outline
Finish a crossword

I know the DGS is probably under a lot of pressure lately, however I've noticed that the programs i was accepted to have stayed in contact while those I'm waitlisted at are completely silent towards any emails. I don't think it's rude to email if you really need answer, but i don't think that a string of emails is going to motivate them to answer if they don't want to or don't have time to. And i don't know if people on the waitlist only ever hear back if they get accepted, but i don't believe they'll send rejection letters either. I guess from my experience, the university will probably be more concerned with trying to convince the students they've already accepted take the offer rather than waist that energy on the waitlist. 

Does anyone know what the proper etiquette is for communicating continued interest and inquiring about waitlist movement?

If you're an ambitious BA-only applicant, like I am, and you want to jump straight into a PhD program, please also consider applying to MA programs too.
I applied to 14 doctoral programs and was shut out. I did not apply to a single MA. But, at the last minute, I found some whose deadlines hadn't passed and now have standing offers.
I thought that I was a good candidate. It turns out, however, that the PhD pool is insanely competitive. Consequently, where I struggled to "keep up" with PhD applicants, I shined bright in my MA ones.
There are many wonderful MA programs, and these usually have deadlines in Dec/Jan (the same time that your PhDs are due). Please, please, please...heed my own warning. You can get into a doctoral program off the rip. People do it all the time--some have multiple/many acceptances. But, I think it still makes sense to add in a few funded MA programs into your list of "where I'm applying."
So, to reiterate, don't automatically pass on a funded MA because it is not a PhD. Deciding to apply to some may drastically increase the chances that you have a graduate program to look forward to next Fall.
As someone who is almost at the end of their first application cycle, I wish I had taken this notion more seriously. I am appreciative to have salvaged what almost became a relative disaster. I'm lucky to have MA offers, after a PhD shutout! If you really want to go all-in, it is, of course, up to you. Best of luck no matter how you decide to apply. It is still a (somewhat) uncertain-to-predict process.

Got rejected from Syracuse and Purdue this week.
It looks like I am headed to University of Kentucky. I realize it's not the highest ranked program, but I am excited about it anyway, assuming COVID-19 doesn't ruin everything.
Also, a side note, I think I found out one of my recommenders thought I was applying for Spanish programs, so maybe that played a role in my many rejections! Oh well. 
 

Wow. 
My intimidation of entering academia is starting to *slightly* decrease. Dumpster fires and hot messes. Still for it!

So apparently I was waitlisted??!?!?! I guess they forgot to tell me...? LOL

Excuse me??? 24 HOURS? This is unconscionable and disgusting.

I imagine at this point that it might just be an oversight. Might be worth emailing them to ask

Is anyone else (especially those accepted only to 1 or 2 programs) nervous that they'll arrive to a visit and not like the school?

Terrified! Especially since my one acceptance is in an incredibly expensive city. 

Is anyone else (especially those accepted only to 1 or 2 programs) nervous that they'll arrive to a visit and not like the school?

we're turning in finalized proposals this week at uchicago. mine is about vaporwave vs "sovietwave" imagery (just vaporwave but russian, with soviet imagery) and how nostalgia is conveyed in them. i'm on the cinema and media studies track with a second concentration on russian language. full of anxiety because of my courseload and workload on top of reading and refinining this proposal but so far so good. 

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1. Save up money. Moving to a new city and starting grad school can have lots of unexpected financial costs and you might not get your first paycheck until a month or two into the program. It's also good to figure out housing, home essentials you will need to buy, etc. as early as possible. There will be a lot hitting you once you move, so the better prepared you are, the less stressful it will be.
2. Read something that has nothing to do with your research, hang out with friends, binge watch a series, get some R&R. You will want to be fully energized at the start of grad school. You're bound to feel burnt out at some point, but preventing that from happening too early will make your first year much more pleasant.
3. If you must do something academically related, then try to read a few things for your classes in the first semester. Ideally, try to read things that will be assigned for the middle or the end of the semester. You'll probably keep up fine for the first few weeks, but you're bound to get bogged down at some point, so having that big book that you know you will have to read out of the way will give you a little breathing room down the line. If you do this, take good notes though, so that you don't forget everything you have to say about it by the time you need to talk about it in seminar.
 

Play video games. Watch Netflix. Enjoy your last months of true freedom. 

I asked my future advisor this very question. He said that I should use this time to read whatever I want that I felt might be useful in making me think more about what I'm interested in. Come with ideas and interests, basically, and they will help you with the actual training once August comes. 
I have however also asked for and received syllabi for classes I'm interested in, and also spend a lot of my spare time working on languages. 

Hey! 
(To the current students and others)
Based on your experiences, how would advise someone to use their time before graduate school? As in, how can we prepare ourselves better for what lies ahead? Some essential reading or something?
Thanks!

My application season ends with the official Penn rejection. Hope to never do it again. But alas, academia. 
Sending good vibes to everyone.

Harvard rejections are up. I randomly checked the portal; no email. That’s the end of a shutout season for me. 

Am I the only one who thinks it's super rude not to notify rejected applicants by email? That seems really odd to me, but maybe it's just because I'm sitting from the position of an anxious applicant

Yes, especially to the part in bold, and this is my main gripe with academia (and, I believe, the public's gripe with academics). As for prestige vs. talent issue, I definitely think prestige has likely played a (big) part. There are certainly better and worse applications, and there's the question of fit, but if you're getting waitlisted/accepted (and being waitlisted is more of an acceptance than a rejection), then that means your application is perceived as marking you as ready for this level. I don't think there is really that much of a difference between the level of work you do or the level of graduate students at the program you applied for. The faculty might be more famous, and you might get more time and support to help you do good work, but if you're good enough to be waitlisted at UConn/Buffalo you're good enough to do your PhD at Harvard/Berkeley. Fit, extenuating circumstances and, of course, prestige, will play a role but never put yourself down because you are more than capable to do this work, even if you get shut out.

Still out of reactions, but I'm loving the medieval love! 
In other news... I'm curious to know why it's still February. Why can't this month just move on? It's over, February. No one likes you anymore. You can't sit with us. March is the new February, so take a seat already. I need to hear from my last two schools so I cant start making tough choices, because obvi I'm not under enough stress as it is!! March holds the answers to all. 

Spoke to two friends last night lamenting about the current situation. Neither understands the world of academia, but were supportive nonetheless. However, when I explained that one possible reason for rejection is that another medievalist was chosen over me, one friend shouts, "Wait! God! There are more of you??? Who the f**k studies that?? Who else chooses to study medieval sh*t??" Then, my other eloquent friend shouts, "Nerds, that's who! You should start a nerd school, so the rest of the nerds can attend nerd school!"
And there we have it, friends. The origin story of how I started my very own "medieval nerd school."
All are welcome. 

Absolutely.
I need to stop refreshing the "2020 Applicants" pages and my email...