karamazov

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

Congratulations to both of you on making your decision! Decision-making is a very exciting part of the year.

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

I'm heading to UNC in the fall! My decision was tough but after talking to a number of students and faculty members at my two top programs, I really believe this is the best choice for me. Super excited! 

Protip: Maybe try to develop psychic abilities or something so you can do your best to not apply immediately before a pandemic hits. Just a thought. 

Protip: Maybe try to develop psychic abilities or something so you can do your best to not apply immediately before a pandemic hits. Just a thought. 

Never mind! Happy to say that I've finally made my choice and I'll be attending UW this fall

I’ve accepted my offer at UW and declined mine at BU. Hope this helps someone who wants BU more than I do!

FWIW:  I choose a program ranked "lower" than another by about 9 spots. The other program wasn't in a location I could see myself being happy in. I ended up choosing a program that was in a location I preferred and offered a decent stipend compared to the cost of living. I spend a fair amount on housing but that's because it's what I choose to "splurge" on. Our stipend increases yearly but I think it's also important to recognize that previous students also fought to make sure that stipends were fair. It wasn't long ago that (at other schools) students weren't guaranteed a stipend which created a lot of tension between the funded and unfunded students. One will never become rich from their stipend but I do think it's important to have a balance between security, placement, location and mental health. I think it's also important to understand that an acceptance to any school does not guarantee a job into schools they've previously placed in without the proper amount of work. If one is too tapped out, a program's money won't cure it all. If one fails out because they don't meet standards, it doesn't matter where one goes if they can't graduate or work to their best ability. In the end, it's up to you to decide how you manage your time though.
I think there are brilliant scholars at multiple schools but think it's also important to realize that professors can leave at anytime for any reason. A scholar I was interested in at a different school is now working at another school. Another scholar I'm interested in working with is leaving a school ranked in the top 20 for English and moving here despite her having tenure over there. The professor will keep her tenure here but I think it's important to realize that professors can and sometimes do leave their previous positions for things other than retirment. Sometimes, the environment is equally as important to them and they might not always know how much students are being given as a stipend here. Another recently hired professor formerly taught at a school that is ranked in the 60s/70s and was offered the position over someone who taught at an HYP institution because the fit was better.

I would chose the better location - no question - especially if it meant my partner was happier. No question whatsoever. Money is important, of course, and if it's critical for your mental health, that's worth thinking about, but particularly adding the program vibe on top of that? That's what I would choose. Tbh I would pick the program I liked better, in the location I liked better, with the time constraints of a side hustle, than go to a place with more money. 

After a solid two months of agonizing, I am beyond thrilled to say that I've accepted my offer to the MA/PhD program at Penn State! If anyone else winds up PSU-bound, hit me up--I'd love a chance to get to know some of the incoming cohort since we weren't able to meet at the open house.
Also, good luck (thoughts, prayers, the best of vibes) to those of you still deliberating--whichever way you go, hopefully there's some comfort to be found in the fact that there are only nine days left of this part.

Like you said, figuring out what exactly will be best for me mentally is really hard to predict. While I do think I'd prefer to live in program B's location, the peace of mind that the money from program A would give me might end up being better for my mental health than nice surroundings. 
The difference is pretty major. Program A is located three hours from, basically, anything (I was about to say "from a major city," but there aren't even really any notable small or mid-sized cities closer than three hours). It's basically a tiny college town in the middle of nowhere. I think I might find it quaint and nice for a shorter period of time, but committing to (in my case) at least 6 years in that spot seems... questionable. Program B isn't in a huge city, but it's a larger town located within 20-30 minutes of a number of mid-sized cities. There would also be a much greater chance that my partner would be able to find fulfilling, lucrative employment in the area around program B. We'd also be about six and a half hours closer to family (5 hours away vs. 11.5). 
In addition to the reasons I've listed above for why program B's location appeals to me more than program A's (program B's location is a larger town near a couple cities; my partner would have better luck finding a job; we'd be closer to family), I also just in general get a better vibe from the location of program B?? I dunno. There's a cool music venue in the town, there's more racial diversity in the surrounding areas, the population leans more blue than the population in the location of program A, there's a lot of history in the town (I grew up in a historic city so I tend to be drawn to other cities with buildings that date to the 18th-19th centuries, and I honestly get a weird shivery-feeling when everything around me was built in, like, the latter half of the 20th century). There's also a major international airport about 20 minutes away, which is nice to have. And I'd be sticking around in the region where I, as well as my partner, have lived most of our lives (which also helps make the move easier for my partner to swallow). 

Well, I just received an offer from UNC off their waitlist. I am now officially going to have a heart attack.

Accepted to Johns Hopkins off the waitlist. So thrilled!

Well, I just received an offer from UNC off their waitlist. I am now officially going to have a heart attack.

Protip: Maybe try to develop psychic abilities or something so you can do your best to not apply immediately before a pandemic hits. Just a thought. 

Well, I just received an offer from UNC off their waitlist. I am now officially going to have a heart attack.

I just declined my offer from Tufts. I hope this helps someone!