kolyagogolova

You should certainly make and weigh your own choices. However, is that debt going to accrue interest in Ph.D world, when it will be hard to pay it down? And then need to be paid off when you're in a likely-terrible job market? It's just worth thinking about. 
At 22, you really have so much time to go back to school, and there are a lot of things you can do outside the academy (psychologically, financially, just having-an-interesting-life-wise) to supplement your career in it. Just my two cents.

I think that sounds reasonable! Especially if they mention any details about how this council is/isn't helpful in advocating for their rights & needs. I can't think of another way to ask, it's just that it seems harder to get a brutally honest answer via email. Not at all to suggest that current grad students won't be straightforward with you, just that I would find it more difficult myself to be critical in an email (if I needed to be critical) than in response to specific questions in person. A minor downside to the world we now live in, relatively speaking.

Thank you so much for your reply! I wanted some outside perspectives, but it's definitely important to get the insider knowledge (if they're willing to offer it). I was just planning to be direct about it and ask them if they feel supported by the university, what their opinion on this council is, etc. Is that awkward? Should I ask in a different way?

As far as I understand from BU students, it does have a direct line to the administration, because it is essentially part of the administration. The advantage of a union is that it's not controlled by the university--any gains the administration attributes to this "leadership council" tend to be, in reality, a reaction to union pressure. Organizing grad student unions at private schools like BU and BC has become increasingly tricky in recent years, since Trump appointees to the NLRB make it dangerous to take cases to the federal government. Basically, it's within student workers' legal rights to organize, and under normal circumstances, if those rights were violated the union would take it to the NLRB. However, unions at private schools are worried that the conservative-controlled board will use their cases to overturn the organizing rights of all student workers at all private schools in the whole country. Instead, the unions are trying to bargain directly with the schools, as Harvard's union has. Many schools not only refuse to do this, but refuse to engage at all with union representatives. There was a public hearing last summer in Boston, for example, which was not attended by a single representative of university administration. Instead they sent letters, which generally denied that student workers are workers at all. The BC administration, for example, likes to claim that unionizing would threaten mentor relationships within departments (something that makes no sense, to put it mildly). Here's an article in The Globe about that hearing: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/06/26/city-council-hearing-will-address-student-workers-rights/EAKuPFtXVoKfVu6teGeoWP/story.html
 
But you're right, it's a great idea to ask BU grad students more about this! They could totally have a different take on it (or different views from each other, of course). If you have any success, I would be interested in how you asked--I'm wondering how to get into that with current grad students at the schools I applied to in a way that's not too awkward lol. Seems harder to bring up via email....

And as a current graduate student at a school that won't recognize the graduate student union (which was approved by a majority of grad students in a legal vote and has support from faculty members), I would strongly advise you to avoid an institution that so blatantly opposes the rights of its workers. I have had a generally good experience with my department, and feel supported by my advisor. However, knowing that the institution you work for--the institution that depends on your labor to survive--wants to prevent you from organizing really drives home the point that they do not value you as a person, graduate worker, or potential/current academic. Not to sound harsh, but that kind of institutional behavior makes it clear that they do not care about the well-being of their graduate students, and it has some extreme long-term results (at my school this includes stagnant stipends, reductions in health insurance coverage, and a lack of power over the terms of our employment). In contrast to Rootbound's experience, students in my cohort lost hourly jobs due to the campus shutdown and we are all expected to continue teaching with no additional compensation (and honestly without much meaningful support). There are definitely those in the department who care about this, and they are attempting to advocate for those who need it, but the institution itself? Pshhhhh.
I'm (obviously) not one to judge someone who accepts an offer anyway, but I do think the importance of a union shouldn't be ignored.

In some workplaces where workers have voted to unionize, but where the employer has not yet recognized the union, management will argue that a union isnt necessary because there’s already a group like this in place, which supposedly (according to the employer) already functions as a union, even though it affords workers none of the protections a union affords. The employer does this so that they don’t have to pay higher wages, better benefits, or give the workers any of the legal protections a union can give its workers
In short—and i fully concede that i know nothing about this situation in particular—my guess is that BU just doesn’t want to recognize the union because they’re afraid they might have to pay their grad students more if they did. 
 
This stinks, imo!

I agree with much of what @Rootbound said, as someone who is also at an institution with a really strong, active union. Not only has my union worked tirelessly to push for our best interests (and insure that, each year, we receive fair pay-- among other things), but it's been a huge part of enabling me to really understand how and to what extend the faculty in my department are on the side of the graduate students. The ways in which they support union activity full-heartedly and without question has made it clear that the faculty really see us as workers deserving of fair and equitable treatment. Seeing messages and actions of support from the faculty in my department has truly been a joy. 
Also, as another thing that's worth considering-- you might think about how supporting (or not supporting) unions aligns with what a department says their philosophical and material commitments are. Do they preach Marxism and diversity, and then try to quiet union activity? Those sorts of discrepancies are worth paying attention to, as they'll likely inflect the department culture. 

Without sounding panicked, universities of all sorts have already begun to make it clear that in the fallout from COVID-19, many humanities departments will find their already-thin budgets on the chopping block (see, for instance, Karen Kelsky's running list of announced hiring freezes). A union isn't necessarily a silver bullet that can save you from all of that, but a union contract definitely makes it harder for a university to cut stipends and other funding as a cost-saving measure, or to dramatically increase the amount of work you're expected to do (in order to compensate for a smaller pool of TT and NTT faculty due to a hiring freeze, for example). 
At places without a union, you risk finding yourself reduced to begging the administration not to cut you. An example: my institution has a 3-year English postdoc, and has already made it clear that they will be cutting those short and releasing postdocs at the end of this year, even if they have additional years left. This the kind of thing a union is built to fight, but left on their own these folks have little more than the option of trying to seek out a lawyer and possibly challenge the university for violating their contract (in the midst of figuring out life in general right now). When push comes to shove, it's a lot better to have a legal contract on your side than to have to ask an administration politely not to toss you out in the cold. 
 

@karamazov @kolyagogolova congratulations on the UNC waitlists! It’s wonderful that the school’s paying for your travels to their visiting weekend, since it only goes to show how much they’d like to have you in their program. Anyway, while I suppose Durham differs slightly from Raleigh, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the general environment/culture in North Carolina after your respective visits, given that I’ll very likely be committing to Duke (sight-unseen) should the opportunity arise. Having never stepped foot in the States, let alone NC, I suppose this will be a rather risky move, so I’m trying to find out as much as I can from others to ensure that I’ll make the right decision (if I'm given the chance to). 

Unions are incredibly important. They will bargain for health care, for raises, for better working conditions, to avoid us being exploited as TAs when we have our own research to take care of. Our union has done a LOT for our campus. 

as a current third year, choose the school where your stipend is union protected (i really cannot emphasize this enough, uw's union has steadily fought for increased pay, we have no copay for mental health, and a strong contract enforcement protocol to protect against infractions), where grad students are nicer and seem organized, where faculty seems like you can really talk to them (this you may or may not have a feel for) and the city where you will feel excited to live for 5-8 years! the job market is such that no school can promise placement, so you should choose the place you *feel* is a good place to live in. that's just my two cents ?

As a current grad student at a university with a very strong and active union, I can heartily endorse their importance. The current pandemic is obviously unprecedented and a relatively unique event, but the union here has gone to great lengths to successfully protect not only its members, but also graduate students on fellowship and other staff--actions that simply would not have happened without their work. Without a union, rather obviously, your labor can be more easily exploited by the institution, and grad students are near first on the exploitable list. Recently, the union here has negotiated with the administration over the implementation of a ridiculously short sighted class scheduling system that would have seriously impacted the commuting cost for instructors who don't live in the immediate area (many don't), and they've also made sure grad instructors are compensated fairly for the extra work of suddenly shifting a class online. There were some concerns about changing healthcare benefits for TAs earlier in the year, and the union was able to prevent any serious problems. I don't know how these issues would have been solved, at least as quickly as they were, without a union. 
 
More generally, a department in which both faculty and students are actively involved in the union creates an atmosphere of openness and engagement around labor or funding issues, as opposed to regarding these topics as impolite or even crass. I would be more concerned about the attitude of faculty toward their students' funding and well-being at an institution that "brutally crushed" unionization. This is not to say that without a union you will definitely be exploited and your advisor will wave you away when you come to ask for advice about funding, and more to emphasize that a union can have a very positive impact on your experience. Frankly (and ignorantly, without knowing more about the situation), I would be wary of an institution that so strongly opposed to unionization--not even trying to look like you act in the best interests of your employees is not promising. 

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. I think it's pretty reasonable to believe departments when they say that there are more qualified applicants than there are spots in the incoming cohort. The competition is tough and if you're being offered a waitlist, then you are good enough and they do want you. Plus, a) everyone is going to feel imposter syndrome at some point during their time in grad school, even those that were accepted outright, and b) in a year or two (if that) most of the professors won't remember who was accepted outright and who was accepted off the waitlist. They have more important things to worry about and at that point they will be able to base their opinion of you off of personal experience and not your application.

I was in a 4 person cohort where we hardly saw each other outside of class and I don’t think most people really connected with faculty whereas now the cohort is 10 (+30 MA who, for the first two years, are indistinguishable from the rest in terms of classwork etc.) and it’s very close-knit and I’ve never felt ignored by a professor. There’s certainly a sweet spot but I think personality is gonna be the big factor and it can ruin a good-sized cohort and save the opposite.

I know this is small in comparison to the scope of the problems many are facing, but on top of all else I've lost this semester, I was devastated to learn today that my university library is closing for the foreseeable future (despite initial promises that the library would remain open when teaching went online). I'm doing two independent studies with major research components this semester - how am I supposed to complete these to any kind of standard without access to a library? (Our online resources remain available, of course, but not every book is available electronically!) And I can't imagine the stress and worry for our graduate students who are working on theses or dissertations, or even fellow undergrads doing senior theses (I'm just incredibly lucky that I finished mine last semester - I couldn't possibly have done it under these circumstances, at least not to a standard that would have gotten me into PhD programs). I know there are much larger issues on the table, but I was counting on books for solace through this troubling time, and having my library access cut off feels like the scariest thing that's happened to me yet.

A little bit of good news came to me a few days ago in the midst of all this craziness and uncertainty: I've successfully leveraged one of my offers to increase my stipend at another institution! I got word that the college's dean approved an increase, and I should receive further details this week. I really wasn't expecting them to bite, so this is a very nice surprise! 

I am pretty sure offer letters are signed by someone in the graduate school, at least in my experience. That said, I am sure there are mechanisms in place to change binding contracts in case of financial necessity. It would be up to student representatives/unions to fight against them, though it sounds like the Chicago thing was probably negotiated to some degree, since some groups gained money.
Also, re: 2008 crash, is this the same magnitude? I am not an economist so I don’t know but either way, if we’re talking 2008 crash then everything is fucked for years anyway (my country was still not fully recovered from 2008...) so while academia will certainly suffer it will suffer no more than other sectors (in fact, it will probably suffer less). 
 

As someone for whom reapplication next year is starting to look likely, I just felt a shiver go down my spine...

Yesterday, I also got laid off from my job due to the 'Rona effing up profits. Guess now is as good a time as any to heavily dive into binge-reading science fiction novels, binge-watching shows, and sprinkle some academic reading in there.

I think we've entered the stage of this where those of us in retail are just being laid off. That's how it's going in the bookstore world, at least--just got my "this is a hard email to send" message today, as did lots of booksellers at other stores. Here comes the next recession (but that's optimistic: economic depression, I'd say)

Thank you, yes I will definitely be reflecting on what I've learned. I'm so sorry you're going through this right now; I don't mean to be insensitive to you by complaining. I hope good things come your way soon! Also, I know that this probably doesn't mean much coming from someone with offers, but being shut out doesn't mean you aren't deserving of getting into a program. It doesn't mean you aren't talented and intelligent and hard-working. And it doesn't mean that you won't be successful if you decide to try again another year. Be nice to yourself, my friend. I think you deserve some kindness.

Honestly? I would say no. A lot of people do this and a lot of people jump from paid MAs to funded PhDs (and I assume some then make the leap to paying jobs that would not have been available otherwise). But, given the academic world and job market, it does not seem like a good idea to put yourself further and further in debt. That said, this topic has been discussed here before and perhaps others have expressed the various views more eloquently than I, so I would search through this forum.

I did not visit the school where I'm getting an MA (BC), as I was living in a pretty distant country until the summer before I started graduate school. I would have liked to visit, I suppose, but for me funding was ultimately the most important factor. Not visiting worked out for me! What I did find very helpful was stopping in Boston for a few days on my way back to/through the US. Looking at apartments in person was definitely easier, although I also know many people who found them from afar. By the way, if you (or anyone) has any questions about BC, send me a DM! Happy to help with anything I can

I would not expect this at all. You’d need all (or most?) of the graduate schools to agree on a course of action and they currently have their hands full. Frankly, who knows if things will actually get back to usual this semester. I’ve said this before but many of us have made decisions over the year without visiting. Visits are great, but ultimately the main thing is talking to faculty/students, which you can do anyway (faculty are likely busy now, but in a week or two you should be able to get answers). It is what it is, try to make the best of it and trust yourself that you’ll make the best decision you can. If you even have a decision to make it is likely a matter of picking between two great situations (and if not, how likely is it that you would figure that out from a visit?). It sucks that visits are cancelled, it really does, but I hope you can also make the best of a bad situation.

Sure, but in order for a changed deadline to help significantly, it would need to allow for visits, right? And right now, no one really knows when that would be. At some point, any students admitted off the waitlist need to know before the summer for strictly practical reasons: to find housing, partners who need to apply for jobs, etc. I'm sure it feels extremely unfair and stressful to have to make a decision right now (and it totally is!)--but imagine coming out of whatever's about to happen and being told in July that you should drop everything and move across the country.
Also, this is just a guess, but I'd say professors will be largely quiet for the next week or so. At least at the institution where I'm a graduate student, classes are paused for the next week while undergraduates are (non-optionally) moving out of university housing, and many professors are scrambling to move their courses online in the interim. This isn't to say that everything has dissolved into total chaos, but keep in mind that the most prominent members of many departments are probably the least equipped to teach online courses (they probably learned to teach without many of these tools, and they probably haven't taught or tutored online before). Many of them, at least at my institution, are also volunteering their time and homes to move and house students who aren't able to leave university housing with three/four days of notice (yes, really: they were told after five pm yesterday, and are required to leave before Sunday evening). I agree that it'll get worse before it gets better, but I don't think the slow responses mean you're not a priority. Most likely there's some panic at play, and professors will be more on top of things by next week or the week after. Obviously this is all influenced by the department I'm familiar with, but this process seems to be happening at many of the schools in our region, at least.