annarchy666

Most conspicuously, I think that funding is going to shrink rather drastically. This likely means that most PhD programs will be offering less places, and that all of their new hiring will stop. Realistically, places in academic will shrink across the board. 
But I would like to also suggest to anyone feeling anxious, or feeling like they have to rush into a masters this year, that it is okay to take it slow, and that it is okay to take a little more time. Just getting through this global pandemic is enough — don't succumb to the internalised rat race that places productivity above personal wellbeing. It's understandable (and perhaps even desirable) to take a year off and take your time: no one is judging you. Anecdotally, I would just add that this is also the message being communicated to PhD students in my program — students who typically aspire towards excellence, but whom are being told that, in the current climate, doing "fine" is more than enough. 
The funding will come back, and, if you are patient, so will the opportunity to pursue the things you love. 

I wan to counter this with my perspective. My philosophy towards my applications was to write as honestly as possible and to be clear about my intentions. I did name specific professors in my SOP's because I did not want to attend a program if it wasn't going to provide me with exactly what I was looking for. Committing to a PhD for 5-7 years is a big deal and I did not want to go to a school where I would have to fight for legitimacy in my studies. In fact, one program I applied to admitted me but immediately let me know that the professor I stated that I wanted to work with was retiring at the end of the year, which had not been announced publicly yet. For me, the professor was a dealbreaker. I framed my SOP with phrases such as "so and so's mentorship would be a great asset for my studies." 
I think this might be a difference in personal philosophy when it comes to the application process. As I stated above, my strategy was to apply to a wide swath of schools where I could see myself as a graduate student and make my honest case about my objectives. If the schools didn't agree with my objectives, then I didn't want to go there so I was happy to take the large number of rejections I received. To me, the whole point of the SOP was to argue that you were qualified and a good fit for that specific program. If the school disagrees, then they disagree. But not going to your "dream school" because it would have been a terrible fit feels to me like dodging a real bullet.
I also recommend casting a wide net. I applied to 9 PhD programs and will be attending one that came to me as a recommendation from my undergrad advisor and I had never actually considered, beyond my research interest match. When I got an interview, I started researching the program more in depth and found it was much more of a dream program for me than any of the other schools I fantasized about. This is to say, stay open to other programs in addition to your "dream school," because you'll never know what program actually suits you.

For those of us fortunate enough to be invited for campus visits, what are good things to look for and (perhaps more importantly) what are red flags? What are you looking for in a campus visit? What do you wish you had paid more attention to on your campus visit?
Personally, I'm looking to click with faculty, current students, and other prospective students. I'm also looking for library facilities that are conducive to research and studying and a campus that I like aesthetically and places that I will enjoy spending time. 

For those of us fortunate enough to be invited for campus visits, what are good things to look for and (perhaps more importantly) what are red flags? What are you looking for in a campus visit? What do you wish you had paid more attention to on your campus visit?
Personally, I'm looking to click with faculty, current students, and other prospective students. I'm also looking for library facilities that are conducive to research and studying and a campus that I like aesthetically and places that I will enjoy spending time. 

I was in a similar position when I was in undergrad! I had a really difficult line up of classes one term during my freshman year and had to decide, for my own sanity, which to put a little less effort into so that all of my courses didn't suffer. I chose to put less effort into my French class (I wasn't majoring or minoring or even thinking about graduate school) and ended up with a B. Do I regret it? Maybe, but it doesn't seem to have affected my chances of getting into PhD programs for Art History. A minor is also much more than a single course; don't devalue all of the other courses you've taken because you're not happy with the outcome of this one. I don't think it's worth dropping your minor over one subpar grade .

It probably means that the department approved your application and the graduate school's admissions department has to give your app a once over and make sure the department didn't miss any glaring issues before officially offering admission. I heard the same phrase from a department representative and ended up needing to send along official transcripts to the graduate school proper in order to receive official admission to the school itself.

Results page is absolutely brutal this week.