Worried about putting my eggs in (two) baskets

[MtrlHstryGrl]

Hello, everyone. I hope you are all well and staying healthy! 

This very well be my end-of-semester fatigue, but I am heavily considering only applying to two programs for the next PhD cycle. I have sent out quite a few emails, have had a few phone calls, etc., and found two programs where I feel very confident about the fit. Faculty from these two programs have also told me that I would be a great fit and I have had conversations with faculty there in which they strongly encouraged me to apply. This could very much be me being tired at the end of the semester, but I am considering putting all of my eggs in two baskets, so to speak. Is this a terrible idea? Should I keep looking?

[geekusprimus]

Grad schools are almost certainly going to be more competitive next year because of the huge hit the economy is taking from the coronavirus. More people are going to apply while less funding will be available. You might have some solid contacts at your preferred schools, but go ahead and cast a wider net; the world is going to be a very different place when the 2021 admissions cycle begins. If you absolutely know without a doubt that you have to go to grad school or don't want to go into the real world yet, make sure that at least one or two of those schools is someplace you wouldn't mind attending, even if they're a little less prestigious overall.