PhD and grad applicants — anyone disappointed by admissions pause at nyu, columbia, and other schools?

[Nikasf]

Hello!

I'm a graduate student at Columbia University and I'm writing about how the recent pause/reduction of admissions for the next academic year is impacting aspiring students. I'm especially interested to hear from first generation students (those whose parents havent attended college or beyond) and anyone who might not apply anymore because of the timing. Please respond here or email me at nika.f@columbia.edu if you'd like to help my research.

Edited October 4, 2020 by Nikasf
Typo

[mokona122]

Idk if its too late--I just joined, but I'm a first-gen, low income student applying this cycle. I was definitely saddened by Columbia and UPenn's pause on East Asian Language and Lit applications because they have always been my dream schools and have the best resources for my area of interest. Unfortunately, many of the schools who have paused or reduced admissions are the ones that traditionally offer the best financial packages to their students, so that was a pretty terrifying realization for me. I really did consider deferring my application, but unfortunately, the pandemic puts us in a time of financial uncertainty, and I don't have enough funds (nor does my family) to financially support myself an additional year (I've relied heavily on my scholarships and work study from school to support my living expenses). I've decided to just take a shot and apply to other schools this cycle, and I'm glad I did. Not only have I saved so much money I didn't have (sending additional GRE reports is crazy expensive), but also I am happy with my current selection of schools and am hoping for the best!