Increased applications due to COVID (Humanities)?

[ReneeGrad]

Talking to my profs, we conjectured that there would be more applications this cycle due to the pandemic. I found ONE very random article in the fall online the cited "experts" saying applications to law/business/med schools had increased. I applied to English and STS (Science and Technology Studies) programs. My rejection from Indiana University's English PhD program said that received almost 40% more applications this year compared to last year. Anyone have any knowledge about or experience with this application cycle (humanities and social sciences in particular)? Anecdotal, yes please, but very interested in sources or data I can cite. TY!

[AnxiousBeaver]

Yeah a PhD program at Stanford (social science) informed me that they received a record amount of applications this year than in previous, but it was expected because of the global state of the world right now. 

[MaryHildegard]

Anecdotal, but I absolutely would not have applied to a Master of Theological Studies program if it hadn’t been for coronavirus. I was very against the idea of going to grad school while I was in undergrad. I have a degree in economics, and economics graduate programs require extremely good math abilitities that I do not have. But in an shaky time, where getting a job is difficult...a structured graduate program is mighty appealing! The time at home made me realize my passion for religion, and I spent 4 months as an intern at a convent and took a class at the nearby seminary, whose professor wrote me a LOR. I was still considering history MA programs last fall. I think religion is unusual in that it’s significantly easier to get into a master’s with a totally unrelated bachelor’s than it is in other fields. My BU merit scholarship letter noted that this was a very competitive year. 

Also, while I chose to take the GRE (168 V/149 Q/3.5 AW), the schools I applied to did not require it, and a lot of other schools were GRE optional this year. Can’t discount that.