Traffic on the GradCafe post-4/15?

[IRdreams]

I really like the idea of expanding the Officially Grad forum into a multi-issue forum. I think it would encourage greater participation by cuing current admits that this is the place to talk about serious grad school developments. Many decisions in grad school are kind of blind leading the blind...but the more advice the better I think.

I could easily see forums on the following:

Committees and Committee Selection

Quals and Comps

Dissertation Commiseration

Grad Life

Summer Plans (This is probably less improtant for science where you keep plugging in the lab, but what to do with one's summer comes up ALOT in humanities and the social sciences since we are on a more traditiona 9mo work schedule for the most part)

Conferences and Publishing

I might also move the jobs section under here since I think the job season is big grad life development for many of us.

Anyways, just my 2 cents

[bgk]

Just so you all know I am watching this topic closely. As for the previously promised graph of how the forum usage looks, here's the past 4 admit seasons.

The graph starts at 10/1/2007 and ends yesterday, 4/21/2011. Healthy growth: in the week of Oct 1 2007 we had 107 visitors. Last week we had 115,107 visitors.

Here's the same thing with page views instead of visitors. From a mere 240k pageviews in Feb/Mar 2007 to almost 1M this time around.

[Strangefox]

Just so you all know I am watching this topic closely. As for the previously promised graph of how the forum usage looks, here's the past 4 admit seasons.

The graph starts at 10/1/2007 and ends yesterday, 4/21/2011. Healthy growth: in the week of Oct 1 2007 we had 107 visitors. Last week we had 115,107 visitors.

Here's the same thing with page views instead of visitors. From a mere 240k pageviews in Feb/Mar 2007 to almost 1M this time around.

I tried to watch the graphs and all I could read is: "You do not have permission to view this attachment."

[bgk]

I tried to watch the graphs and all I could read is: "You do not have permission to view this attachment."

Fixed

[Eigen]

I'd love to see the Officially Grad's section beefed up. I actually didn't know about TGC during my application season... I didn't find it and join until I was most of the way through my first semester.

PhDComics seems to do pretty well with two "Grad" sections- stuff relating to Academia, and then just a "General" forum.

I think one thing that might help get more posts from current grads wouldn't so much be expansion as re-organization... Moving the "Meet and Greet" to another subsection (probably under the "Applying to Grad School" section) and then moving the "Grad School Life" section of the boards up closer to the top... Unless you minimize sections, the current grad student sections are way down the list, which I think hurts traffic to some degree.

Alternatively, you could just move "Jobs" and "Officially Grads" up to the "Cafe" subsection.

As to moderation, if there's a need I'd be glad to help out. I have several other forums I moderate, and it's not that hard to just go through reports/tickets on a regular basis as part of my visits to the site.

[Mal83]

This was my first application season, this forum has been a tremendous help during such an emotionally arduous process. My decision has been final for weeks but I keep coming around, it's like something to do now. I too hope to "impart some of my newly acquired wisdom."

[Zouzax]

Im definitely sticking around! I think this site is great. And Im applying again next year, so....

[GI1]

I'm addicted to thegradcafe I'll praobably stick around, I have also recommended the website to so many others as well

[bgreenster]

Well, I'm one of the newbies on here for the next application season. I've been obsessing over grad school for at least six months already and am impatient for the 2012 applications to be released. I actually didn't realize how weird this was until recently - in my head, I barely have enough time left to apply!

I think this site is great, even if it is enabling my looking-up-everything-about-grad-school addiction. I think that perhaps a section on schools would help those early on in the application process. Right now, I have to think of possible schools and programs and do multiple differently-worded searches to find posts on what certain places are like. It would be nice to have them in one place, especially for browsing purposes when you have no idea where you are going to apply.

Thanks to those of you sticking around!

[qbtacoma]

My desire to visit Grad Cafe dropped off quite a bit after I got in! But I really do like the conversations and people here, so I'm sure I'll stick around. I don't feel like I have anything special to add at the moment, since I haven't actually experienced grad school yet. I would like to offer some good advice to others next year!

[gellert]

Well, I'm one of the newbies on here for the next application season. I've been obsessing over grad school for at least six months already and am impatient for the 2012 applications to be released. I actually didn't realize how weird this was until recently - in my head, I barely have enough time left to apply!

I think this site is great, even if it is enabling my looking-up-everything-about-grad-school addiction. I think that perhaps a section on schools would help those early on in the application process. Right now, I have to think of possible schools and programs and do multiple differently-worded searches to find posts on what certain places are like. It would be nice to have them in one place, especially for browsing purposes when you have no idea where you are going to apply.

Thanks to those of you sticking around!

Ooh, I second that suggestion. I've already got my schools picked out, but that certainly would have been handy.

I've been lurking on TGC for over a year now before actually getting my account, and it's finally almost my application season! I've learned a lot just from watching the board and have recommended it to several of my friends from my labs. Here's to fingers-crossed for good summer activity! I'll certainly be here.

[neuropsych76]

Well, I'm one of the newbies on here for the next application season. I've been obsessing over grad school for at least six months already and am impatient for the 2012 applications to be released. I actually didn't realize how weird this was until recently - in my head, I barely have enough time left to apply!

I think this site is great, even if it is enabling my looking-up-everything-about-grad-school addiction. I think that perhaps a section on schools would help those early on in the application process. Right now, I have to think of possible schools and programs and do multiple differently-worded searches to find posts on what certain places are like. It would be nice to have them in one place, especially for browsing purposes when you have no idea where you are going to apply.

Thanks to those of you sticking around!

A section on schools would be great but probably wouldn't be too popular because of confidentiality issues. If it was anonymous or everyone created new user names then maybe.

[hejduk]

I've found the commentary, help, and advice to be quite invaluable. Honestly, I attribute my success in being admitted to a doctoral program to being a member of this forum. And yes, I wholeheartedly believe this!

I continue to post, and will check the forum on a daily basis.

Edited May 14, 2011 by hejduk

[psycholinguist]

This was my third (and final) season that involved applying to grad-schools for some reason or another, but I'll be hanging around. This is one of only about two forums on the Internet that I check regularly; the people here are just way too interesting not to! (Not to mention how useful the advice often is.)

Edited May 19, 2011 by psycholinguist