Waiting... A false hope... Still Waiting

[Russophile]

I applied to one PhD program because it seemed like a perfect fit (I also did my MA here, so I know people here and am comfortable with the town, etc). Also, I took my GREs a little over 5 years ago and while they GRE company would send the scores out until next June, a lot of universities I was considering wouldn't take them.

 

A week ago someone posted a rejection from the program I applied to, and I got excited thinking that I would at the very least know something soon.  So yesterday I started getting impatient and decided to talk to my advisor who was also my POI.  She told me that the university is cutting back on graduate students in the department and that she actually has no say on whether or not she even takes on new phd students because there are now many more faculty members than spots in the PhD program.  She suggested that it might be to my advantage to retake the GREs and look at other departments or other universities, even if I am admitted because of generalized uncertainty about university funding.  I'm not even sure what to do about this at this point. Is this suggestion something I should take seriously?  

[idiochromatic]

Yes, I think this sounds like a suggestion you should take seriously. Your POI knows a lot more about the internal dynamics of the university and if they are telling you to reconsider, you should listen.

[Russophile]

I was thinking the same thing, it just isn't pleasant to think about going through the application process all over again, particularly when it means retaking the GREs. 

[lavendercloud]

Do you want to get a PhD? Is it worth it to go to a program without funding solely so you don't have to reapply and take the GRE again? Most people apply more than once to more than one place - if you're not willing to do that, maybe you should take a closer look at whether you really want a PhD.

[grad_wannabe]

I was thinking the same thing, it just isn't pleasant to think about going through the application process all over again, particularly when it means retaking the GREs. 

 

this is simply the reality of PhD admissions, and why most people apply to more than one school per round. I applied to seven schools and took the GRE twice. I know it's painful to wait another year, but if this is REALLY what you want, you can do it!

[Russophile]

It is what I really want and I am feeling a bit more confident about the decision to try again next year. This is a situation where funding is offered to incoming students, but only for that year.  When put into perspective, taking the GREs and going through another year of applications will be far less stressful than finding out that I didn't get funding for my second year of coursework.  Thank you all for your comments!