According to gradcafe all of the programs I've applied to this year have now already accepted and/or reached out for interviews to applicants. I'm coming to terms with the prospect of yet another year of studying for and retaking the GRE, banal RA tasks, and having to do other frustrating jobs in order to keep up to pursue this dream. My best friend's dad is a psych prof and told me something once to the effect of: "I never felt like the smartest person in my cohort and I know of many people more talented than me who didn't make it or left and decided to do other things, but I was just the one who stayed and stuck around, and I've found myself here today."
I wanted to ask members of this board who have triumphed to share their stories of perseverance and dedication, as a beacon to those of us who are discouraged and struggling with doubt. Maybe one day we'll be able to reciprocate the strength offered here to those who too later find themselves troubled in this arrangement.