you are not being ghosted

guys everyone on this sub needs to take a deep breath. you are not being ghosted, it is just very early in the cycle. hell, most universities are not even back in session yet.

silence at this point does not mean a single thing, good or bad. I know you probably submitted all your materials in November or December. that means that the university received them, counted them, processed them into little packets for faculty to read. then the holidays happened. now everyone is getting back to work getting caught up on the million other things they have going on, slowly making their way through their packets. silence does not mean rejection, silence does not mean acceptance, silence just means the last PI on the committee is still on his ski trip.

if you haven't heard anything by May...yeah okay sure they ghosted you. but early January? come on people pull yourselves together.

source: just talked to my PI and he said he's planning on taking a student this year but hasn't even started reading applications.