Wow - great insights and you are making me feel so much less stressed. Thanks very much. I had Penn State on my list very early, and clearly needed to do better research on it. Thanks for the links - it does look like a great fit and possibly a target for me even though I’m OOS?
Good advice re UI-Chicago - I was hesitating at the commuter school idea.
Can you explain your last sentence a little? Do you mean my PhD studies would be funded e.g., by a research assistant position or fellowship? And if I’m not working in a funded lab, the PhD will not be worth doing?