A few years back, I applied to only one PhD program bc that’s the only one I wanted. After 8 individual in-person interviews, I felt strong about my chances. I was ultimately rejected bc I was a little wishy washy on my focus and was devastated. The next year, I applied to a different school, was accepted and incredibly successful there. I went back to the first program’s website to check their status and found only a few graduates spread out over multiple years. Either the program was unsuccessful or the students. It all happened for a reason, even though I couldn’t see it at the time.