letmein

My personal rankings were:
 
Placement (tied to faculty in some ways)
Funding
Faculty 
Social culture/atmosphere
Resources/opportunities
Location
 
That said, the best advice I've received is to "go with your gut." Two to three years of your life (or 5-7 if you continue on for the PhD) is too much time to go anywhere you would be miserable. In the end, what kind of atmosphere do you think would best support the kind of work you want to do while keeping you monetarily and emotionally happy? If you don't think you would be happy in a particular program (even if it is for something as "petty" as the social culture), I'd be wary about going there. Grad school is tough as it is.
 
Also, do NOT go anywhere that isn't funding you adequately. Going into debt is NOT worth it. I'd say this is a deal-breaker.

Looks like this application cycle is finally and officially over for me, with IU the ultimate champion. Thank the maker that I won't have to suffer any application-related stress for the next several years (until I hit the job market, which promises to be worse). At the very least, I will never have to take the GRE again in my life. 
 
Where does everyone else stand at the end of all this? There are still a few people whose fates remain unknown (at least to me). 
 
Big thanks to everyone who took the time to post here and share anxieties and information over the past months. And for those of you I was able to meet in person at various recruiting events, see you around 

Just received email acceptance for Indiana!!! Woot! No word yet about class size or funding.
 
Fingers crossed for the remaining apps. I can at least breathe a heavy sigh of relief now that I got in somewhere.