lewin

The person whose opinion is important is your new PhD advisor, not the undergrad advisor. Ask that person. Depending on the week, you might not miss much. 

I'm not sure what field you're in and how review articles work in it; this would be something to consult with your advisor about. In particular, before beginning such a project you'd want to make sure that it's the logical thing to do to help your CV and career along. It may be the case that writing a review article isn't really the best strategy, and instead it would make more sense to invest your time in some side project that would yield publishable results but would not necessarily be your dissertation project. This is something that an experienced professor who knows you, your progress and your field will be able to give you better advice on than we can here, since we don't have any of that information. In addition, you should find out how review articles work in your field; in mine it's not really something you just write; instead you get invited to do so and normally these things are done by experienced professors, not graduate students.

Dropping contact like that is unprofessional and irritating but, unfortunately, not rare in academia (or in any corporate job hunt, for that matter). 
 
In addition to the great advice above, I'll just point out that even if POI A read your materials and decided he doesn't want to work with you, it doesn't mean he "doesn't like" you. Poor research fit (or whatever caused him to disappear) shouldn't cause personal dislike and won't make it awkward if POI B accepts you.  On the other hand, did you make a racist joke? Call his daughter a "handsome lad"? Then he might actually dislike you. But in the absence of other factors you haven't mentioned I think you're reading too much into this. 
    ....also, this probably won't be comforting to hear, but if you really did do something specific to make POI A personally dislike you then POI B definitely knows about it too, or will soon. Admissions aren't done in isolation and I'm sure they'll talk to each other. Also, academics are the worst gossips.  

Don't plan to buy any software. Many universities have digital copies available for you once you are a student because of their licensing agreements. It is possible that you can get all of the software you need for free through them.
 
Tablets and electronics are the best for this funding, you will want to buy a brand new computer for your office and set it up with two monitors. Your productivity will skyrocket. Or you will become a more efficient redditor one of the two.

Second year is a terrible time to take a break; you're taking courses and just getting your research started. Actually, there's no good time to take a break. 
 
People usually take justified leave-of-absences for (1) pregnancy, (2) severe medical illness, and (3) family emergencies (i.e., taking care of relative with (1) or (2). Frankly, "I miss my fiancee," will not be seen as a good reason.  I've had several friends who had to spend time long-distance during their PhD. It stinks but it's not unusual. And the financial aspects are a consequence of the relationship issue, not an independent problem; graduate student stipends aren't intended to cover multiple, cross-country trips. 
 
If his job out there is permanent and you move, will you really want to leave again after being together and married for a year? I doubt it. So here's my take:
 
1. If you value his job and your relationship more than your PhD then just drop out and move.
 
2. If this job is temporary and eventually he'll work closer to your program, then stay enrolled and continue long-distance until he can move there. And if I can meddle in your relationship finances  Since your'e going to be married, perhaps you should find a more equitable way of splitting the travel expenses. He has the good job and you're poor, so he should pay for more of your travel or come to visit you more.

However the thing to note is that the department-level rankings used here were not the US News Rankings but the NRC rankings, which do not publish an absolute ranking but a range of scores for each department depending on a basket of criteria. The resulting output was multiple sets of rankings, and outside of the absolute absolute top tier (say top 3 schools) the ranking variances were very wide, e.g. ranking for the same school varioes from #5 to #29, or #9 to #46 depending on the criteria used. Even looking at the most important criteria, the scores awarded for 185 schools fell in the range of 24 (low) to 72 (high). The score range for the top 40 schools was 60 to 72.
 
My point, as in my original post, is that the best way to look at rankings (even when considering they determine future opportunities etc.) is in large blocks, i.e. possibly Top 5, 6-30, etc. and yes most people would prefer a #5 to a #200 any day, but I would think there is no big difference between #10 and #25, especially if #25 has POIs you would rather work with???

that departmental prestige is the best predictor of post-PhD employment. So you might have a more enjoyable PhD but, statistically speaking, worse career prospects

Second year is a terrible time to take a break; you're taking courses and just getting your research started. Actually, there's no good time to take a break. 
 
People usually take justified leave-of-absences for (1) pregnancy, (2) severe medical illness, and (3) family emergencies (i.e., taking care of relative with (1) or (2). Frankly, "I miss my fiancee," will not be seen as a good reason.  I've had several friends who had to spend time long-distance during their PhD. It stinks but it's not unusual. And the financial aspects are a consequence of the relationship issue, not an independent problem; graduate student stipends aren't intended to cover multiple, cross-country trips. 
 
If his job out there is permanent and you move, will you really want to leave again after being together and married for a year? I doubt it. So here's my take:
 
1. If you value his job and your relationship more than your PhD then just drop out and move.
 
2. If this job is temporary and eventually he'll work closer to your program, then stay enrolled and continue long-distance until he can move there. And if I can meddle in your relationship finances  Since your'e going to be married, perhaps you should find a more equitable way of splitting the travel expenses. He has the good job and you're poor, so he should pay for more of your travel or come to visit you more.

Fixed that for you. If other people prefer the other TA because of its location then it should be easy to switch without using children as the reason. But now you're equivocating. Your original post said: "...because I am a single mom of two elementary-school aged kids, I preferred to stay close to the university." It's unreasonable to expect someone else to travel if the sole reason is that you have kids and don't want to travel yourself.

And nobody was suggesting you shouldn't decline the TA if that choice works better for you. (I'm glad you're getting the RA's instead!) The option to decline a TA should be open to anyone regardless of reason. But if you're arguing that you deserve a local TA (which unarguably means that somebody else needs to take the far one) because of children, I don't accept that reason.

I think it's perfectly fine to decline interviews. I got an offer from my top choice earlier on and I had a few interviews scheduled. I emailed the professors right away (for one of them the interview was the day after) and respectfully and politely explained my situation and apologized for the late notice. They were very appreciative of my email and congratulated me on getting and accepting an offer to my top choice. I think most of them would rather have you tell them beforehand so that you are not wasting anyone's time or leading anyone on than trying to go through it just to be polite.

Second year is a terrible time to take a break; you're taking courses and just getting your research started. Actually, there's no good time to take a break. 
 
People usually take justified leave-of-absences for (1) pregnancy, (2) severe medical illness, and (3) family emergencies (i.e., taking care of relative with (1) or (2). Frankly, "I miss my fiancee," will not be seen as a good reason.  I've had several friends who had to spend time long-distance during their PhD. It stinks but it's not unusual. And the financial aspects are a consequence of the relationship issue, not an independent problem; graduate student stipends aren't intended to cover multiple, cross-country trips. 
 
If his job out there is permanent and you move, will you really want to leave again after being together and married for a year? I doubt it. So here's my take:
 
1. If you value his job and your relationship more than your PhD then just drop out and move.
 
2. If this job is temporary and eventually he'll work closer to your program, then stay enrolled and continue long-distance until he can move there. And if I can meddle in your relationship finances  Since your'e going to be married, perhaps you should find a more equitable way of splitting the travel expenses. He has the good job and you're poor, so he should pay for more of your travel or come to visit you more.

Quoted for emphasis. My spouse and I lived apart for a year while we were engaged because she was just starting her career and didn't want to switch jobs so soon. Thankfully, she's in a relatively portable, in-demand job and is willing to uproot herself 2-3 times (PhD, Post doc, job). And it's not just the career, it's that she has to make new friends everywhere too... that's almost harder. Very hard on the academic spouse, but mine's a champ.

*faux pas
 
I'd be surprised if "wait list" meant something formal. More likely it means that if another person your POI is trying to recruit declines, they might invite you instead. What I mean is, it probably depends on who declines and who they wanted to work with, not a specific number of people. So I doubt you'll get a useful answer from them.

*faux pas
 
I'd be surprised if "wait list" meant something formal. More likely it means that if another person your POI is trying to recruit declines, they might invite you instead. What I mean is, it probably depends on who declines and who they wanted to work with, not a specific number of people. So I doubt you'll get a useful answer from them.

*faux pas
 
I'd be surprised if "wait list" meant something formal. More likely it means that if another person your POI is trying to recruit declines, they might invite you instead. What I mean is, it probably depends on who declines and who they wanted to work with, not a specific number of people. So I doubt you'll get a useful answer from them.

Stefanka -- it likely depends on each school, but in general, I think it's the department that determines who gets accepted and who gets on the waitlist. After all, it's the department who has to balance its budget, not the dean's, so the department is the body that decides how many students are "too many". The graduate school office / dean's role is to make sure all students admitted/recommended actually meet University-wide guidelines (e.g. English language requirement, GRE scores, etc.) and to do all of the paperwork to formally enroll someone as a student.

*faux pas
 
I'd be surprised if "wait list" meant something formal. More likely it means that if another person your POI is trying to recruit declines, they might invite you instead. What I mean is, it probably depends on who declines and who they wanted to work with, not a specific number of people. So I doubt you'll get a useful answer from them.

*faux pas
 
I'd be surprised if "wait list" meant something formal. More likely it means that if another person your POI is trying to recruit declines, they might invite you instead. What I mean is, it probably depends on who declines and who they wanted to work with, not a specific number of people. So I doubt you'll get a useful answer from them.

*faux pas
 
I'd be surprised if "wait list" meant something formal. More likely it means that if another person your POI is trying to recruit declines, they might invite you instead. What I mean is, it probably depends on who declines and who they wanted to work with, not a specific number of people. So I doubt you'll get a useful answer from them.

That's what the OP's accusation is hinted to be, given that it's the title of the post with no other explanation.
 
I for one, think the accusation is ridiculous.

What the heck does her being unmarried or younger than you have to do with it?

I applied to Harvard (a few years ago) and have two letters from them: The first in March saying they were unable to offer me admission. The second in July saying that there had been a "security breech" of their admissions database and my personal data may have been compromised.

I applied to Harvard and all I got was a lousy year of free credit monitoring services.

tldr: Yes
 
http://pps.sagepub.com/content/8/2/208.abstract?etoc
 
The outcome of a graduate student’s hunt for employment is often attributed to the student’s own accomplishments, the reputation of the department, and the reputation of the university. In 2007, a national survey of psychology graduate students was conducted to assess accomplishments and experiences in graduate school, part of which was an assessment of employment after completion of the doctorate (PhD). Five hundred and fifty-one respondents who had applied for employment reported whether they had obtained employment and in what capacity. Survey results were then integrated with the National Research Council’s most recent official ranking system of academic departments. The strongest predictor of employment was department-level rankings even while controlling for individual accomplishments, such as publications, posters, and teaching experience. Equally accomplished applicants for an employment position were not equal, apparently, if they graduated from differently ranked departments. The results also show the degree to which school-level rankings, department-level rankings, and individual accomplishments uniquely predict the various types of employment, including jobs at PhD-granting institutions, master’s-granting institutions, liberal arts colleges, 2-year schools, outside academia, or no employment at all.
 
 
 
Another fun finding is that each publication increases one's chance of getting a job by about 15%.
 

tldr: Yes
 
http://pps.sagepub.com/content/8/2/208.abstract?etoc
 
The outcome of a graduate student’s hunt for employment is often attributed to the student’s own accomplishments, the reputation of the department, and the reputation of the university. In 2007, a national survey of psychology graduate students was conducted to assess accomplishments and experiences in graduate school, part of which was an assessment of employment after completion of the doctorate (PhD). Five hundred and fifty-one respondents who had applied for employment reported whether they had obtained employment and in what capacity. Survey results were then integrated with the National Research Council’s most recent official ranking system of academic departments. The strongest predictor of employment was department-level rankings even while controlling for individual accomplishments, such as publications, posters, and teaching experience. Equally accomplished applicants for an employment position were not equal, apparently, if they graduated from differently ranked departments. The results also show the degree to which school-level rankings, department-level rankings, and individual accomplishments uniquely predict the various types of employment, including jobs at PhD-granting institutions, master’s-granting institutions, liberal arts colleges, 2-year schools, outside academia, or no employment at all.
 
 
 
Another fun finding is that each publication increases one's chance of getting a job by about 15%.
 

tldr: Yes
 
http://pps.sagepub.com/content/8/2/208.abstract?etoc
 
The outcome of a graduate student’s hunt for employment is often attributed to the student’s own accomplishments, the reputation of the department, and the reputation of the university. In 2007, a national survey of psychology graduate students was conducted to assess accomplishments and experiences in graduate school, part of which was an assessment of employment after completion of the doctorate (PhD). Five hundred and fifty-one respondents who had applied for employment reported whether they had obtained employment and in what capacity. Survey results were then integrated with the National Research Council’s most recent official ranking system of academic departments. The strongest predictor of employment was department-level rankings even while controlling for individual accomplishments, such as publications, posters, and teaching experience. Equally accomplished applicants for an employment position were not equal, apparently, if they graduated from differently ranked departments. The results also show the degree to which school-level rankings, department-level rankings, and individual accomplishments uniquely predict the various types of employment, including jobs at PhD-granting institutions, master’s-granting institutions, liberal arts colleges, 2-year schools, outside academia, or no employment at all.
 
 
 
Another fun finding is that each publication increases one's chance of getting a job by about 15%.