Glasperlenspieler

How confident are you that this is indicative of daily life in the program and not a very effective recruitment effort?
 
I would say that one year free from teaching, a significantly higher stipend, and a 1:1 is subsequent years should be weighed very heavily against having to teach every year, a lower stipend, and a 1:2. It's not that other factors can't make up for that, but it would have to be a very compelling array of factors.
 
Have you talked to grad students at either program? You sort of make it sound like you've only contacted professors (who may be really working the recruitment effort at one university and be really preoccupied with pandemic related upheavals at the other). I think it's paramount that you get some grad student perspectives at bot universities, especially if you are considered the offer with worse funding.
edit: I do now see that you've talked to grad student. I would still really do some digging before accepted a a lower funded offer when the difference is that significantly lower.

So, I would say two things. Getting an online MA in philosophy and then another MA in philosophy could raise eyebrows. Also, some (many?) university's will not consider applicants who already possess that degree in the field for which they're applying. So you might inadvertently shoot yourself in the foot by trying to get a leg up. (Mixing clichéd metaphors is always recommended right????) So, no, I don't really think an online MA will help you get into an in-person funded MA in the same field. And while I think online instruction actually has some merits, I think you'll encounter a lot of snobbish attitudes about an online MA from faculty on admissions committees.

+1
Never incur debt with this job market.
25 years ago, it would have been fine. There were jobs at the end of the tunnel.

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. I think it's pretty reasonable to believe departments when they say that there are more qualified applicants than there are spots in the incoming cohort. The competition is tough and if you're being offered a waitlist, then you are good enough and they do want you. Plus, a) everyone is going to feel imposter syndrome at some point during their time in grad school, even those that were accepted outright, and b) in a year or two (if that) most of the professors won't remember who was accepted outright and who was accepted off the waitlist. They have more important things to worry about and at that point they will be able to base their opinion of you off of personal experience and not your application.

Personally, if I'm understanding your situation correctly, I might go with the Fulbright for this year (pending COVID) and then apply to both PhDs and funded MAs for a Fall 2021 admission. I applied to 7 PhD programs and 1 MA program right out of undergrad, and, having been rejected by the PhDs and going in to a fully funded MA, I'm really grateful to have had this period of time to refine my research and research interests before going in to the PhD. If you apply to both MAs and PhDs, you'll (theoretically) have more choices come Spring 2021, and it sounds like you'd be likely to get into MA programs again. That way, you can eliminate the fear of regretting deferring the MA programs now, and if you get shut out from PhDs for Fall 2021, you could still start your MA that year, take more time to refine your research project and improve the breadth and depth of your knowledge, and then still go on to apply to PhDs again and have that 5+ year relationship that you're looking for. 

Protip: Maybe try to develop psychic abilities or something so you can do your best to not apply immediately before a pandemic hits. Just a thought. 

My anecdotal experience suggests that students who have spent a few years doing something other than school are often more emotionally and intellectually prepared for the rigors of graduate school than those who went straight through. There are obviously exceptions to this, but I certainly don't think there is any imperative to go straight to graduate school in order to be successful. 

My anecdotal experience suggests that students who have spent a few years doing something other than school are often more emotionally and intellectually prepared for the rigors of graduate school than those who went straight through. There are obviously exceptions to this, but I certainly don't think there is any imperative to go straight to graduate school in order to be successful. 

My anecdotal experience suggests that students who have spent a few years doing something other than school are often more emotionally and intellectually prepared for the rigors of graduate school than those who went straight through. There are obviously exceptions to this, but I certainly don't think there is any imperative to go straight to graduate school in order to be successful. 

My anecdotal experience suggests that students who have spent a few years doing something other than school are often more emotionally and intellectually prepared for the rigors of graduate school than those who went straight through. There are obviously exceptions to this, but I certainly don't think there is any imperative to go straight to graduate school in order to be successful. 

You should certainly make and weigh your own choices. However, is that debt going to accrue interest in Ph.D world, when it will be hard to pay it down? And then need to be paid off when you're in a likely-terrible job market? It's just worth thinking about. 
At 22, you really have so much time to go back to school, and there are a lot of things you can do outside the academy (psychologically, financially, just having-an-interesting-life-wise) to supplement your career in it. Just my two cents.

I very strongly recommend that you understand that what you can do may not be what you should do. While policies may allow for transfer credit to shorten the amount of coursework one does, the Powers That Be in one's department may have a different vision for what their students should do. A thing, if not the thing, to keep in mind is that professors, not policies, are the guardians of the profession you aspire to join.

In some workplaces where workers have voted to unionize, but where the employer has not yet recognized the union, management will argue that a union isnt necessary because there’s already a group like this in place, which supposedly (according to the employer) already functions as a union, even though it affords workers none of the protections a union affords. The employer does this so that they don’t have to pay higher wages, better benefits, or give the workers any of the legal protections a union can give its workers
In short—and i fully concede that i know nothing about this situation in particular—my guess is that BU just doesn’t want to recognize the union because they’re afraid they might have to pay their grad students more if they did. 
 
This stinks, imo!

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. I think it's pretty reasonable to believe departments when they say that there are more qualified applicants than there are spots in the incoming cohort. The competition is tough and if you're being offered a waitlist, then you are good enough and they do want you. Plus, a) everyone is going to feel imposter syndrome at some point during their time in grad school, even those that were accepted outright, and b) in a year or two (if that) most of the professors won't remember who was accepted outright and who was accepted off the waitlist. They have more important things to worry about and at that point they will be able to base their opinion of you off of personal experience and not your application.

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. I think it's pretty reasonable to believe departments when they say that there are more qualified applicants than there are spots in the incoming cohort. The competition is tough and if you're being offered a waitlist, then you are good enough and they do want you. Plus, a) everyone is going to feel imposter syndrome at some point during their time in grad school, even those that were accepted outright, and b) in a year or two (if that) most of the professors won't remember who was accepted outright and who was accepted off the waitlist. They have more important things to worry about and at that point they will be able to base their opinion of you off of personal experience and not your application.

The problem is that these decisions are not made on the departmental level. They will be made by the administration and most professors are probably as out of the loop as you are.

The problem is that these decisions are not made on the departmental level. They will be made by the administration and most professors are probably as out of the loop as you are.

I am vehemently opposed to paying for an MA in the humanities. Pick a program that pays you, not costs you.

For those of you reaching out to students of professors, try your best to get a range of years. Someone finishing their dissertation is going to have a radically different view of a professor as a mentor compared to a current first or second year, especially since most departments are in the midst of "redefining what it means to do a PhD in History." As noted earlier, offer to call the student if you want them to be a bit more candid. Politics are a real thing in grad school and it is best to start learning how to play / avoid the game.

I think it's a tough situation. I do think it's wrong of Harvard to kick people out of the dorms so quickly, though I hope they will be lenient in allowing those folks who have nowhere to go to stay, but at the same time, Massachusetts is seeing a pretty rapid outbreak, and what better place for the virus to spread than at a university where people are in close proximity all the time (in lecture halls, dining halls, dorms, etc)? It could be a real danger to the immunocompromised and older folks (hello professors) if we allowed this virus to spread through campus. We have a duty to protect each other, especially since our government will not protect us by providing medicare for all, required paid time off, etc. The United States is in a precarious situation--most other wealthy countries are substantially more prepared than we are for this kind of outbreak. It sucks--my husband is not excited about all of his classes going online,not getting to present at conferences and colloquiums, potentially having limited to no access to the library or other resources, but I understand why they made this decision.

I can't speak for Texas specifically, but most universities require you to register for a "dissertation reading and research" section for every semester you are enrolled after completing coursework. This is usually equivalent to one course in terms of credit. So, you will still be on the hook for tuition if it is not covered through a fellowship or TAship, but depending on the tuition pay structure of the university, it may be significantly reduced in comparison to a semester of full coursework.

I wouldn't put too much stock in that. Being a potential student is sort of awkward as it is and especially in this scenario, so you probably didn't really have a chance to see their personalities. Plus, you don't even know which of them will end up matriculating. I would try to talk with current grad students (preferably out of earshot of faculty). Their personality/behavior/attitude will be much more telling.

Another good question for grad students: What do you do in your spare time?
While it be nice to know what extracurricular activities are available in the are, the real importance of this question is in seeing how they react to being asked about their spare time. That will tell you a lot about quality of life as a grad student in the department.
Also good to ask questions that get at departmental politics, especially if you can do this not in writing. Who do you have on your committee and why? Who would you not put on a committee together? What are the factions/fault-lines in the department?

Another good question for grad students: What do you do in your spare time?
While it be nice to know what extracurricular activities are available in the are, the real importance of this question is in seeing how they react to being asked about their spare time. That will tell you a lot about quality of life as a grad student in the department.
Also good to ask questions that get at departmental politics, especially if you can do this not in writing. Who do you have on your committee and why? Who would you not put on a committee together? What are the factions/fault-lines in the department?

Another good question for grad students: What do you do in your spare time?
While it be nice to know what extracurricular activities are available in the are, the real importance of this question is in seeing how they react to being asked about their spare time. That will tell you a lot about quality of life as a grad student in the department.
Also good to ask questions that get at departmental politics, especially if you can do this not in writing. Who do you have on your committee and why? Who would you not put on a committee together? What are the factions/fault-lines in the department?