Bschaefer

I'm a Mayanist doing my Ph.D. at Tulane currently. Your list looks good to me; the only (possible) addition I would suggest off the top of my head isthe University of Arizona (Tucson).
Brown does indeed sound like a good choice given your interests, although I suggest you spend a couple days in Providence before you commit (assuming you get in) to see how you like it. Some people love it, but the city isn't really my cup of tea. I've met Scherer a few times though and he seems like a nice guy, and his work is excellent (of course). 
Penn State is a very large program and one that puts a lot of emphasis on human-environment interactions and Mesoamerica. One thing to be aware of, however, is that the general theoretical stance on human-environment issues there (well, at least among the Mayanists) is pretty old-school, and still fits pretty squarely within Steward's cultural ecology. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but just be aware that the spirit of Bill Sanders continues to loom large over the Mesoamerica program there (see Webster and Murtha's chapter in Tikal: Paleoecology of an Ancient Maya City (2015) for an example).
Tulane is a great match for your interests so I suggest being in touch with Verano and other relevant members of the faculty (Canuto, Balee, Nesbitt, Rodning, Murakami...) to see how interested they might be in your application. Verano and Canuto both have a lot of students presently so it's conceivable that they'll pass on bringing anyone new on until they've moved a few of their current students through. Nevertheless, it never hurts to inquire.
 

Yes, it would, but in terms of money then I don't think it would be as harsh. What I meant by that is that you shouldn't pay for education, the uni or another entity should pay. That is why you should look at programs that have some sort of aid or grant that can help you.

Yeah I will be! She'll be my advisor for the MA and she was my friend's as well who just completed the MA. I've only heard good things about her, so I'm wicked stoked. Plus she's from Mass so we'll have another thing to bond over haha 

Awesome! Thank you, Sending good vibes~

Yeah, I would say any apartment complexes off Boulevard from North Ave to Memorial are not going to be safe, clean, or quiet. Also, look into ProMove. They're a relocating service that is absolutely free to you (they get a kick back from the complex you choose to live in). You just give them your preferences and budget constraints and they'll find you some places that are a good fit.

Once you accept an offer you should honor it. The only rule about April 15 is if that university signed the agreement the deadline is april15 however in reality a university can legally give you any deadline they want. Also, if you accept an offer then later decline for a better option you could be committing are er suicide and be black listed in the field. You need all he contacts you an get and you don't want to make an enemy this short into your career. If you accepted an offer honor it, if your not sure dont accept if the deadline is near ask for an extension most times they will give it to you. But always keep your word or it could come back. And bite you in the a**

I'm not sure how to think about this application season, it's been such an emotional rollercoaster ride...At this point, I have accepted an MSc program at Durham in England, so at least I know what I am doing next year!    
I did get a place in a PhD program Stateside and have emailed my POI about deferring entry for a year,  but at this point I am torn, since they are offering no 1st year funding, so I may end up doing applications again next year as well...

Congratulations to everyone!  It's so great to see so many people getting into programs and being so excited about the beginning of their academic careers!  

AHHHHHHH I GOT IN TO AMHERST AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nope, I'm not accepted yet, but you will definitely be in the program with a buddy of mine from here at IU!  Congratulations though!  Maybe we will meet in the fall!  *crosses fingers*

I (partly) disagree. While prestige and pedigree do matter to a limited extent, more important is the professional reputation--and this is very different from "prestige"--of your POI and the other members of your committee. Neither, however, can substitute for an innovative and well-executed dissertation project. 
 
But the thing to remember is that it's hard to produce a really strong dissertation if you don't have advisors who are willing to challenge you and help you to shape such a project. Those advisors aren't necessarily going to be at "prestigious" schools, but they are likely to be people with a good personal reputation within their area of expertise. 

I agree DanJackson,
 
But has anyone requested an interview or skype type meeting? I want to visit the departments, knowing that it will help me, but I'm nowhere close to the schools.
 
I guess the whole having/not having an interview can give you an idea of where you fall in the applicant pool right?