exitiumax

For my SoP, I jumped right into the content to set up the questions I had. Nothing fancy. My opening line began "In the 1970s, yada yada...."

Absolutely.

I don't think there's a certain answer for this but, anecdotally, I left that section blank on all of my applications and got accepted to the three schools I applied to.

I, too, was considering an Ed. PhD (not an Ed.D because I wanted to do a research-based degree) but ultimately chose to pursue a History PhD because I was interested in the History of Education. That is an angle you can possibly take with your work. If, instead, you're interested in influencing curriculum, you'd probably be better off pursuing a degree in Ed schools centered around Curriculum & Instruction or Educational Policy. Like @dr. telkanuru mentioned, there seems to be an incongruence in your interests and goals and the paths you're considering.

While this doesn't directly answer your question, I just want to let that you know that you are not "a bit late to the game" at this point in the year. For Fall 2021, I didn't even begin researching programs until the school year ended in late June (I'm currently a teacher). I didn't begin writing my SoP until mid-to-late summer and I even wrote an entirely knew, originally researched writing sample which I started in August. In my experience, you're not late to the game by any means.

I'm no expert by any means, but I do have a piece of anecdotal evidence that might encourage you to pursue a masters degree in History first. I was a history undergraduate major. In my first application cycle, one POI was kind enough to let me know where my application was lacking relative to other applicants. One issue was that they were concerned about the "depth and breadth" of my course work. Again, I was a history major... Your current academic track isn't even within the realm of social sciences. You might want to first pursue a masters degree in History to see if you're actually interested in the discipline and as a way to bolster your resume and therefore your chance of acceptance.

@TMP is the champion of writing emails for many scenarios for folks on this forum. Your work does not go unnoticed!

As the Dr. said bluntly:

I'd say my trajectory bears similarly to yours. I didn't do very well in my undergraduate studies (eeked out a 3.23 after a strong performance in my senior year) but I suppose my coursework shows an upward trajectory. I, too, did an MA, and did much better (finished with a 3.98). Then I became a history teacher, which is not particularly relevant to the work of an historian. I did highlight how it helped me interact with different groups of people (students, admin, parents) and prepared me for independence and collaboration. I'd build upon what AfricanusCrowther says here. What did your undergrad professors think of you? I didn't do particularly well, but for some reason, a few professors saw some potential in me and thus they wrote very strong letters that helped me overcome my GPA (and SEVEN W's). I also had multiple MA professors who didn't know me as an undergraduate and could speak directly to my performance in my MA. I focused heavily on writing an originally researched writing sample and revised my SOP religiously. I was accepted to all 4 programs to which I applied. Hope this helps!

My 2 cents is that it matter *less* in education. FWIW, Pitt is a great program and a great city (Go Panthers). If you're offered full funding, I'd absolutely take that offer.

I think they may be claiming that this admissions cycle was kinder to folks focusing on the US as opposed to other fields. Not sure if that's accurate, though I'm also an Americanist and was accepted to my top school.

I am glad you're willing to take the blame for our disappointment if the UW-M decisions don't release this week! Hehe.

...and a wild UC Davis acceptance appears on the results page! I really do question the legitimacy of a lot of these results -- but like @Ryan_The_Grogu_Fansaid, easier said than done to ignore that page and your email!

This is fabulous advice, much of which I've been considering. I have another questions for folks with some experience: How valuable is a fellowship? There are two different programs that I'm considering. One offers 5 years of guaranteed funding with 1 year on fellowship, while the other offers 4 years of guaranteed funding with 2 years on fellowship. Is it a no brainer to take the guaranteed additional year of funding?

This is very standard in higher ed. I applied a few cycles ago and some schools *never* sent a rejection. It's like a job application. You don't always hear back if you weren't chosen.