Warelin

I agree with you on that assessment. The term 'fully-funded' often does not mean much. There are schools in the T80 which do a much better job in terms of both funding and job placement. While it's nearly impossible to deny that T10 schools do a better job of placing at more recognized schools (partly also due to their history and their larger class sizes in the past), I think it's also important to consider that
A ) The majority of jobs available are not at R1 Institutions and sometimes these institutions fear that you're just waiting for a position to open up at a "more elite" institution.
B ) The stipend may have been cheaper to live in earlier but has skyrocketed in recent times.  Boulder, CO and Austin, TX are two cities that come in mind which have recently faced a huge increased cost in living.
C) The best fit for your research interests might be better at institutions outside the T20. The specific concentration in that field will recognize names and the type of scholars your program has produced. 
D) The stipends provided at some schools might force you to be far away from campus or you might need roommates to be able to afford rent. Since you'll spend a considerable amount of time at this location, I think it's an important one to consider.

I think that's a solid approach. As you well know, the whole point is to (succinctly) say "Hey, I'm convinced that this program/school/department is really good at XXX; furthermore, I'm convinced that some of the faculty in this program/school/department are particularly good at/interested in XXX niche/subfield/area of interest and I would love to work with them; additionally, I'm really good at/interested in/engaged in XXX--here's how I can prove that I know what I'm talking about." None of this requires any name-dropping. Then again, as I said above, if you've already talked to a POI/contact within the department and they've implied that they're interested in working with you, I don't think you can go wrong finding a way to fold them in.
As far as tips on things to mention, I always hesitate to say too much because I'm no expert, and one of my biggest fears is to give anybody bad advice. That said, I'm happy to give examples as long as you promise to take everything I say as the anecdotal ramblings of somebody who is just as confused about the process as anybody.
Disclaimer out of the way: What I did was a buttload of research. I know you're asking for specific examples, and I'll get to that, but I think I have to emphasize that you won't know what to mention unless you've really done your homework. I started at a very high level, eliminating places I knew I wouldn't want to live (very important), then eliminating schools that didn't guarantee full funding, then eliminating schools that didn't have opportunities for summer funding, fellowships, and conference funding. I'll admit that as much as I hate generic "rankings" of schools and departments, they probably played a role in my filtering (especially the National Research Council rankings, and placement rankings). Then I started getting way more picky. I eliminated schools that didn't have at least a few active faculty members whose bodies of work aligned with my intended research path (this took a lot of time and a lot of digging through CVs, and then a lot of digging through published works listed on said CVs--I feel like I did more reading for this than I did for my thesis or my last seminar paper). Then, once I had a list of about 25 schools that I felt fit me, I went and asked some people I trusted; I asked mentors, advisors, people who knew my interests and could recommend landing places that would fit well (I didn't share my list until after they'd given me their unbiased recommendations, and then I asked if they liked any on my list, or had any reason to remove any others). Then we discussed where our lists crossed paths, and I added a few that I'd missed.
At that point I was down to about ten schools, and I started scouring the internet, the library, and even message boards like this one. I reached out to a few people at different schools (some reached back, some didn't), and I tried to make contact with current and former graduate students in the programs I liked. I tried to keep it short and sweet, and I got more than a few wonderfully detailed responses. I asked these people what they valued about the program, what they were looking when they entered, how that was working out, and what they'd discovered (both pleasant and not so) once they'd arrived. I compared these responses with what I'd uncovered through my own research and tried to build a picture of the program as best I could without ever setting foot there (which was as hard as it sounds, and could be completely off-base even now). Then, under the gun of looming deadlines, I eliminated a few more for random reasons (some just didn't feel like they were me, some didn't feel like they were in a location that my wife would feel comfortable, and others I just didn't get a good vibe about). Eventually, I was down to a handful of schools. One was local (convenience), one was the best program in the country (or at least it was in my mind, though the fit wasn't perfect), and the other one felt like it was made for me (this one rose to the top of my list while I was researching, and the rhet/comp faculty seemed open-minded, eager to expand the scope of their program, fully engaged, and the graduate students seemed happy, not overworked, and excited--they also talked about how they felt fully supported). Here's where I'll get into specifics, because I noticed how my SoPs diverged from this point.
The local school was pretty much guaranteed. It was my alma mater, I knew the faculty, and I guess it's what some might call a "safety" school. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't spend a lot of time on this SoP (basically a pared down version of my other ones) with almost no tailoring to fit, but I still got accepted with full funding and a T.A. position. I mentioned that I was familiar with the faculty and the program. I guess this could, possibly, be interpreted as evidence that perhaps proving fit isn't as important as establishing qualification or merit.
The other two were more difficult. As I wrote the SoP to the really prestigious school, I found myself contorting my own thoughts (as well as interpretations of my past work) to try and make myself sound more appealing--it felt like I was changing who I was and what I was interested in in order to fit in better. Maybe they could tell. Maybe the fake veneer is what sunk my chances. I really wanted to attend this school, but the further I got into the SoP the more I felt that I didn't really belong. They had a few faculty members that would have been a dream to work with and whose work aligned with mine (which is why the program made it so far up on my list), but it didn't really feel like they had a huge rhet/comp contingent, and despite their great resources I was afraid I'd feel like an outsider in a top-shelf literature program.
As I wrote the SoP for my top choice school, the exact opposite happened. I felt that I could just gush about who I was, what I was passionate about, how all of my past work aligned perfectly, how I knew I fit right in, and it all just made sense. I talked about these things in particular: this school is a strong research university with well-established and burgeoning schools/departments across dozens of disciplines (numerous sciences, linguistics, psychology, etc.), and the English department is known for having wonderful, productive relationships with many of them; the rhet/comp side of this department is run by a group of really gung-ho faculty who have a wealth of experience with the rhetoric of science, the interdisciplinary facets of composition, writing across disciplines, and (to a lesser extent) ecocriticism, which is the exact kind of environment I was looking for; these same rhet/comp faculty run a stellar FYW (first-year-writing) program with a 24 student cap on each section, and a 1-1 course load for the TAs (which really gives the TAs a chance to work one-on-one with students rather than lecture and pray); they also have a spread of courses that the TAs can begin teaching as they develop professionally, including literature and rhetoric courses, some of which the TAs have a great deal of control over. I've rambled too much already, and I could add some more detail, but I feel like I probably shouldn't re-write my whole SoP here. Essentially, I did what I could to briefly index what I loved about the program, why I loved it, why I knew this would be a unique, stimulating, resource-rich environment for me as an individual--and, most importantly, I made sure to turn all of this back around and relate it to my past work and future goals. All said, this probably amounted to 1/4th of my SoP. Another 1/4 was sign-on and sign-off, and the 1/2 remaining was diving into my proposed research topics and intended trajectory.
What I'm getting at, while trying to answer your questions, is that you when you stumble across these things while researching potential schools, they will jump out at you. You'll think "holy crap, that's great, that's just what I'm looking for." When you have those moments, jot them down and try to remember why you felt so energized about it at that very moment. Put that energy and excitement into your SoP, and remember to do it without sounding like a crazed idiot. There's an important line between positive, focused energy and unhinged, aimless vomitus (trust me, I know, I'm a rambler, as is evidenced here). 
Also, you asked about classes: Often times you can go on a department's website and they'll have the courses/seminars posted for the next year. All of the schools I applied to had this--one of them I was able to request. They usually say "subject to change," but this, paired with a list of past offerings, can give you a really good idea of what to expect from a department. Often times there will be great 1-2 paragraph descriptions of the seminar. Just feel it out!
Finally, I think you're right when you say that you can't really get a good feel for the ethos of a program until you're actually in it. This sucks. It makes applying really hard. Then again, you don't know what that entree is going to taste like until you order it and eat it--you just have to do your best to figure out what it might be like by browsing some online reviews, looking at a recipe, reading the menu, looking around at the other diners' plates, asking the wait staff, and glancing into the kitchen. Research will get you as close to the finish line as anything else.

I'd like to add a small note here that a lot of programs that consider you for their master's program are unfunded ones or ones where funding is very competitive at the MA level. Several programs that come to mind are Colorado, Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Rochester and SUNY Buffalo.
 

Admissions is often something we'll probably never understand. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I applied to approximately 16 schools and was either accepted or waitlisted at six of them. My interests were diverse. I was accepted into at least 1 program from each major field of interest.
I ended up rejecting a fellowship with higher pay at a "better ranked" school because I felt I could better achieve my goals and get the support I needed at the school I ended up choosing. I also felt there was a better connection with the faculty and staff at this school and felt that the area was one I'd feel more comfortable with. Often in times, I feel that we may not consider the location enough and the impact it has on our growth, lifestyle, and so forth. While we'll spend a considerable amount of time in the class, is the location something you'd be happy with? Some people need the city to be very bike friendly; others don't mind the need for a car. Some prefer being in the hustle of a city; others prefer to be secluded. Division 1 Sports might be huge at some schools and non-existent at others. While you may wish to not attend these events, it may impact the students you teach and how they behave on certain days. Some departments are huge; others are smaller in number. Both might impact how often you see certain members of your cohort.

Admissions is often something we'll probably never understand. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I applied to approximately 16 schools and was either accepted or waitlisted at six of them. My interests were diverse. I was accepted into at least 1 program from each major field of interest.
I ended up rejecting a fellowship with higher pay at a "better ranked" school because I felt I could better achieve my goals and get the support I needed at the school I ended up choosing. I also felt there was a better connection with the faculty and staff at this school and felt that the area was one I'd feel more comfortable with. Often in times, I feel that we may not consider the location enough and the impact it has on our growth, lifestyle, and so forth. While we'll spend a considerable amount of time in the class, is the location something you'd be happy with? Some people need the city to be very bike friendly; others don't mind the need for a car. Some prefer being in the hustle of a city; others prefer to be secluded. Division 1 Sports might be huge at some schools and non-existent at others. While you may wish to not attend these events, it may impact the students you teach and how they behave on certain days. Some departments are huge; others are smaller in number. Both might impact how often you see certain members of your cohort.

The good news is that there are several schools that do offer funded MAs and that may offer you the opportunity to continue on to their PhD. Schools that come to mind are the University of Nebraska, University of Illinois, Pennsylvania State University, and Indiana University. The advantage of a program such as these are that some offer automatic acceptance into their PhD program upon successful completion of coursework while also allowing you the flexibility of either applying to other schools if you find your interests have changed or allowing you to leave with a Master's degree if you find that you no longer wish to pursue a PhD.

Name
Website
Deadline
FEE?
CUNY
http://web.gc.cuny.edu/English/
 
1/1
Y; 125
UCONN
http://english.uconn.edu/graduate/index.html
 
1/1
Y; 75
Delaware
http://www.english.udel.edu/programs/grad/Pages/default.aspx
 
1/1
Y; 75
Missouri
http://english.missouri.edu/grad/
 
1/1
Y; 65
U Miami
http://www.as.miami.edu/english/graduate/
 
1/1
Y; 65
Notre Dame
http://english.nd.edu/graduate-programs/
 
1/2
Y; 75
Indiana
http://www.iub.edu/~engweb/gradStudies/degrees.shtml
 
1/2
Y; 55
Boston C.
http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/english/graduate.html
 
1/2
Y; 75
Harvard
http://english.fas.harvard.edu/programs/graduate
 
1/2
Y; 105
Fordham
http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/english/graduate/index.asp
 
1/3
Y; 70
Brandeis
http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/english/phdprogram/index.html
 
1/5
Y; 100
GWU
http://www.gwu.edu/~english/grad_programs.html
 
1/5
Y; 75
Oklahoma
http://www.ou.edu/cas/english/programs/graduate/gradprogindex.htm
 
1/5
Y; 50
Penn State
http://english.la.psu.edu/graduate
 
1/6
Y; 65
WashU
https://english.wustl.edu/phd-program
 
1/7
Y; 50
Syracuse
http://english.syr.edu/graduate/index.html
 
1/9
Y; 75
Northeastern 
http://www.northeastern.edu/english/graduate/
 
1/10
Y; 75
Arizona
http://english.arizona.edu/lp/graduate-studies
 
1/11
Y; 75
Tufts (MA)
http://ase.tufts.edu/english/graduate/prospectiveStudents.htm
 
1/15
Y; 75
Florida
http://www.english.ufl.edu/programs.html
 
1/15
Y: 30
Rochester
http://www.rochester.edu/College/ENG/grad/
 
1/15
Y; 60
Arizona State
http://english.clas.asu.edu/graduate
 
1/15
Y; 70
Stony Brook
http://www.sunysb.edu/english/grad/grad.html
 
1/15
Y; 100
Ohio 
http://www.english.ohiou.edu/grad/default/
 
1/15
Y; 50
Case Western
http://www.case.edu/artsci/engl/GradProgram/GradProgIndex.html
 
1/15
Y; 50
December Deadlines:

 
Name
Deadline
App Fee?
UCLA
12/1
Y; 90
NYU
12/1
Y; 100
Northwestern
12/1
Y; 95
UW (Washington)
12/1
Y; 85
USC (California)
12/1
Y; 85
UC - San Diego
12/1
Y; 90
Emory
12/2
Y; 75
U Georgia
12/2
Y; 75
Illinois
12/4
Y; 70
Miami University
12/5
Y: 50
OSU
12/7
Y; 60
Nebraska
12/7
Y; 50
Stanford
12/8
Y; 125
Duke
12/8
Y; 80
Wisconsin
12/8
Y; 56
Maryland
12/8
Y; 75
Santa Cruz
12/10
Y; 90
Pittsburgh
12/10
Y; 50
Rice
12/14
Y; 85
Berkeley
12/15
Y; 90
Princeton
12/15
Y; 90
Penn
12/15
Y; 80
Cornell
12/15
Y; 95
Chicago
12/15
Y; 90
UVA
12/15
Y; 85
Johns Hopkins
12/15
Y; 75
Michigan
12/15
Y; 70
Brown
12/15
Y; 75
Rutgers
12/15
Y; 65
UTA
12/15
Y; 65
Irvine
12/15
Y; 90
Santa Barbara
12/15
Y; 90
Vanderbilt
12/15
Y;95
Minnesota
12/15
Y; 75
Carnegie Mellon
12/15
Y; 75
Boston
12/15
Y; 95
Buffalo
12/15
Y; 75
UI - Chicago
12/15
Y; 70
UMass
12/15
Y; 75
Oregon
12/15
Y; 50
A&M
12/15
Y; 50
Temple
12/15
Y; 60
Utah
12/15
Y; 55
South Carolina
12/15
Y; 50
UT - Knoxville
12/15
Y; 60
Yale
12/15
Y; 105
Columbia
12/16
Y; 105
UNC- Chapel Hill
12/16
Y; 85
Iowa
12/16
Y; 60
Florida State 
12/17
Y; 30?
UC - Boulder 
12/31
Y; 70
U Kansas
12/31
Y; 65
 
*Deadlines may change on a year to year basis. This is not a 100 percent completed list of English programs.

I'd like to add a small note here that a lot of programs that consider you for their master's program are unfunded ones or ones where funding is very competitive at the MA level. Several programs that come to mind are Colorado, Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Rochester and SUNY Buffalo.
 

If your ultimate goal is to teach creative writing, I'd recommend looking into either English PhD programs with a creative dissertation or a Creative Writing PhD program. 

I'd like to add a note here that Cornell University only has two tracks (fiction and poetry) for the MFA program. Nonfiction is still an often ignored portion of Creative Writing.

Some programs that offer Nonfiction as a track include:
Adelphi University
Bard College
Bennington University
University of Cincinnati
University of Houston
University of Rhode Island
University of Wyoming
University of Utah
As a side note, there are programs such as Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) and (@M(allthevowels)H, correct me if I'm wrong) Vanderbilt that allow their enrolled PHD students to enroll in their well-regarded Creative Writing courses.

Small note here: Unless it's changed this year, PSU only grants a B10 Fee Waiver to applicants who don't have a Master's degree.

First off, I think your scores are fine. They most likely won't get you discounted during the first round for those who go through rounds.

A lot of schools are moving away from the subject test in general. Chicago, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania (Penn) , Brown, Duke, UNC, Wisconsin, UT-Austin, Illinois, Pennsylvania State (PSU), Vanderbilt, Emory, Ohio State, Maryland, Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), and Rice University do not require the Subject test. Some of these schools are test-optional but many note that it will not make a difference when it comes to them deciding whether or not to admit you.
Conference attendance won't really make a difference. Conferences might matter if you were presenting at a major conference but there isn't much that can be accomplished by attending. Presenting at conferences could also show that you're keeping up with the field and are involved with present ideas. Most students don't have any publications and many are advised against publishing early because the publication will be on your record forever.

My concern is your focus on the top 30 schools. There are a lot of great schools just outside the top 30. Some are better than schools in the top 30 depending on your specialization. What do you want to focus? Schools in the top 30 are very different and each have significant strengths in certain areas which others may lack.

Small note here: Unless it's changed this year, PSU only grants a B10 Fee Waiver to applicants who don't have a Master's degree.

Private Universities are more likely to offer similar funding to all applicants. As a general rule of thumb, the top 50 schools (per USNews) should guarantee funding. I think there is only one in the top 50 in where funding isn't offered to all applicants and 2-3 that don't guarantee funding for all years.  Some alternate the number of years of guaranteed funding. I'd be more than happy to share what I know via PM if you want to talk. There are a considerable amount of schools outside the top 50 which do offer guaranteed funding, have a good placement record and do very well in certain specializations.

Hey, @indecisivepoet - I'm not punctilious but I have some info/opinions that might help you. 
I found the NRC rankings more useful than USNews precisely because they don't have one definitive number (like USNews does with the rank number and its corresponding 1-5 score.) The more holistic score gives (I think) a better sense of how programs are perceived IRL. Granted, the NRC rankings are now, what - ten years old at least? Bear that in mind. Also, USNews is not "updated" for this fall (it's the 2017 rankings, I believe.)
When I first started thinking about programs, I looked most closely at the S-Rank, Research, and R-Rank columns. What I found interesting is that there are programs that score well in Research but not so much in R-Rank. I paired that info with the dept's strengths (which I learned from the websites/etc.) 
Doing so made me realize that some programs are generating powerhouse scholarship BUT - for myriad reasons - maybe aren't viewed that way by other programs. Could be that faculty at school A don't really know anyone at school C, so they don't have a favorable (or unfavorable) perspective on scholarship (so, like, if a 19th century scholar is asked about a program that really doesn't do 19th century scholarship, they probably won't have a high score to give.) Could be a handful of other reasons. 
So, if you're going to go down the rankings rabbit hole, I think the NRC is better than USNews because you can use it to learn a bit more about strong programs that you might not have otherwise considered. Beyond that, both of them are pretty much useless. 
My advice would be to skim both lists to see if there are any programs you hadn't thought about looking at, but then turn your attention to what kinds of info the programs themselves are offering and what kind of work the faculty/and students are doing. 
Re: handbooks - @Warelin is spot on. The handbooks explain what milestones you need to meet by when. And it gives you a sense of what kind of support is offered by the program beyond "we will fund you."

A program's handbook usually has critical information regarding the specific department at the school. It might contain information regarding stipends, conference funding, program layout and expectations. The stipends might help you decide if you'd be able to afford to live in that city on that stipend alone or if you'd have to have one or more roommates. Some people have no problem sharing an apartment while others would prefer living alone. Conferences are an important part to your career. You'll want to make sure to know how funding works at that school. Some schools offer guaranteed funding; others have you compete for it. Some provide none. You'll want to know if you'll have to set aside money for those expenses. Program layout and expectations can provide a general timeline for when everything is expected in order to graduate on time. It'll also show you how many electives you can take outside the department. If your project is more interdisciplinary in nature, this is more important because there might be classes outside the department which can influence at how you look at your research that interests you. Looking at classes offered in recent years can also help you determine how well your interests align with current faculty interests.

Wow, y'all managed to not read any of the women or Black writers...
That it's self might be an interesting way of spinning a topic though? "Find an Early American text from this period that I have failed to include and convince me why it should be included in future courses"
Why did you select these specific works (or did you select them)? It seems like you have some clear divisions here (i.e. creation myths, European contact, early settler colonies, founders, American Renaissance/Dark-Romantics) that you can have them analyze or compare/contrast. At the end of the day though, I imagine who ever charged you with teaching this class is the ultimate resource here.
That aside, if you teach this course in the future you should really consider fitting in the likes of Cabeza de Vaca, Rowlandson, Wheatley, Bradstreet, etc

Congrats!

This is officially my favorite thread on this forum! I applied and got in!!!!!!!!!!!!! ?

Please note that our experience of course differs from everyone else's, but here are my responses based on my husband's application process!
Husband didn't write an undergrad thesis and got into his top choice, so I wouldn't sweat this! He used a paper he wrote on Charles Olson for an American poetry seminar, and another paper he wrote on John Donne for a high-level / non-seminar transatlantic poetry class (he's not studying poetry tho lol). Husband's research experience was in the history department rather than English, and he had no writing center experience, so again I wouldn't worry about this. Husband's was a 163 so I don't think that will be a problem for many schools. Husband had a couple fantastic and helpful letter writers that only had him for one English course. Only one of his letter writers was someone he worked with in multiple courses, and that was actually a Russian professor rather than English! One of his other letter writers was his history research advisor and I think he may have only had her for one course. Again, he had no thesis, so I don't think that matters much as long as you find some reliable professors that have good things to say about your capabilities! I can't speak to this one as well, but I'm sure your writing sample(s), statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation mean more than your GPA. They want to see that you fit in their program and a GPA doesn't tell them much. You can't know for sure whether any school is looking for someone with your interests. The best thing you can do is research schools that are a good fit for you based on the factors you deem important, like location, resources, faculty in your field, etc. We had no clue that Harvard was moving more toward creative writing, public-facing writing, and theory but that they currently have a strong focus on close-reading. Amazingly, my husband's two writing samples were close readings, he's published a couple book reviews and a short story recently, and his SOP touched on some apparently 'hot' theory. So he was a match for this particular cycle. There are so many factors that go into the process, and you can't predict what will happen. Feel free to message me if you need any help with the process!
 

I think you've gotten it perfectly @a_sort_of_fractious_angel. If a tuition waiver isn't guaranteed, some people have been kind enough to include that in the notes section! With so many schools and programs now covered in the document, it's impossible to verify 100 percent of them so updated information is appreciated even if the school's information has been entered in a previous year.
While not all schools offer mandatory fees, there are some schools that do. Tuition waivers and health care coverage aren't included under stipend because the amount isn't paid to you. Sometimes, information regarding conference funding can also be found in the departmental handbook if it isn't included in the acceptance letter.

I think you've gotten it perfectly @a_sort_of_fractious_angel. If a tuition waiver isn't guaranteed, some people have been kind enough to include that in the notes section! With so many schools and programs now covered in the document, it's impossible to verify 100 percent of them so updated information is appreciated even if the school's information has been entered in a previous year.
While not all schools offer mandatory fees, there are some schools that do. Tuition waivers and health care coverage aren't included under stipend because the amount isn't paid to you. Sometimes, information regarding conference funding can also be found in the departmental handbook if it isn't included in the acceptance letter.

Hi! So - @Warelin, please correct my errors as this is your creation - the funding package sheet tells you the stipend amount. It doesn't include tuition waivers or healthcare details (or conference funding/other financial support) as that information isn't considered part of the stipend that you earn for TAing or what have you. So, in your example, you will get 15,000 for 9 or 10 months (I'm assuming 9 months) and then a summer stipend of 5,000, all for rent/living expenses/etc for the work you do as as TA (even if that requirement is waived for your first year) or as a fellowship recipient. 
Additionally, health care & other fee coverage changes from school to school - for example, one of the programs I was accepted to covered all mandatory fees and healthcare for the duration of the degree and one of the programs I was accepted to covered 80% of healthcare, didn't cover all mandatory fees, & didn't cover minor tuition fees after a period of time (post-coursework). The third school that I considered offered a different combination of healthcare and fee coverage. 
I think the chart is more meant to give a more general sense of what schools are offering their students. Additionally, I'd assume that all of the schools on the funding list offer full-tuition remission, partial (if not full) health care coverage, and some amount of conference funding (whether it is through the dept itself or the grad school) -- all of that detailed info will be included in the offer from the school, too, of course. 

Hi @parksandrec,
I wouldn't worry too much about those scores. A 90th percentile or higher should be enough to have you considered at the majority of schools. I think Columbia is the only school that specifically mentions that "successful applicants trained in the U.S. will almost always have a GRE verbal score in the 95th percentile or better". But that does mean that there are applicants who are accepted and have a verbal score below the 95th percentile. From my conversations with multiple schools, a 3.7 GPA (overall) or higher will put you in good shape to go pass the first 'cut' of applicants. There are schools who might place more or less emphasis on grades than they do on other elements, but all you need to do is get passed their primary screening if they have one. There are some schools who screen and there are some who do read every application. I don't think it's possible to determine which school does which but I do think schools consider the Writing Sample and Statement of Purpose to be the most important as it allows them to see how well your interests fit in with theirs.
I think it also might be worthwhile to note that the majority of schools do not have their students write a 60-80 page paper. The fact that you'll have several 20 page papers written should put you in good shape for application season because you won't be submitting an excerpt or trying to figure out which 60 pages to cut from the entire document.

Most undergrads in English don't have research experience. Research experience or teaching experience is expected more if one has an MA. Schools often have higher expectations (such as a more polished WS, clearer interests, and higher verbal/subject scores)  if one has earned an MA because they've been exposed more to research. Often, BA applicants are only compared to BA applicants.
Finding how you fit into a program is the most important aspect of the application. And your idea of fit could differ from the university's. They might decide to move more towards Creative Writing. They might decide to move towards Environmental Studies. They might to decide to make a cohort that has a heavier focus pre-19th century. Somebody could retire or get a job offer elsewhere which means that your main POI that you focused on is no longer a match at that university. The only thing you can do is write well, compare interests and hope that it resonates with the committee. The same writing sample that could be rejected this year may very well be accepted the next year at the same school and vice-versa.

I'd like to chime in that Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) also doesn't require you to teach while you take coursework. They also offer writing courses that you can take along current MFA students.

I am having a tough time finding a place ready to move in August, most places want an immediate move-in. I found a Skinker Debaliviere place that looks nice but they would want me to sign an 18-month lease which I'd rather not do. I think I'll wait til June to look, and that way I can save more for the deposit. That is, unless something comes up on the Quadrangle website now which I doubt.
I'm leaning towards University City or Clayton South of Delmar right now.