Danger_Zone

I'll be starting a PhD at the University of Virginia in the fall. I'm really happy with my choice. It was tough because I got off the waitlist at William and Mary and Rutgers shortly after I took the spot at UVA, but this is definitely the best program for me and I wouldn't have accepted if I wasn't 100%.
 
Attending: University of Virginia
Accepted: University of Connecticut, William and Mary (off waitlist), Rutgers (off waitlist)
Rejected: Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania (interviewed)

I chose University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  I had a situation where I had to decide between amazing funding (30k) and better placement record.  I chose placement... along with not too much money (18K) but I've been really good at applying for fellowships and scholarships so far and 18k is decent anyways for grad school.

I have decided on The Ohio State University, although it was a very tough choice between two very different programs which both had strengths and weaknesses. However, OSU offered me a fellowship offer just yesterday and it was really the extra little bit I needed to make the decision I already wanted to make. No regrets baby!

I feel like my decision to attend school in another country has isolated me from my family. My parents initially blamed themselves for this decision, as they seem to think I am striving to get as far away from them as possible. It's a very stressful household but my decision to go to an American school has nothing to do with this, but I can't seem to convince them otherwise.
Things seemed better until they found out how early I'd have to leave to move out there (school starts in September here whereas I'll be beginning earlier in August) and will probably have to miss my father's birthday. I'm the first of my siblings to be moving out so maybe they're taking it hard but they're making me feel very guilty. 
So instead of being able to talk about how excited I am about school to them I am just kind of keeping it to myself... 

Yeah I definitely think you're right. I don't like turning down a possibility, but I think I was holding out because I felt like the program was a good fit for me, but the more I look into it (and the more I learn about my top program) the more I feel like it isn't the best fit afterall. So maybe I just need to go on and make my acceptance and rejections soon so I can finally stop stressing about this and start focusing on what else I need to do before attending in the fall.  

If you're already accepted to your dream school, is there any realistically conceivable way you'll accept an offer from the other school if they are even able to admit you? If you can honestly answer yes, stay on the wait list. But if you know there isn't really a chance, just withdraw. It'll give you peace of mind  

Yeah, I think it's totally okay to inquire again! Especially if it was a few weeks ago--that's a decent chunk of time and April 15 is coming up fast. Not sure whether I should wish you good luck or not haha...

If it concerns you to withdraw from the wait list, it might help to email/call the department and get an idea of how likely it is that you'll be taken off of it. If it's unlikely, that makes your decision easier. 
But if you feel confident that you've been accepted at your top choice with funding, etc--there's no reason to stay on the other wait list. Accept the offer to your dream school!  

Its crazy how much we have to read in grad school. Im handling the reading load well, but looking back after a week... sometimes I surprise myself that I can keep up. 
I read South Side Girls: Growing Up in the Great Migration by Marcia Chatelain. Finally! An assigned book on the History of Childhood. Although I've already read it, I very much enjoyed reading it again. 
Also read From the Bullet to the Ballot: The Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party and Racial Coalition Politics in Chicago by Jakobi Williams; Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Davis by Carole Davies; and, as a fun read, Havana Storm by Clive Cussler. 
 

I was contacted by CUNY Graduate Center asking for an interview. 
I politely declined, as I have recently accepted my offer at William and Mary. Hopefully this opens up room for anyone still holding out for them!

Thank you, @Bluescluess! I'll be going to Old Dominion--only place I applied, as they're the only ones with the online program. WHEW. 
Called up my bestie to tell him. I was like, "Need to talk to you about an email for a moment." He's all, "Ugh, I hate it when you won't give me details, I hate it, it's the WORST and you KNOW I hate it and there's NO good reason and what is it anyway?" "Texted it to you." "What's WRONG with you, WHY would you text me something when I'm ON THE PHONE with you wait WHAT WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YAAASSSSSSSSSS."
Pretty much all I could have hoped for, and I'm hoping you all get it too! 

HOLY SMOKES, WAIT LIST DREAMS DO COME TRUE. 
I'm not sure if I'm going to cry, laugh, pee, or puke, or just work all four into the next few minutes, but I got in! 
Good luck, y'all!

IU. Only program that would admit me, but a good fit and a nice change of scene from SoCal.

Had an awesome visit to Purdue, think I'm going to accept there soon! 

Had an awesome visit to Purdue, think I'm going to accept there soon! 

Committed to UChicago. It was a tough choice for a few reasons (great programs/advisors at each school that accepted me, similar/competitive funding offers (one was better than that offered at Chicago, as they guaranteed six years vs. five), diverse and intellectually stimulating environments), but I felt a more immediate connection with the faculty and current students at Chicago. Also, Chicago was the most ideal living situation of my choices. 

I'm staying at the University of Oklahoma.  
It really is the best place for me. 

@Danger_Zone I also have communication apprehension, and...I have taught Public Speaking for a year and a half! In my classes, when I lecture I have prepared notes, discussion questions, etc. and do many activities where the class is split up into small groups in order to get them talking. I've found fostering an encouraging classroom environment where I know my students, they know I know them, and they know each other makes both my anxiety lessen, and their anxiety lessen.
This has worked for me personally, and your mileage may vary, but my students know that I am both shy/have anxiety and that I'm dyslexic. This makes me more of a person like them--especially my shy students--and when I inevitably misspell something on the board, they point it out instead of snickering. It's a small detail that has radically changed my classrooms.
I would also encourage you to check out "flipped classrooms" where students are more verbally engaged with material, and to perhaps check out Dan O'Hair's A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking as it contains some tips on managing anxiety.

Congrats on making your decision, that is very exciting!

Here are some places to start:
http://www.sts.rpi.edu/pl/science-studies-reading-list
http://depts.washington.edu/hssexec/library_list.html
 

Thanks for letting us know! Illinois is the only school I need to hear back from (other than one wait list) so I can probably assume rejection at this point. I think it would have been a good fit for me but that sounds like a rough situation and it's unfortunate that they are having such difficulties.
Oh well... I got into U of Kentucky today so that was some nice news.

Pick a minor outside field in that allows you to take classes in Purdue's School of Education. http://www.education.purdue.edu/Academics/graduate_programs.html
 
 

You should also look for university resources for TAs. My program did a TA orientation that was required for all first years, for example. Graduate studies might have stuff you can look at, like TA handbooks. I would spend some time talking to seasoned TAs in your department before you start. 
From what I know, most history TAs do not lecture unless they get an instructor of record position, which is generally after advancing to candidacy. I've heard some TAs in my department do mini-lectures during section (in addition to facilitating discussion) but they aren't required to.

There are lots of great books out there on surviving teaching. Many have titles like "Your first year in the classroom" or something similar. Find and read through several of those which are targeted to new college faculty because they'll have plenty of tips about how to ease your way into the classroom, get comfortable being in front of students, etc. I also highly recommend The Courage to Teach, which is a good read. In terms of resources, McKeachie's teaching tips and Elizabeth Barkley's books on student-centered learning and classroom activities are both resources. I've found that, regardless of the discipline, engaging students in active learning activities takes some of the pressure off of you because you don't have to speak the entire time. In history, this could be running a Reacting to the Past game, having students read and discuss historical documents, or having them prepare for and participate in an in-class debate. 
If you're really worried about the anxiety factor, you may want to talk to your doctor about anti-anxiety meds. There are some which can be used situationally, which could be an option if the anxiety isn't pervasive in your life. It's really about finding what works for you, which could be listening to certain music before you teach, the level of prep and notes you need for class, etc. Sometimes my overly planned classes are some of the worst and the improv classes are some of the best, other times the improv classes flop and having a meticulous plan saves my a**. Even after teaching for years, I can't always predict which is going to be which. At a minimum, I like to have a bulleted list of what needs to get done in each class and some discussion questions to ask in case I lack other material. I also show a lot of clips (many of which I find on YouTube). 
You can do this!! You need to have that self-belief. Good luck!

I just want to point out that it is very rare for TAs to ever have to lecture, especially for first year TAs. You might have to run discussion groups but this isn't really 'lecturing' it is facilitating/moderating discussions among the students. The only way you will have to lecture as a TA is if your prof needs to miss a class for whatever reason and even then you would still usually have the right to 'volunteer' whether you want to cover that class or not, i.e. it's not expected of you.
All this to say is chances are all you will be doing is grading exams/papers and having office hours.