Levon3

Oh, btw, something else to factor in: if you're international and moving to a new climate, you'll have expenses for appropriate clothing which may be unavoidable and not cheap. A good winter coat, winter boots, and warm clothes might be necessary and those costs will add up, too. Something to keep in mind. 

I really want to add to this.  This is a very important point.  Many of you have already decided on/against TC, but this may be helpful for prospectives going forward.  Examine your learning style.  If lecture works best for you, TC (and most education schools) may not be the place for you.  If you have a STEM background, you'll probably be allergic to all the discussion and sharing.  You're simply not used to it.  Personally, I saw minimal value in all the opinions/talking.  In some courses, getting people to talk was like pulling teeth.  In other courses, you wished some people would just stay silent.  HOWEVER, I think "sharing" is emblematic of most ed schools today.  And, if you're in MST, there's going to be far less discussion than in other departments.  I took as few discussion courses as possible.  I made HEAVY use of independent studies; I worked one-on-one with the head of my department--a sage in science and sci ed (~3 semesters).  I also worked with an instructor in the art department focusing on creative technologies (~2 semesters).  Get creative and construct the curriculum that works best for you!  One good thing about TC is that you're not confined to departments or traditional courses.  My home department within MST is Tech & Media (with significant work in SciEd and ArtEd).
Right now, I'm working on my thesis.  I'm on my way out.  I have to say: I had a great experience here.  As both a prospective & as a first year, I spoke to 2nd year students who recommended specific professors.  So, I always signed up for the best.  I got my (high paying) part-time job last year from my department's network.  I got another part-time job (on campus/in my department) the following term working with a professor.  I'm launching my full-time/post-grad job search using contacts from campus job fairs and our department's network.  So far, so good.  
This is why you pay for TC.  Yeah, it's stingy...with a capital "S".  No, all things are NOT roses here (there are some boring classes, some crummy students, some crummy teachers).  If you choose to come here, you need to do so with your eyes open & talk to your "elders" to help you navigate this place and make the most of it.  Beyond applying aggressively for fellowships and grants, you can't do anything about the money.  But, with a head's up, you can avoid the crummy classes and take the good ones.  With creativity, you can fulfill your elective requirement with classes outside of TC (I took more science across the street; some people take business classes) and independent studies in other departments (or your own).  In my department, your part-time job or internship can count for credit, if you don't get paid.  Look into all options.  If you're in MST, for example, you can join a lab.  If you're in any department, you can do research with a professor. 
TC is a huge school.  It's easy to get lost in the sauce, especially if you're part-time.  There are people here who are quite dissatisfied (understandably so).  There are also folks who are quite happy (very possible with a little "elbow grease").  This place really is what you make of it.  
Note: This is my second grad degree; I'm not sure I would've been as adept at navigating TC if I had enrolled fresh out of my small, liberal arts college.  Good luck to all! 

Even if they aren't published as minimums, we often have internal minimum scores. At my institution, if a student is below that minimum, we have to have a compelling reason to accept them and we are only allowed to accept a certain percentage below the minimum.
Also, you didn't ask, but I would suggest basing your list on your potential advisor(s) not on the school itself. Based on the list, my hunch is you are picking schools first, but I could be wrong...

That sounds like a good reaction, to me, not just "neutral"! I think we just need to take what our advisors say at face value and stop trying to overinterpret their reactions. Everyone makes mistakes and I think everything is fine.
If it makes you feel better, someone in my group once booked a flight to the wrong city for a work trip once! There was a small cost to change the reservation (few hundred dollars) but that was small compared to the total cost of the trip/work. And I have booked a flight home on the wrong day once (it was a red-eye and I misread the leaving/arriving dates). I wanted to leave late on the final day of the conference but I accidentally booked it for a late flight on the day following the final day! Everyone overlooked it because no one expects you to leave hours after the last talk ended, it's more standard to leave the next morning/afternoon instead. So, the change fee for the flight was an extra charge, but on the bright side, that fee was smaller than the cost of an extra night stay so the grant paid for it.
Sounds good---just wanted to say though that if you are not sure if the samples you have now are pure enough, it might be a good idea to discuss this with your advisor to figure out if the work you're about to do on these impure samples will yield satisfactory results. Generally, it might be worth a few checks so that you don't sink more time/effort/money into a sample that won't be good enough.

There's no reason to apply early, just FYI. All of the applications will be reviewed at one time, after the deadline, and I can't imagine anyone even bothering to look at when an application was submitted. I'm also not sure I'd visit as an applicant and not as an admitted student, even if it is easy for you. Maybe if you do visit you could schedule your visit to coincide with a colloquium, special invited guest speaker, or some other departmental event so that it's clear why you're there.
FWIW, you can just write tweak your SOP with one sentence/phrase. After pointing out why this program is a perfect fit for you and your interests, you could add something like "For these reasons, X is my top choice for graduate studies". 

I don't know if NSF has any specific guidelines about this. But on your other point, yes, it is not good that your school keeps being late on your stipend payment! However, the only rights you might have are whatever your grad student government or union has negotiated. Many schools do not treat students as employees and as such, there aren't any agreements with the grad student government and there aren't any unions either.
I think the ombudsman is a good place to go, but if you are represented by a union or a grad student government, I would go to them first and see what they could do. If it's nothing or too slow, then consider the University ombudsman, or the person in charge of grad student administrative affairs in your own department. Lastly, you can also talk to the person/office in charge of all grad student affairs at your school.
Ultimately, you might not be able to get much done before you find your own way to manage the situation. But surely you are not the only person having to deal with these late payments. If you don't say anything, nothing will change. Having your voice and that of other affected students can motivate the school to do something about it. For example, at my PhD school, we were paid on the 26th of every month. I was always paid on time, which was good, but the main problem we had was for the first pay period. Most people will arrive in mid September, have orientation in late September, but the first pay period is not until Oct 26th (October is the first month in which we're paid). So this means about 6 weeks without a paycheque! The school helped out with this by granting all new students a no-interest, no-fee loan equal to about 1 month's pay that is paid out when we arrive in September. This loan is repaid in 18 monthly installments starting 6 months after the loan is paid (i.e. it will be all paid up by the end of your 2nd year). 

Is the MA you're doing a one year or two year program? I'm assuming it's a two year program but just wanted to make sure. 
To answer your questions:
Re #1: It's possible that you could ask but, given that you won't have written any final papers, it'll be difficult for those professors to comment on your research skills and potential, which is what would be most beneficial to your application. (BTW, did you contact any of the schools you didn't get into to ask about ways to improve your application? It could be that your LORs are excellent and not an area where you need to show improvement...)
Re #2: Is it ethical? Well, that depends. Are they funding and expecting you to complete a two year MA program that you're planning to leave early? If so, then they may be disappointed by your decision. Ultimately, you need to find faculty who are in your corner and will support you to do what is best for you, which may very well mean leaving a program early. You'll have to suss that out for each person individually.
Re #3: The ability to transfer graduate programs is going to be department and institution-specific. Some programs may only let you transfer credits if you received a degree while others will let you transfer in some limited number of courses. My PhD program let me count I think 4 classes from my master's done elsewhere (so 12 credits), which is definitely not the equivalent of a year of coursework.
 
Do you have funding for this MA program that you're doing? Because, if so, I'd encourage you to stay and complete the program. You'll have the chance to gain valuable research experience, present at conferences, and make connections with faculty to help you have a successful round of PhD applications. Good luck!

To qualify for the top positions in the field of education, you should consider earning your Doctorate in Education from an accredited university.

I totally understand where you are coming from (I am a law school grad, and am now doing a PhD). There are a lot of moving parts, but here are some questions and thoughts to consider:
1. Are your PhD interests such that you could incorporate your expertise in law into them? 
Without knowing your field, it's hard to know how easy this with be, but a JD could be a useful asset to you if you can make it one. You can market yourself to PhD programs as an expert in law, and that knowledge and experience will be valuable to some PIs. It would also help if you can tell a coherent story about your academic history to this point. Frankly, it's okay to retcon this a bit! If you can describe your research interests and/or the path that led you to those interests in a way that incorporates your legal training, then a JD could be useful.
If your PhD field is something you can't really incorporate law into, then I'd seriously consider not going back to law school. Based on your academic history as described in your post, you've sped rather quickly through a bachelors, then a masters, then part of a JD, and now you want a PhD. PIs are going to look at that history and wonder if you really know what you want at all. It sounds like you do, which is good! You can use your time and other parts of your application to make that point. But you'll still be fighting against the perception that you want to be a student forever.  If law school really can't fit into your academic story, I would honestly suggest that you take a bit more time away from law school -- preferably working and/or volunteering in your PhD field. That way, you can explain that law school just wasn't the right fit for you, and that you took the time off to really solidify your research interests in (your PhD field).
2. Odds are (very) good that your PhD field does not care about the prestige of your degrees as much as law does.
Law is insanely credential-focused, as you have no doubt realized. But other academic programs tend not to be. I can't speak definitively without knowing your PhD field, but I'd still wager money that it is not as worried about the prestige of your undergraduate institution. Having said that, academics is a remarkably small world in any field, so if you can take advantage of your current institution's prestige to network with important people in your PhD field -- do it!
3. How (dis)similar would your RA experience in law be to research in your PhD field?
The more similar, the better, but it doesn't have to be super related. If the research process is similar, or if you can make it more similar (i.e., by working on projects in law that use the methods of your field), then it will strengthen your PhD application to have it on there.
4. If you do finish your JD, definitely make the most of your time there.
This means working to position yourself as a scholar in your PhD field. You can reach out to faculty in your PhD field and/or get research experience that is helpful (see above). If possible, choose courses and projects that will help you build a profile as a scholar in your PhD field. Law Review publications are not as good for PhD admissions as peer-reviewed, but they don't hurt, either -- again, especially if you can use a law review note to demonstrate that you are a coherent scholar by incorporating ideas or methods from your PhD field.
If you go back, and if you can make law feel like part of your research interests, taking two years is probably the way to go. I don't think you need to worry about the perception that rigor is why you took time off; you will be able to explain that you took extra time to get additional research experience and solidify your research interests. The trouble with just one year is that by the time you apply this fall, you will not have actually accomplished anything in the 2018-19 school year. If you spread it out over 2 years, you will have a year to really build your resume and reputation -- so that in a year, you will be able to talk about your research experiences in your application (and so will your recommenders, which is important).
Would you consider your JD institution for your PhD? If so, could you overlap them -- an ersatz joint JD/PhD program? That would also help with the whole "coherent scholar" thing. It could potentially also help defer some of the costs, if you are funded as a PhD student.
 
I'd be happy to talk in more specifics over PM. Good luck to you!

If you get bumped up, it would be this month (a friend of mine mid June a few years ago)

What you should do is look to see who has been accepted to that current school currently and in the past, and if they list testing scores or results. I have done this and found a wide range of results. I have been worrying about my current scores and I got a Q145, V 151, Essay 4.0 (I suck really bad at math). I saw that people with lower scores than me were being accepted, and some with higher scores and great GPAs being rejected. You're essay score is GREAT btw, as most schools require minimum of 3.5. Remember that it doesn't come down to just numbers. They will look at all components to your application. Focus on presenting to them why you'd be great for their school, and show a little confidence. You got this!

Good. Because you have offered some comically dangerous advice. 
 
He only has to get "physically aggressive" once for your advice to turn out poorly for OP.  The guy only threatened to divorce his wife because she won't let him hang a Nazi banner. He sounds really stable and like the kind of fellow who is unlikely to get physically aggressive.
 
Are you for real? 
 
Holy mother of God, no! This advice is bad enough when offered to people in non-threatening relationships ....
 
OP:  fuzzy hit the advice head on. Please take care of your physical and emotional health. If want to try to help your husband, that is great (I think). But please don't believe that it is your responsibility or that you alone can change him. 

Okay, I'll voice the possibly less popular opinion. Your responsibility is to yourself. You don't have to stay with him and you are not responsible for getting him better or for educating him. You need to take care of yourself. If you do decide you want to try and stay, I think it's of utmost importance to get support from others. Can you involve his family? friends? do you have a support system around you to take care of you, if you need it? If he wasn't always like this, something must have triggered this, and maybe you can help him through it. Whatever it is, though, you shouldn't do it alone, and you shouldn't let him take it out on you. This sounds like a situation that requires professional help. I know that posting here was probably already hard enough, so maybe the next step is for you to find counseling on your own, maybe through your school, before you think about talking to him. Figure out your resources and support network, then come up with a plan to confront him. I hope that there is no fear of physical violence, but if there is, let me repeat again: your responsibility is to yourself first. Make sure that you are safe, and take care of yourself, both physically and mentally. If that means you need to leave him, I think that's totally understandable and no one from the outside can judge. And if you choose to stay and try and fix it, again I hope that no one will judge and that you can find the help you need. 

Sounds like you confirmed your acceptance, but haven't yet managed your fellowship for next year (i.e., set yourself to tenure or reserve). 
After you accept, you still have to log on and declare your status, which then has to be approved by your institution's PO. 

This is rather old but you should check it out because there's a lot of useful discussion:

 

Hi akraticfanatic,
I got this advice in high school when I took the SAT/ACT. I applied this to the SAT, ACT, and GRE.
With prompts that ask for your opinion on an issue, sometimes it's really obvious what the majority of writers will write about. (Ex: what is your opinion on funding after-school programs in a disadvantaged neighborhood. Almost everyone will write a positive opinion) However, what is more interesting to the reader is if you can argue the "unfavorable" opinion. Of course, you have to have a sound argument with legitimate points. (Ex: Don't say you don't like funding after-school programs because you hate kids, but maybe talk about how the majority of crimes are committed by post-high school students so more focus should be on college preparatory classes) In my experience, this has always worked for me and I have been able to score high because of it. 
Also, on a different note:
I have found that having a well-written essay includes a very clear train of thought. I would spend time on perfecting your logic and writing flow.   

I heard from a second-year that we do not have to do this. I didn't call and ask though. 

If you want to become a teacher, don't go to a "top" ed school. You will wind up with enormous debt and a meager salary. Go to your local state college.

Don't have to do an AAR until you're on fellowship. Since even if you accept the fellowship it (likely) won't start until September, you're not currently on the NSF and as such don't have to do an AAR. 
Not an official source, but I didn't do one the year I got it, and no one else I know did either. 

I hope by the time you read this, you already have a happy ending with your plan.
I was in a similar situation where I wanted to switch advisor/program, but not because I hated my current field, but because my current advisor is just a bad advisor/bad teacher/bad researcher and I lost my respect/motivation to work with him. I applied to another school without telling my current advisor. I actually contacted the advisor from my new school and told him briefly the reason why I wanted to leave. I applied and got accepted (I asked for LOR from the profs that I'm doing TA for and other profs that I'm taking class with - I did share with them the reason why I wanted to leave) but then when I told my current advisor that I'd leave the lab (I told him in Feb, before I got accepted to new school). He immediately shut me down on my RA contract and did some horrible things to me. Anyway, my advice is: really judge your advisor and see if she would support you or not. Depends on the reason why you leave, I think it's safe to play low profile sometimes. 

Given your 169V score you presumably have the verbal intelligence to do much better on the AW section. One key to doing well is using examples to support your argument. If you didn't bring examples from your outside knowledge that would explain the low score. Note that the graders tend to be liberal--regardless of your own political views, your essay should be pro-liberal. (My own score was 5.5.)
If you're applying to top PhD programs it would be good if you can raise your quantitative score, too.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=social+media+academia

not expecting anyone to consider my opinion... just saying that there's a lot of selfabsorption in the room. how quickly we forget what it's like to be on the torturous waiting end! these are the kinds of attitudes that carry forward into academia and shows how profs can completely guiltlessly put applicants thru hell during app season.
 
apply your very powerful brain for a day or two, consult everyone you need to consult, and make a decision. because of this dawdling and "WEEEEE I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DOOOOO HEE HEE!" some people will have to make the tough choice of turning down offers to gamble for a wait list offer that may come after april 15. 
 
it's awful.

yaaa no.... people in this thread are saying that "they know they should pick their dream school" but insist on being neurotic and beating the question to death by asking everyone and anyone their opinion. even when all of those opinions align with "pick the dream school" these people STILL don't decline offers. you people are gross, selfish and awful.

As you said, the BI section is not meant to discuss the potential impacts on society of your research. Instead, it is about the impact of you, as a person/scientist, on academia and society in general. However, I disagree with you that this is "orthogonal to research merit". I would say that your impact on the research and your impact on society are complementary aspects of being a successful scientist. Research does not operate in a vacuum and your future success will depend both on your ability to produce good work and your ability to effect positive change. 
I also think it is not correct to conflate evaluating factors outside of research merit with "college application". 
Based on my experience with people who have been shortlisted for these awards, you would be mistaken if you think these fellowships do not care about factors outside of your research. Of course, there is a range in how much each award considers non-research aspects and the GRFP is on the high side, at 50%. 
That said, these prestigious awards are not just looking for who has the most interesting research program. That's what internal awards and other small stuff is for. Large, prestigious awards have a bigger picture in mind than just "the most interesting research".