MastigosAtLarge

I've TA'd five courses, and I've been hired by my department to look into how our professors and TAs respond to learners in distress, and to recommend department-wide change moving forward.
My biggest tip is to remember that you are not a psychologist.  If you notice any sign that one of your learners is in distress (whether they make a disclosure of sexual violence, suicidal ideation, a suicide plan, disordered eating, etc, OR whether they cry in office hours or send you an anxious email) tell the professor or the department head.  Do not tell them that it's normal.  Do not assume they're just trying to get a higher grade out of you.  Now, when over 8% of undergrads seriously consider suicide and over 51% experience what they call "overwhelming anxiety", do not take the chance that you, as not the expert, incorrectly evaluate what is going on.  You are part of educating the whole learner, and that includes responding to their emotional development.  But that also means that it's important that you are not a psychologist.  You don't have the resources to pinpoint what's going on, nor provide a learner who really is in crisis with what they need.  So inform the people who can help the learner obtain those things, do not assume it's nothing.

Crossposting this.  I've TA'd five courses, and I've been hired by my department to look into how our professors and TAs respond to learners in distress, and to recommend department-wide change moving forward.
My biggest tip is to remember that you are not a psychologist.  If you notice any sign that one of your learners is in distress (whether they make a disclosure of sexual violence, suicidal ideation, a suicide plan, disordered eating, etc, OR whether they cry in office hours or send you an anxious email) tell the professor or the department head.  Do not tell the learner that it's normal.  Do not assume they're just trying to get a higher grade out of you. 
You're right, OP, that learners are more anxious than ever.  The numbers I'm familiar with are that over 8% of undergrads seriously consider suicide and over 51% experience what they call "overwhelming anxiety".  Do not take the chance that you, as not the expert, incorrectly evaluate what is going on. 
You are part of educating the whole learner, and that includes responding to their emotional development, not only their academic needs.  And remember, a learner's mental state contributes to their academic performance.  But this all also means that it's important to remember that you are not a psychologist.  You don't have the resources to pinpoint what's going on, nor provide a learner who really is in crisis with what they need. 
So inform the people who can help the learner obtain those things, do not assume it's nothing.

Again, tips from having TAd five courses--learners (like everyone else) do not like silence.  If you ask a question and everyone's staying quiet, don't cave and answer it yourself.  If you stand still long enough (which is to say, 30 seconds to one minute, I'll bet you), someone will speak.  This even works when you tell them you're doing it.  "I'm going to stand here quietly for one minute, and I bet one of you will say something because the silence will feel awkward".  I've done it just that way in class before, and someone always speaks up.  Be confident in your own pedagogical abilities and trust your techniques.

Received my Cornell decision in the form of an email that began with "Dear Applicant" and ended by wishing me "success in continuing your studies at another university."  I'm sure the disappointment played a part in this, but that didn't sit well with me.  Really, you couldn't have used software to at least plug in a name before sending me a form letter?  Even the spam emails I got from universities asking me to apply to their culinary/business/etc. programs after I took the GRE managed to handle that.  I recognize that I'm probably being oversensitive, but I'm still annoyed.
In any case, I'll be taking a vacation from these boards for a month or two while I hunt for a job and let my disappointment die down and then I'll be back to prepare for the next (and probably my last, regardless of how it goes) cycle.  Gonna apply to 6-8 schools this time around, which I would have done the first time if I hadn't been in such a time crunch.  Thanks to all of you for your info and encouragement over the past few months, and congrats to all of you who got into fantastic programs!

The reading strategy I use--taught to be my both my undergrad advisor and my current Masters advisor--is to read the intro, the conclusion, and then the intro and conclusion for each chapter.  If you'd like, you can add reading one chapter in full to this list, so that you have more details re: one specific section of the text that you're particularly interested in.  At Boston College, I have one book per week per course, and I usually have to submit a book review for each as well.  This is the best method I've found.  I'm so glad I was taught it as early as undergrad, it let me refine my application.

The reading strategy I use--taught to be my both my undergrad advisor and my current Masters advisor--is to read the intro, the conclusion, and then the intro and conclusion for each chapter.  If you'd like, you can add reading one chapter in full to this list, so that you have more details re: one specific section of the text that you're particularly interested in.  At Boston College, I have one book per week per course, and I usually have to submit a book review for each as well.  This is the best method I've found.  I'm so glad I was taught it as early as undergrad, it let me refine my application.

Crossposting this.  I've TA'd five courses, and I've been hired by my department to look into how our professors and TAs respond to learners in distress, and to recommend department-wide change moving forward.
My biggest tip is to remember that you are not a psychologist.  If you notice any sign that one of your learners is in distress (whether they make a disclosure of sexual violence, suicidal ideation, a suicide plan, disordered eating, etc, OR whether they cry in office hours or send you an anxious email) tell the professor or the department head.  Do not tell the learner that it's normal.  Do not assume they're just trying to get a higher grade out of you. 
You're right, OP, that learners are more anxious than ever.  The numbers I'm familiar with are that over 8% of undergrads seriously consider suicide and over 51% experience what they call "overwhelming anxiety".  Do not take the chance that you, as not the expert, incorrectly evaluate what is going on. 
You are part of educating the whole learner, and that includes responding to their emotional development, not only their academic needs.  And remember, a learner's mental state contributes to their academic performance.  But this all also means that it's important to remember that you are not a psychologist.  You don't have the resources to pinpoint what's going on, nor provide a learner who really is in crisis with what they need. 
So inform the people who can help the learner obtain those things, do not assume it's nothing.

Hi! It's totally normal to be nervous, but I hope some of that is nervous excitement
I love my program. Every day I am reminded that I made the right choice, even on the days where I'm stressed out. Most of grad school is both fun and filled with anxiety. Every time I'm in panic mode, I remind myself that I get paid (and have benefits!) to read and write about things I love reading and writing about.
I also love to teach, so when TAing overwhelms me, I remember students who wrote excellent papers or said cool things in section or started out struggling but made the effort to get support and left my class in a better place. Not everything is positive, I realized early on that not every student cares about their grade beyond passing by the skin of their teeth, and learning to accept that has been great for my anxiety. I do wish I had to teach less so I could finish more work, but I knew what I was getting into so now it's about making time for everything and not spending 3 hours grading each paper or exam. Basically, learning that teaching and grading shouldn't take 8 hours of your day is very important. After my first term as a TA, I became really good at prepping as much as needed but no more, grading quickly and protecting my time outside of the classroom rather than letting the classroom take it over.
Balance is so hard for grad students, I think, so as you're entering your program try to be vigilant about it. I'm no expert...I fluctuate between working on having a healthy balance between personal and professional, pleasure and scholarly reading, sleep and work etc. vs. holing up in my apartment, working so much my fingers cramp, sleeping so little I'm miserable and not leaving my house until there's so little food I can't avoid it. Don't do that, it's hell on your body, mind and emotions. I've started setting goals each quarter, broken up into "progress to degree," "research," and "personal" sections, then laying out week by week what I want to accomplish. I don't beat myself up if I don't accomplish everything every week. Reshuffling things is inevitable, and it's no use to hate yourself for some perceived failure that only you notice.
This brings me to my next point. Your professors won't be over your shoulder, yelling at you when you don't finish a section of your comps reading when you thought you would. They want to see the final product. So I make sure to have the reading done that I need for a specific meeting, and if I fall behind I adjust until I get back on track. Professors aren't going to fail you if you don't complete a draft on the day you intended, so if things come up and you need an extra day, don't freak out. Just make sure you have the final product done when it's due. It's funny, but grad school has really taught me the importance of letting go. I live by the mantra of "it'll get done because it has to," and try to be kind to myself when my internal timeline has to be scrapped and rethought. If I was giving any advice to new grad students, it would be to really think about when it's okay to let go and when you need to stay firm. This applies to everything: teaching, research and service. Also, cultivate a support system. It can be family and friends, but I think finding members of your cohort who you can commiserate and exchange drafts with is important, especially in the first 2-3 years.

One thing that my adviser told me and that has really stuck with me is to not compare yourself to others in your cohort. I’m the only one in my department whose research focuses on animals. I love it, but my cohort doesn’t understand sometimes why I’m doing animal history as opposed to traditional military, political, gender, etc history. 
Everyone in your cohort has unique research and that should be celebrated rather than torn down or feeling like you’re insignificant compared to others. 

I received an email from my POI at Oxford. She told me that the graduate school will be sending decisions in about a week or two (she said a couple days but this is academia after all) for the "first round." Also, she wanted to informally extend my offer of admission! 

My advisor had an admitted incoming Ph.D. student visit a few weeks ago, Boston College has released at least some acceptances.

I agree that teaching is never as valued as direct research impact in research oriented fields when it comes to hiring decisions at research oriented universities.
 
I do agree that for my field, if you do want a tenure track assistant prof position at a research oriented university, then yes, teaching should be a very low priority for you. The advice I hear is to have a minimal amount of it so that 1) you actually have some experience and 2) hiring committees who only really care about research but want to claim that they care about teaching can point to something on your CV that says you've taught before. I know that my current school does not consider teaching ability at all when it comes to tenure decisions. One prof at my school who was passionate about teaching was asked to spend less time on teaching because his classes were too good. He is now somewhere else, at a school where he feels his teaching is as valued as his research. 
 
That said, I don't think it's sound advice to actually tell graduate students to slack off on TAing. First of all, that article that was linked in NicholasCage's post is almost 25 years old. I think in general, most schools have begun to shift towards valuing teaching as well, even if it's tiny. There are centres for teaching & learning popping up at various campuses and even my super-research-oriented school opened their own Centre for Teaching and Learning a few years ago. 
 
If a student is absolutely certain they want to pursue a career that is purely research, then it makes sense to devote all of their time into research. However, I think with the current job market, it's a very bad idea to limit your career options so much and to me, it's a far better idea to develop your teaching portfolio as much as possible. Personally, I enjoy teaching, so I don't need pragmatic reasons to motivate me but it's still true that while spending time on teaching might not gain you very much towards the most research-oriented jobs, the little extra effort you can do is probably beneficial in the long run because it will increase your chances at a much broader range of careers.
 
Time management is essential in grad school and I'm not saying to say yes to every teaching opportunity. I'm also not saying you should say no every time either. The best answer, I think, is to advise grad students to think about what kind of careers we want after the PhD and to make sure almost everything we do, whether it's teaching or research or otherwise, is a step towards these goals.

Again, tips from having TAd five courses--learners (like everyone else) do not like silence.  If you ask a question and everyone's staying quiet, don't cave and answer it yourself.  If you stand still long enough (which is to say, 30 seconds to one minute, I'll bet you), someone will speak.  This even works when you tell them you're doing it.  "I'm going to stand here quietly for one minute, and I bet one of you will say something because the silence will feel awkward".  I've done it just that way in class before, and someone always speaks up.  Be confident in your own pedagogical abilities and trust your techniques.

...why do some schools take so long to notify rejections? If a school didn't want a student, wouldn't telling them that right away be the kind/sensible/easy thing to do? Why notify rejections eons after acceptances?

...That's expensive? He asks from his 400 sq. ft. apartment without a dishwasher which costs over $1500 

Oh, man, I would love to meet DHF. So many questions! Like, "Why is the final part of Historians' Fallacies so weirdly racist and why haven't you revised it?"

Can now confirm that I'm in at UC Irvine to work with Sharon Block!

Got my Georgetown results. Last of my PhD apps. 1 out 2 ain't bad in my opinion. 

Can now confirm that I'm in at UC Irvine to work with Sharon Block!

Can now confirm that I'm in at UC Irvine to work with Sharon Block!

Can now confirm that I'm in at UC Irvine to work with Sharon Block!

Can now confirm that I'm in at UC Irvine to work with Sharon Block!

Can now confirm that I'm in at UC Irvine to work with Sharon Block!

Can now confirm that I'm in at UC Irvine to work with Sharon Block!

I also want to say that like, I totally get wanting to revive interests and try different things. But also recognize that this isn't a light hobby for everyone involved in the process: many of us are trying to get a first career off the ground for amounts of money so low that they would be illegal if we were considered "employees." Upon receiving a first tenure track job, many people feel pressure to sit down and shut up until they attain tenure, and even after that, until they've landed jobs in cities or regions they'd actually like to live. And then, maybe after all that, enjoy the small amount of recognition they've been able to hobble together. 

Having worked with some older students and networked with some people in the finance sector, I find that when I say I do history, they have an imagined sense of a glorious life I live, full of cushy armchairs, old documents, and untold amounts of truth. While I feel very lucky to have the position I do currently (and good about my prospects down the road), I'm trying to tell you guys that this isn't a hobby. It's a job. And with a job comes job stress and frustration and anger.

Best of luck in the process~