psstein

One of the several reasons I got out is that I saw the writing on the wall. It's not a popular opinion, but working 7-9+ years (longer, if you include post-docs) to take a job in an undesirable location for relatively low pay wasn't for me. Yes, yes, I know "nobody does it for the money," but at the end of the day, most of us want to eat and have some modest standard of living.
I've a strong feeling that administrators will use this crisis to push remote instruction, just like they used 2008 to push part-time/adjunct faculty.
As I've said before, NOT GOING is a choice. It's arguably the wisest one.

One of the several reasons I got out is that I saw the writing on the wall. It's not a popular opinion, but working 7-9+ years (longer, if you include post-docs) to take a job in an undesirable location for relatively low pay wasn't for me. Yes, yes, I know "nobody does it for the money," but at the end of the day, most of us want to eat and have some modest standard of living.
I've a strong feeling that administrators will use this crisis to push remote instruction, just like they used 2008 to push part-time/adjunct faculty.
As I've said before, NOT GOING is a choice. It's arguably the wisest one.

Academia is a ticking time bomb, and COVID-19 erased most of the time left on the clock. If you have any ambitions to work in academe, go with the cheapest option. Or don’t go at all.

I would go with your gut. NYU's offer is a cash cow. I've never heard anything positive about that program. Boston College's offer may have strings that prevent outside work or make outside work very difficult.
From my perspective, your off year plan is very solid. If possible, I would incorporate sources in that language into your writing sample. It would definitely show off your abilities.

I recommend in the strongest possible terms that one's reading of  lists of action items and requests be informed by a review of a school's financial statements. 
Decisions over what should be done and what is going to be done are likely to be made in different places through vastly different methodologies.  An academic department and graduate school focused on supporting current students and programs may not be as focused on (or even aware of) the "big picture" dominating the horizons of the Powers That Be.
If you are going to attend a public institution, please do what you can to understand how much revenue comes from a state's taxes generally and sales taxes in particular.

I am a sucker for war movies. Some of the ones I recommend are Letters from Iwo Jima,  A Testament of Youth, '71, Hacksaw Ridge, and Dunkirk. 
Derry Girls is a hilarious comedy about a group of friends living in Derry during the Troubles in the 90s. I am also a fan of Peaky Blinders, The Crown, The People vs. OJ Simpson, and Band of Brothers. 
There is also an infinite list of documentaries I love too.

I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the policies of the graduate school and your department while also learning all you can about who will administer the exams and in what format the exams will be.
As an example, a historian who speaks French like a native may show up for your exam,  hand off to you a copy of a leaf of a manuscript, a piece of paper, and a writing instrument and tell you what to do without speaking a word of English.
A different professor in the same department may set an equally high bar but in a different way.
If you can satisfy a language requirement in that language's department, you should make sure that POIs in your department are okay with that option before going down that path. (Anything other than an enthusiastic "Go for it!" is an invitation to read between the lines of what the POI is telling you.)
You may also want to understand the limitations of this option. "French for graduate students" may end up being a easy course for you followed by an even easier exam translating a selection you picked well in advance with the help of a dictionary of your choice. But if you're actually going to use  your language skills to do archival research and for personal professional development opportunities, you may decide to focus on long term gains.

If you already have an offer, you can ask anything. If there is funding for moving expenses, it might be in the graduate school. A good way is to ask the program to point you into the direction where to find these funds, as opposed to asking “do you give me money to move”. 

I'm not sure what you mean by a career both as "academic and a professional". I confess I choked a little bit because I considered myself a professional academic but maybe I'm wrong? ?
Anyway, if you want to be in academia, like doing research and teaching, you'll need a PhD so I'll suggest going to a funded doctoral program. An MA would serve other purposes. Can you do research with an MA? Absolutely, you can do research without it. I know many, many historians in my research area that are journalists, businessmen, or just bored people. However, if you want to "develop a research program", like in a university, with funding, then you'll need the credentials to show you can begin and finish a long, book-length, historiographical-engaging, groundbreaking research project. Today, that means a PhD. 
Your post is a little too vague so my commentary is too. 
Finally, let me be clear on something: I know a prestigious name on your CV means a lot. Believe me, however, doing an MA just because it's prestigious and going into debt for it does not seem like a very smart move.  
PS: Do you know anyone who has attended this masters? 

Funny story, I've seen AmStuds hired in my two departments (graduate institution and my current institution). 

I have colleagues in both departments. This right here is not a good reason to choose over the other. Connections, yes. Connections to ivies, ??? I’m trying to think a scenario where this, and this alone, would be useful, but I can’t. 
 
this right here is great advice: 
I would add, however, to choose the place (not necessarily advisor) that provides excellent support for those goals. Workshops, funding, etc 

I understand your discomfort, but I would suggest that this isn't as big a deal as you seem to think it is. Applicants don't accept offers all the time, so most faculty don't take it too personally. I would bring up your other options if asked, because, as other posters have said, faculty have far more insight into the contours of the field than someone just entering graduate school. Depending on your sub-field, your advisor may know faculty at other programs. It's also understood that applicants are going to act in their own best interests, which don't always overlap with faculty's interests.
Unless you do something really egregious, most faculty don't remember accepted students from year to year.
About #2: I would ask about on campus resources and would try to get some idea of their advising style; you should ask current grad students about the latter, too. One of the biggest predictors of a successful relationship is having a similar expectation of the advisor and advisee's roles.

I've been taken off the waitlist at Indiana! Just received my formal offer today and I have to say that I'm relieved/emotional/over the moon. I'm going to get a PhD!
I'm still on the waitlist at Michigan and will be sending them an email on Monday to check on my status there and to let them know that I've been offered a doctoral position at IU. Fingers crossed that I can make my final decision soon and start my journey to a PhD in the Fall!

Well, that's not entirely true. Anecdotally, I know of a person who did a terminal master's in classics there and enrolled in their PhD program immediately afterwards. From what I understand, the faculty got to know them as a master's student and that gave them a (potentially unfair?) advantage in admissions. Not sure if their rec letters were from the faculty there, but they might have been. I imagine there are other cases like this across the humanities.
That said, I agree you shouldn't do a master's if you can't afford it comfortably, and second the observation that top graduate programs that offer terminal master's degrees tend to assign them secondary importance, which puts the students in a strange position in terms of social and professional networks. But, as I said above, that can be overcome.

Ooof. Brown must be doing something right, because we had double the yield we wanted. Those planning on applying for the next few years beware, as the number of slots is going to go down for a little while. 

This is an unique situation because of COVID-19.  Most schools are thinking about how to finish the semester without harm to the student body.  It's a fluid situation and my guess is that when Pitt made the announcement they didn't anticipate that the virus would spread so quickly.  It's a good probability that most departments have delayed decisions until they get a handle on setting requirements for the remainder of the semester first.  At my school, they already extended Spring break past this week until the end of next week, so they can establish online teaching protocols.  My advice is to wait until next week to give them a gentle reminder.  Good luck!

I understand your discomfort, but I would suggest that this isn't as big a deal as you seem to think it is. Applicants don't accept offers all the time, so most faculty don't take it too personally. I would bring up your other options if asked, because, as other posters have said, faculty have far more insight into the contours of the field than someone just entering graduate school. Depending on your sub-field, your advisor may know faculty at other programs. It's also understood that applicants are going to act in their own best interests, which don't always overlap with faculty's interests.
Unless you do something really egregious, most faculty don't remember accepted students from year to year.
About #2: I would ask about on campus resources and would try to get some idea of their advising style; you should ask current grad students about the latter, too. One of the biggest predictors of a successful relationship is having a similar expectation of the advisor and advisee's roles.

One thing to DEFINITELY ask is the future of funding and jobs given the strong possibility that this COVID-19 will have serious financial impact as the 2008 financial crisis that changed the academic landscape from then to now.

Like @FruitLover, I've had potential faculty advisors in one case ask directly about programs, and have in another case initiated the conversation myself. In one case, faculty at one school happened to praise the resources at another school I was considering, without me even bringing it up. Can't speak for others, but I've had a good experience with these frank discussions (so far). The sense I got was that they genuinely wanted me to make the best decision for myself, even if they hoped that I would accept their offer. Of course, it'd be best to gauge on a case-by-case basis: does this faculty member seem open to talking about other institutions? By having these discussions, you may learn some really valuable things about the other programs, as scholars in a certain sub-field tend to know each other. They will also know other things about an institution, such as the quality and types of archival/library resources available there. You can't find a lot of this kind of stuff online, and even current graduate students may not know as much as faculty at different institutions.

I know of one person (not personally) who has gone from a top-5 History PhD program on to a high-paying consulting job. That was a couple of decades ago, but he still works in the consulting industry.

First and second years are always overflowing with advice and information but tend to know way less about the department and academia than they think they do.
People in their fifth year and above tend to be extremely cynical about the department, academia and the world, which may be warranted but often results in unhelpful/inaccessible advice.
In conclusion, ask third and fourth years.

For those of you reaching out to students of professors, try your best to get a range of years. Someone finishing their dissertation is going to have a radically different view of a professor as a mentor compared to a current first or second year, especially since most departments are in the midst of "redefining what it means to do a PhD in History." As noted earlier, offer to call the student if you want them to be a bit more candid. Politics are a real thing in grad school and it is best to start learning how to play / avoid the game.

Given the circumstances in this country, I just wouldn't come from abroad. Best to keep travel to minimum, especially in a population dense place like NYC.

If both of you are interested in talking to current grad students, I would suggest getting in contact with your potential advisor's students and asking them to speak about their experiences on the phone/via Skype/etc. Most people tend to be a lot more forthcoming when they're not leaving a paper trail.

If both of you are interested in talking to current grad students, I would suggest getting in contact with your potential advisor's students and asking them to speak about their experiences on the phone/via Skype/etc. Most people tend to be a lot more forthcoming when they're not leaving a paper trail.