HardyBoy

I contacted the grad coordinator at my top choice institution and they were able to match my other offer. It was a pretty minor addition (just summer funding for 1 year), so that might be why he was so amenable to the request. 

If you use this tactic, it is crucial for you to understand which works your examiners feel fall into the category of essential / must read / "ignore at one's peril." And even then, @ashiepoo72's guidance is great.
Keep in mind that quals are not just for your professional development, they are also a ritual designed to make you suffer. Do what you can to focus on the former and to compartmentalize the latter.
If you've not done so already, try to talk to ABD's who have taken their exams with members of your committee. They can offer great insights. Also, if members of your committee have copies of previous exams for their undergraduate courses on file at a library, give some thought to giving them a look.

You're going to get through this! Try to read the intro and conclusion of each book before turning to reviews. The important thing is understanding how the books work together. How do the arguments intersect? How do they challenge each other? Something that worked really well for me was writing a precis for each section of my comps lists. So, for example, one precis would be on the historiography of WWI based on whatever 4-5 books were on my list, and another precis would be on gender in colonial America, etc. It was useful to have a sheet of paper focused on historiography from which to study, especially as I got closer to exam day.

Thanks for responding! I've been trying to mostly gut -- or at least read the intro, TOC, and book reviews. I've just hit a rough patch and trying to get through. On the plus side, my prep meeting schedule is such that I'll have a few weeks before the exams to go back and refresh. I hope it'll be enough. Such a weird/stressful process.

It didn't work in my case. My examiners were pretty fast to poke holes in my "knowledge" during our meetings. So I had to go back and... well, actually get the books and "gut" them.

It is literally impossible to pass them otherwise.

I did!

As an update, received an email offering admission about an hour after this post! My only acceptance so far and a great academic fit, so I'm feeling great.

I can now vouch for the Princeton acceptances in addition to the Yale acceptances, if that helps (Modern Europe).

I do know that Princeton trimmed its cohort size a little, but not like other schools (I think down to about 20 from about about 25, but don't quote me on that).

I do know that Princeton trimmed its cohort size a little, but not like other schools (I think down to about 20 from about about 25, but don't quote me on that).

Just popping in to note that there is not a connection between the Princeton history and art history departments, so the decision time of one is not related to the other. (I'm sorry I have no other insight into when Princeton's decisions will be out!)

Just popping in to note that there is not a connection between the Princeton history and art history departments, so the decision time of one is not related to the other. (I'm sorry I have no other insight into when Princeton's decisions will be out!)

Not sure the specifics of your research, but you should also consider Ruha Benjamin (my senior thesis advisor). She also writes and teaches at the intersection of (biological/medical) science, technology, and society. João Biehl too if your work takes a more anthropological approach.

@Strider_2931 definitely Wailoo, but I'm also thinking of Barnes as a cultural historian, as well as Wirzbicki and Wilentz.
The history and HOS programs at Princeton have separate application processes, but they are pretty tightly connected, so you can work with people on both sides. If that interests you, you might consider reaching out to Wailoo and see if he seems interested.
FWIW, I sort of fell into HOS, without a deep background. That's definitely the less common path, as far as I can tell, but it does happen.

@Strider_2931 definitely Wailoo, but I'm also thinking of Barnes as a cultural historian, as well as Wirzbicki and Wilentz.
The history and HOS programs at Princeton have separate application processes, but they are pretty tightly connected, so you can work with people on both sides. If that interests you, you might consider reaching out to Wailoo and see if he seems interested.
FWIW, I sort of fell into HOS, without a deep background. That's definitely the less common path, as far as I can tell, but it does happen.

Have you considered applying to HSTM (History of Science, Technology, and Medicine) programs? I can think of advising combos at Princeton that might be cool for your project.

I do want to add that, if you are trying to decide between schools and you can afford to cover any difference between the reimbursement they offer and the cost of going, do go to visit weekends. Mnay of the deciding factors for me were things that I learned in person during visits. Plus, it's definitely your last chance to feel courted by a school for a while (ever?), so enjoy it!

In my experience, both as a potential grad student and as a grad student, most of the current students you meet during the visit weekend are not going to try to sell you some idealized version of who you want to work with, what the program is like, etc. Many of them are honest, sometimes brutally so.

I do want to add that, if you are trying to decide between schools and you can afford to cover any difference between the reimbursement they offer and the cost of going, do go to visit weekends. Mnay of the deciding factors for me were things that I learned in person during visits. Plus, it's definitely your last chance to feel courted by a school for a while (ever?), so enjoy it!

Just popping in to wish everyone good luck as they wait! I was in your shoes last year and know how miserable that wait can be, so my thoughts are with you. I second the advice here to do something healthy, go for a walk, hang out with friends -- all the sorts of things you'll need to do to take care of yourself in grad school, too.

Just popping in to wish everyone good luck as they wait! I was in your shoes last year and know how miserable that wait can be, so my thoughts are with you. I second the advice here to do something healthy, go for a walk, hang out with friends -- all the sorts of things you'll need to do to take care of yourself in grad school, too.

Focus on other things you enjoy. Spend time with friends, talk about things that aren’t academia, read a book, Netflix, etc. 
We have no control over the result now so What we can do now is just take a deep breath and wait for the emails to trickle in over the coming weeks. 
 
Best of luck ? we’re all in this together 

It feels completely surreal to say this, but I have accepted an offer from Northwestern. On my way home in the wee hours of Sunday morning, I said out loud to my partner, "I have fully accepted that in two days I'll get an email from them telling me that there's no space for me this year." Two minutes later, the offer email came in (at 2 AM Chicago time--deadlines don't respect normal sleep schedules). 
Even after everything I've put into this process, I still spent the day yesterday in deep reflection on whether I really, truly want to take this leap. I wanted to be sure that I was accepting their offer because it's the right one, not because it's the only one. Ultimately, this was the best option all along to support the work I want to do.
Best of luck to everyone who's making a decision today, or waiting on one. I still can't quite believe it, but it's real. 

Not sure if anyone is still reading this but I've been accepted to William and Mary's PhD off their waitlist! I couldn't be happier!