sickeagle

General comment here for anyone feeling down about this cycle. It will be OK!! When I was finishing undergrad in 2010,  I applied to 5 prestigious PhD programs with what I thought was a great research topic. It was not a great research topic at all. I was rejected by all 5 schools and then had to tell my letter-writers about my failing in person, and see them on a weekly basis. It was disheartening to say the least. I went home, took a year to think about my future and then ended up applying to an MA program at my state school, which is a great research university, but not a high-prestige school. I got in, and during the program my real interests became much clearer to me. When I finished, I entered the nonprofit sector to work for 4 years, but kept developing my research interests. When I felt I had a new, solid, and more informed topic, I decided to apply to PhD programs. Fast forward to the present moment and I have 3 well-funded offers from departments eager to support a project that I feel extremely passionate about. This is not to brag, but to say that what feels disappointing now may be part of a much larger journey you are on without realizing it. If I had been accepted somewhere right out of college, I know for a fact that I would not have ended up going down a research path that is as rewarding as my current one promises to be. So, chin up! It will be OK! Thanks to everyone for all the insights and support this cycle.

General comment here for anyone feeling down about this cycle. It will be OK!! When I was finishing undergrad in 2010,  I applied to 5 prestigious PhD programs with what I thought was a great research topic. It was not a great research topic at all. I was rejected by all 5 schools and then had to tell my letter-writers about my failing in person, and see them on a weekly basis. It was disheartening to say the least. I went home, took a year to think about my future and then ended up applying to an MA program at my state school, which is a great research university, but not a high-prestige school. I got in, and during the program my real interests became much clearer to me. When I finished, I entered the nonprofit sector to work for 4 years, but kept developing my research interests. When I felt I had a new, solid, and more informed topic, I decided to apply to PhD programs. Fast forward to the present moment and I have 3 well-funded offers from departments eager to support a project that I feel extremely passionate about. This is not to brag, but to say that what feels disappointing now may be part of a much larger journey you are on without realizing it. If I had been accepted somewhere right out of college, I know for a fact that I would not have ended up going down a research path that is as rewarding as my current one promises to be. So, chin up! It will be OK! Thanks to everyone for all the insights and support this cycle.

General comment here for anyone feeling down about this cycle. It will be OK!! When I was finishing undergrad in 2010,  I applied to 5 prestigious PhD programs with what I thought was a great research topic. It was not a great research topic at all. I was rejected by all 5 schools and then had to tell my letter-writers about my failing in person, and see them on a weekly basis. It was disheartening to say the least. I went home, took a year to think about my future and then ended up applying to an MA program at my state school, which is a great research university, but not a high-prestige school. I got in, and during the program my real interests became much clearer to me. When I finished, I entered the nonprofit sector to work for 4 years, but kept developing my research interests. When I felt I had a new, solid, and more informed topic, I decided to apply to PhD programs. Fast forward to the present moment and I have 3 well-funded offers from departments eager to support a project that I feel extremely passionate about. This is not to brag, but to say that what feels disappointing now may be part of a much larger journey you are on without realizing it. If I had been accepted somewhere right out of college, I know for a fact that I would not have ended up going down a research path that is as rewarding as my current one promises to be. So, chin up! It will be OK! Thanks to everyone for all the insights and support this cycle.

General comment here for anyone feeling down about this cycle. It will be OK!! When I was finishing undergrad in 2010,  I applied to 5 prestigious PhD programs with what I thought was a great research topic. It was not a great research topic at all. I was rejected by all 5 schools and then had to tell my letter-writers about my failing in person, and see them on a weekly basis. It was disheartening to say the least. I went home, took a year to think about my future and then ended up applying to an MA program at my state school, which is a great research university, but not a high-prestige school. I got in, and during the program my real interests became much clearer to me. When I finished, I entered the nonprofit sector to work for 4 years, but kept developing my research interests. When I felt I had a new, solid, and more informed topic, I decided to apply to PhD programs. Fast forward to the present moment and I have 3 well-funded offers from departments eager to support a project that I feel extremely passionate about. This is not to brag, but to say that what feels disappointing now may be part of a much larger journey you are on without realizing it. If I had been accepted somewhere right out of college, I know for a fact that I would not have ended up going down a research path that is as rewarding as my current one promises to be. So, chin up! It will be OK! Thanks to everyone for all the insights and support this cycle.

General comment here for anyone feeling down about this cycle. It will be OK!! When I was finishing undergrad in 2010,  I applied to 5 prestigious PhD programs with what I thought was a great research topic. It was not a great research topic at all. I was rejected by all 5 schools and then had to tell my letter-writers about my failing in person, and see them on a weekly basis. It was disheartening to say the least. I went home, took a year to think about my future and then ended up applying to an MA program at my state school, which is a great research university, but not a high-prestige school. I got in, and during the program my real interests became much clearer to me. When I finished, I entered the nonprofit sector to work for 4 years, but kept developing my research interests. When I felt I had a new, solid, and more informed topic, I decided to apply to PhD programs. Fast forward to the present moment and I have 3 well-funded offers from departments eager to support a project that I feel extremely passionate about. This is not to brag, but to say that what feels disappointing now may be part of a much larger journey you are on without realizing it. If I had been accepted somewhere right out of college, I know for a fact that I would not have ended up going down a research path that is as rewarding as my current one promises to be. So, chin up! It will be OK! Thanks to everyone for all the insights and support this cycle.

General comment here for anyone feeling down about this cycle. It will be OK!! When I was finishing undergrad in 2010,  I applied to 5 prestigious PhD programs with what I thought was a great research topic. It was not a great research topic at all. I was rejected by all 5 schools and then had to tell my letter-writers about my failing in person, and see them on a weekly basis. It was disheartening to say the least. I went home, took a year to think about my future and then ended up applying to an MA program at my state school, which is a great research university, but not a high-prestige school. I got in, and during the program my real interests became much clearer to me. When I finished, I entered the nonprofit sector to work for 4 years, but kept developing my research interests. When I felt I had a new, solid, and more informed topic, I decided to apply to PhD programs. Fast forward to the present moment and I have 3 well-funded offers from departments eager to support a project that I feel extremely passionate about. This is not to brag, but to say that what feels disappointing now may be part of a much larger journey you are on without realizing it. If I had been accepted somewhere right out of college, I know for a fact that I would not have ended up going down a research path that is as rewarding as my current one promises to be. So, chin up! It will be OK! Thanks to everyone for all the insights and support this cycle.

General comment here for anyone feeling down about this cycle. It will be OK!! When I was finishing undergrad in 2010,  I applied to 5 prestigious PhD programs with what I thought was a great research topic. It was not a great research topic at all. I was rejected by all 5 schools and then had to tell my letter-writers about my failing in person, and see them on a weekly basis. It was disheartening to say the least. I went home, took a year to think about my future and then ended up applying to an MA program at my state school, which is a great research university, but not a high-prestige school. I got in, and during the program my real interests became much clearer to me. When I finished, I entered the nonprofit sector to work for 4 years, but kept developing my research interests. When I felt I had a new, solid, and more informed topic, I decided to apply to PhD programs. Fast forward to the present moment and I have 3 well-funded offers from departments eager to support a project that I feel extremely passionate about. This is not to brag, but to say that what feels disappointing now may be part of a much larger journey you are on without realizing it. If I had been accepted somewhere right out of college, I know for a fact that I would not have ended up going down a research path that is as rewarding as my current one promises to be. So, chin up! It will be OK! Thanks to everyone for all the insights and support this cycle.

I completely agree with all above that the less teaching you have to do the better, because it is time intensive, draining, and keeps you tethered to campus and unable to visit archives, go to conferences, etc.  However, since almost all funding offers involve some amount of teaching, it may also be helpful to get some more information about what "teaching" involves at different schools when you compare offers. Some potential questions: How many quarters/semesters counts as a year of teaching? How much flexibility do you have for picking when you teach? How many students do TA's usually have, and what is the maximum? What are the normal responsibilities for TAs (grading, section leading, office hours)? Are there resources in the department or through the university to help TAs with the nitty-gritty of teaching? 
In terms of evaluating funding opportunities, I think some other things to ask about is the range of funding options i.e. are people mostly going to the same few sources or are there many options, and how grad students feel funding has or hasn't effected their own work i.e. have they had to adjust projects because they can't find money? Does money tend to turn up under pressure? Are there often promises of resources that don't appear?
This discussion usually leans towards funding options for years 5-7 when it feels especially pressing, but these are really valid questions for years 1-4 too especially for languages and pre-dissertation research. 
 

A million times this. This year I (voluntarily) have the most intense teaching load of my career, and it's utterly draining mentally, physically, time-wise. Lots of really great schools are squeezed for money and fund mostly via TAships, I totally get this, but if you have a choice between comparable programs--one that offers some fellowship years versus one that's entirely funded on teaching--accept the one with the fellowships. I cannot stress it enough how important money is to completing a rigorous dissertation in a reasonable amount of time. Cannot stress it enough.
Here's the most valuable tip I will ever give new grad students: get your money. Start with negotiating with the departments you choose if you can, then get in the habit of spending at least 10-20 minutes a day working on funding sources, whether internal or external (researching potential grants/fellowships, updating a funding spreadsheet, drafting grant proposals etc etc). Some days, take a good hour to really dig into it. Funding, or a lack thereof, can make or break you. Will make or break you--either from being spread too thin and producing a mediocre dissertation, or through physical/mental deterioration from juggling teaching, conferences, publishing, research and dissertating, not to mention your personal life.

It's not just how long it'll take. It's also about other funding concerns. Are there conference and travel funds? Conferences are expensive as it is. Is there enough money for you to focus on research during the summers, or will you have to take up another job?
Don't think of it in terms of credits. Think of it in terms of time. Teaching every semester will delay you from finishing faster. Teaching can be a very draining experience. I find it pretty tough to write (or really do anything outside of light reading) after I come home from teaching, and I don't have an awful student load.
Also, which one has the best placement? Knowing nothing else, I'd bet A has a better record.
 
 

This doesn't make a ton of sense to me: they're giving you three years of fellowship, then two years of TAship? Or is it that you have three guaranteed fellowship years and that's it?
The "assurances" should be taken with a dose of salt. The stock market could crap out again tomorrow, which means that virtually all external funding/endowments go in the toilet. It's also worth noting that these aren't anything concrete. They're not on paper, they're not really oral contracts, so you can renege at any point without consequence. They're honored on a case by case basis. I know of people who've gotten screwed over by them, and people who've been fine with them.
Realistically speaking, you're not going to finish the PhD in 4 years. You might do it in 5, if you come in with a very good idea of what you want to do, have a program that cooperates with your moving ahead (this is a HUGE if), and don't have life get in the way. The average time to completion at most programs is something like 6.5. Many programs won't let you transfer a ton of MA credits either. Generally you'll get out of a thesis. This is an aside, but it's also my understanding that you become less competitive as a job candidate if you've taken an inordinate amount of time to complete ( @telkanuru or @OHSP, do you guys have any knowledge about that?).
Of the three offers you've discussed, I'd rank them as A, B, and C as a very distant 3rd. 4 years TAship and lectureship thereafter is a pretty heavy teaching load.

Just a FYI, having lived/done research in Australia, I've found that the cost of difference for Uggs brand at the end is utterly moot, which is really weird. I'd definitely pile up on cold weather stuff!
 
I agree with @ashiepoo72.  I'd find out how your MA credits work (it should be explained in the department handbook) and how they affect your  time to comps.  Unless you are a brilliant reader, the soonest you will be allow to take your exams is in your 4th semester (or 5th if you are not an Americanist). But it does depend how you spend your first summer. I came in with a MA and just didn't have to do a thesis but I still ended up taking my exams at the beginning of my 4th year (thanks, life).  It's very, very difficult to finish a good dissertation under 3-4 years.  The AHA President already stated that a good history dissertation should  take 4 years, no less.
Also, consider the university's overall budget health.  State schools are under a lot of pressure (unless you'r at Michigan, which it sounds like it's not one of the options) and the department may face budget cuts during your time.  Be sure to ask a lot of questions about the overall health of department and university budget and priorities.

Going in with an MA makes finishing in less than 5 years possible, but it is very, very rare in my experience. Being able to transfer MA credits is great, does this mean you would be able to take comps in the first year? Or are there other requirements beyond the MA that the PhD requires at School C? You should expect 2-4 years beyond comps to finish the dissertation depending on where your archives are. I'm on schedule to finish a transnational dissertation 3 years after comps, but that's after a lot of struggle to line up all my ducks in a row. Things happen that we can't control and many people get derailed for a year or more.
With that in mind, I would accept whichever school gave me the most years of guaranteed funding. Lots of schools give "assurances." Mine guarantees 5 years, but "assures" students they can get years 6 and 7 funded. Because it's a smaller department, it is almost always the case that those years are easily funded, but even so I would take assurances with a grain of salt. Funding is absolutely critical and only guaranteed funding is guaranteed.

On the strict financials, go to A. TAing is valuable experience, but it can eat up your time and make doing your own research/writing/etc. very difficult. The hiring process for many (most?) universities focuses on research and productivity. The "teaching experience" trap is one a lot of adjuncts get stuck in, too.

This is great advice! I plan on trying to make the most of visit when I go there and I thought about trying get into contact with my advisor's grad students. Did you e-mail them outright or did you meet up with them during your visit? 
Congratulations to you as well! I was accepted into the MA program and I know the scheduled campus visit is for Ph.D students. After asking about a campus visit, they offered if I would like to join, but I won't be able to on those dates. I hope to schedule something a little earlier in March. My experience with the department has been the same. They have been extremely helpful so far. 

Congrats on the admits! I got admitted to UO as well, and will be at the campus visit in March, even though I am still waiting to hear back from other programs before I commit. My experience with the department so far has been very warm, so I would say feel free to send them an email with any questions you have.

Yes, American Culture it is. The official letter should arrive next week, according to the DGS email I received. 

Looks like someone else got accepted to UMich American Culture, via phone call. If those two posts are indeed the only two admits so far, then there would only be about 4 or 5 spots left, based on last year's 6 total admits. So.... good luck! Keeping my phone charged up so that at the very least I will definitely not have a dead phone this weekend, which is always nice.

Third on UMich. I live about an hour south of there, and I can tell you that every campus around here was closed for a lot of last week--I wouldn't be surprised if it threw off some meetings. I know it threw off our admissions committees... 

Others may already be aware of this site, but http://www.phdstipends.com/results has a good searchable database of past stipends... but it could benefit from more entries!