tyther

From my understanding, if you just cite the paper as submitted, it's just as good as having a published paper.

These are questions I'm thinking of asking:
How would you describe the dynamic of the department/lab? (collaborative vs. competitive)
What is your least favorite thing about the program?
Did you apply to other programs? What tipped the scales in favor of program x?
At what point were you encouraged/expected to pursue your own projects?
How would you describe professor __'s leadership/advising style?
If you could no longer work with professor ___, who would you choose as your advisor?
Where/when do grad students publish?
How stable is funding?
Is there a teaching requirement? Do you feel it interferes with your research time?
How big is your cohort?
What were your research responsibilities during your first year?
Do you feel challenged/supported?
 
I'd also ask specific questions about the kind of data available in the lab, and how students are expected to contribute before they use data for their own purposes (hope that makes sense)

#2. 
 
Landing a good post-doc is more about your PIs connections than where you did your PhD. 
 
Ideally, by the time you're applying for a post-doc, and then for faculty positions, your name itself will be recognizable to people in your field- they've seen you talk at conferences, they've read interesting papers you've published, and you've met and talked to them at conferences/invited lectures. 
 
The last person on a search committee I talked to said that the stuff on your CV matters to get you an interview, but at the interview it's all about how you come across- can you convince them you're a smart, talented scientist with ideas and the background to carry them through, or not?
 
Networking is really important. Where you got your PhD may help with that, but it's not the most important factor. Schools that have a lot of PhDs placed in academia tend to perpetuate that, since new graduates from those schools (should) already have a network built of past graduates that are now on search committees at those schools. 
 
Another factor that wasn't mentioned is advisor's recommendations. At the big programs, good PIs will have multiple students graduating and applying for jobs each cycle. While they might give good recommendations to all of them, they will only really be able to give their "top" recommendation to one of them. If you're in for the competition, then you might (or might not) be that person. 
 
Whoever gets the "top" recommendation will have a good shot at getting interviews, most likely. The others probably won't. 
 
My PI, and most of the faculty in my department, did PhDs/Post-docs at top 5 schools. I've asked them if they would repeat it, and most of them have said they wouldn't. That they thought things would have been smoother and better going to a lower-ranked school with a PI that they really fit with for the PhD, and then going to a top-5 school for a post-doc, based on the work and recommendations from grad school. 
 
I'm at a school ranked under 100. But my PI, and other mentors, have good connections to PIs at top 5 schools, and I've gotten to consistently meet with them and talk with them. Coming from here, I think I have a very good shot at a "top" post-doc, and that's what matters more. Most of our previous grads have gone on to top post-docs for what they want to do- either at a top school, or with the top researchers in their field. 

Are you reading the same article I am?

They point out that yes, a majority of professors at top institutions earned their PhD degrees from similarly prestigious universities. They also point out that there is a bigger picture here. First and foremost there seems to be a general theme that a PhD from say, Berkeley, is not just going to land you a job teaching at Stanford. So do the institutions themselves make better students (more teaching at top universities), or do the better students tend to go to the top institutions in the first place in a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy? I imagine it is more of the latter, and hence the degree itself become less meaningful.
 
The important factor is the research you do during your PhD and the training you get that develops you into a scientist. Are you doing "cutting-edge research"? Do you have, "opportunities to teach, give research talks, contribute to grant writing, join a journal club, and attend conferences"? These skills make a scientist. Furthermore, a better indicator of your potential future in academia can be reflected in a potential PI's track record with placing students in academia in the first place.

Further down in the article they talk about something you guys don't seem to be mentioning.

"In addition, many of the admissions directors whom C&EN contacted suggested that, for those who hope to get a top academic position, where one goes to grad school isn't as important as where--and with whom--one does postdoctoral research."

So in general, they say your post-doc is more important than where you get your PhD. Lastly, they also point out that while your prestigious Berkeley degree might get someone's attention on a selection committee, once you get to the interview stage your degree is pointless and it is all on you to show them why you deserve the job. They are interested in evaluating your potential as a scientist, including the aforementioned qualities. So the real focus for anyone with lofty goals in academia should be to "aim as high as possible, work as hard as you can, and network like mad". The moral of the story is whether or not you have a prestigious degree you need to be working your butt off the entire time to get to the top of academia, and the degree itself is not a recipie for success or failure.

Central Perk

Its about half way through the fall semester for most people I would assume and I was wondering how far people are in the application process. I personally am nearing the end of the application process. I have taken both my general and the subject gre and all of my recommenders have received their notifications from my school though I am still waiting for them to send in the majority of their letters. I just have to tweak my SoP and personalize it for each individual school. Also I just need to contact a few more professors.

How are you feeling about it? Excited? Nervous? Just want it to be over?