AEscalante1

Hello all, Unclear at this point on how to exactly word this, but I am looking for help on immigration and visas to the UK, specifically, or Europe, more broadly. I am a PhD student looking for eventual employment in the UK. My partner is Scottish and has British citizenship. Does anyone have any experience with the US-to-UK visa process either through academic routes or marriage/partnership routes who would be willing to share information or be in touch? General questions about what kind of visa, how UK universities engage with US PhDs, things to look out for, etc. etc. Thanks very much.

Here are three resources I found helpful. I successfully used them when applying to four UK PhD programs (Scotland and England). 1. https://www.exeter.ac.uk/media/universityofexeter/webteam/shared/postgraduate/pdfs/A_Guide_to_Writing_your_PhD_Proposal.pdf 2. http://www.southampton.ac.uk/sociology/postgraduate/research_degrees/apply/how_to_write_an_MPhil_PhD_research_degree_proposal.page 3. http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/studentships/2227/how-to-write-a-phd-proposal Hope this helps! Obviously tailor these to your program, but you should get the general idea. Edit: Here are some I found just by Googling. 1. http://www.ed.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.105984!/fileManager/HowToWriteProposal.pdf 2. https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/research_prop.htm

I do not do comparative religion, per se; but my current Master's institution is certainly firmly planted in this field, so I have some, general knowledge. If you'd like more information you can PM me and we can chat. Of course, things to consider (which I am sure you have heard a thousand times): 1) why a PhD?, 2) will a PhD support/hinder your ministerial aspirations, and 3) given 1 and 2, does religious studies make the best fit for you? (could you do a theology degree instead?). I ask these questions mainly to get to #3 (and also because they are important things for you to consider). If you're going to be ministry focused, a theology degree would be just as beneficial to you as a religious studies degree--especially as theology is still finding its way through comparative theology. 1. Quite easy. Don't think of this as a "jump." Your MDiv is presumably preparing you for your PhD--and make it do that. NB: this means, as you said, streamlining your degree. Graduate studies is really what you make of it--work hard and network. 2. Harvard and Union off the top of my head. Francis Clooney, Diana Eck, and John Thatamanil. Clooney and Thatamanil both have a Hindu-centered research focus, but enough research in Asian religion to support a project like yours. Assuming you are full-time, you will have 3 years to find the best fit(s), too. I would begin by reaching out to your current faculty and seeing where they might be able to point you. 3. Yes. NB: Your potential committee and faculty must be able to sign off on your project and support it. See 1 and 2.

@gidadu Vanderbilt did a series of interviews in late-February and then admitted thereafter, as far as I know. However, @JKO says their partner heard back recently, so they might be doing acceptances without interviews as well.

Also be sure to check out iTunes U(niversity). Not sure what the current offerings are now, but in the past iTunes U had very good podcast-like courses available for download/streaming, and both Greek and Hebrew were available with most of the professors using Mounce's Greek and Pratico/Van Pelt's Hebrew.

@Sphereology459 I would add that a part of your question is also with whom you are planning to study. I can only echo what marXian has said, but add that qualifying feature. Maybe to help get a better answer, could you clarify your question: what is your intended concentration and with whom would you like to study? etc.

@ibnbattuta A friend of mine was admitted into UCSB and was notified early on (I think mid- to late-January). Not sure if they do interviews, though. The prospective student weekend is the end of March-beginning of April, so they might have already wrapped some things up. Good luck and hope to hear good things soon!

@imnotcreative I can speak from experience on this one (as anecdotal as it might be): my undergraduate education was not regionally accredited (just nationally, ABHE), however, I was able to perform exceptionally and got admitted into "top-tier" graduate programs, and subsequently admitted into a few "top tier" PhD programs. This is of course not standard scenario, but I would suggest that Liberty, while seemingly unhelpful, is not detrimental to your chances of furthering your graduate education. My advice is as above: 1) do your undergraduate program and do it well, 2) take things like the GRE seriously, 3) network with your professors (they presumably came from programs you might be considering yourself), 4) contact the universities you are considering for your graduate degree and ask them questions about their relationship with universities like Liberty and 5) take your academic interests seriously (attend conferences, write proposals for conferences, etc). There is no way to emphasize #3 and #5 enough; if you are just one application among the hundreds to your program, you are generally less likely to stand out--even with an exception GPA and GRE score (see https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/06/new-book-reveals-how-elite-phd-admissions-committees-review-candidates). Meaning, be a face to the programs and people you want to be with, but even more so, be someone they can begin to see as a junior scholar and as someone they can mentor. I hope some of this helps.

@Patro I am currently at Union (MDiv); notices should have been sent out already. I know some candidates have received their acceptances by now (Union does have very few placements and I know two of them are taken already). From my understanding, rejections are sent my regular mail and acceptances are emailed. Good luck!